Houston Dynamo are looking to record another win in the Western Conference after claiming their first victory of the season last time out, and they welcome Colorado Rapids to the BBVA Stadium.
Sunday's visitors have enjoyed a decent start to this year's campaign, taking six points from a possible nine so far, and they will be aiming for a third consecutive win this weekend.
Match preview
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Paulo Nagamura's side failed to find the back of the net in their opening two matches, leaving them with just one point heading into their clash with Canadian outfit Vancouver Whitecaps.
After going 1-0 behind in that match, a brace from Darwin Quintero turned the game around for Dynamo, who secured a 2-1 win on home soil last Saturday.
That result means that Houston are unbeaten on their own patch this season, having drawn their opening game, a feat that this weekend's hosts will be looking to continue.
Nagamura's side will have to show more attacking quality in the final third, but after a positive result last time out, that should help Houston build from that in this encounter.
The home crowd can expect their side to dominate possession of the ball, but they will have to be wary of the Rapids catching them quickly on the counter attack.
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Robin Fraser's side bounced back from an opening day defeat in perfect fashion with a comfortable victory over Atlanta United, and they followed that up with another win last time out.
On Sunday, Colorado welcomed Sporting Kansas City to Dick's Sporting Goods Park, where goals from Diego Rubio and Mark-Anthony Kaye sealed a 2-0 win for the Rapids.
During those two victories, Fraser's side have scored five of the six shots they have registered on target, showing their efficiency in attack, but that is a limited amount of chances that they have managed to create, perhaps an aspect for Houston to focus on as an advantage this weekend.
The Rapids' two wins this season have come on home soil, meaning that this weekend is a big opportunity for them to prove that they can collect three points on their travels also, as they must ensure their away form does not let them down.
With Dynamo's low-scoring tally in this early stage of the campaign, and after two consecutive wins and clean sheets, Colorado will be confident that they can record their first away win of the season.
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Team News
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After recording their first win of the campaign last weekend, Nagamura is expected to name the same starting 11, which will include Fabrice Picault and Corey Baird, who will offer attacking width to the side.
Adalberto Carrasquilla made his first start of the season against Vancouver, and he will start in midfield with Matias Vera, while Quintero operates slightly further forward.
Striker Carlos Ferreira is looking to open his account for the club, but he did show his attacking threat by assisting Quintero's second goal last weekend.
Aboubacar Keita and Brian Galvan have not featured yet for Colorado this season, and they are not likely to do so until the latter stages of the campaign as they are both sidelined due to cruciate ligament injuries.
The visitors will operate a 3-4-3 formation, with Jonathan Lewis, Rubio and Michael Barrios making up the attacking trio, while Kaye offers a threat in front of goal from midfield also.
Left wing-back Lucas Esteves has two assists to his name already this year, and he will be looking to provide chances for his forward players again this weekend, with Steven Beitashour aiming to do the same from the other wing.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Lundqvist, Steres, Parker, Dorsey; Carrasquilla, Vera; Picault, Quintero, Baird; Ferreira
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Trusty, Abubakar, Rosenberry; Esteves, Kaye, Price, Beitashour; Lewis, Rubio, Barrios
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Colorado Rapids
Houston will have been boosted by their first victory last weekend, and will be keen to follow that up with another victory on home soil.
However, Colorado have recorded two excellent results in their last two games which suggests that they will make it difficult for Dynamo, but after a heavy defeat in their last away game, the visitors may not have enough to win this encounter.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 43.74%. A win for Colorado Rapids had a probability of 29.04% and a draw had a probability of 27.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.21%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.7%) and 2-0 (8.28%). The likeliest Colorado Rapids win was 0-1 (9.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.84%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-1 draw for this match.
