After a month of Leagues Cup action, Major League Soccer will resume this week with the Houston Dynamo taking on the Portland Timbers at Shell Energy Stadium on Monday.
The hosts reached the last 16 in the Leagues Cup earlier this month but were knocked out by Charlotte, while the visitors exited the competition in the first knockout round, losing 1-0 to Monterrey.
Match preview
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Houston Dynamo will resume their MLS campaign in ninth place with 29 points after 23 matches, which puts them firmly in contention to challenge for a final series qualification spot barring a collapse from here on.
While at first glance a playoff spot may not seem like a huge accomplishment, in the case of the Orange Crush, it would be a massive step forward after finishing each of the last three seasons in the bottom two in the Western Conference.
However, they will need to address a poor run of form if they intend to keep their final series hopes alive, as they went into the cup break winless in five consecutive league games, including three losses and two draws.
If we look at their Leagues Cup form, Ben Olsen's side did reach the round of 16, but they did not win a single match in the competition in regulation time, with each of their three matches up to the last-16 stage ending on penalties.
Add all that up, and the picture suddenly looks much more gloomy, with no wins in their last nine matches in all competitions while failing to score in five of those matches, four of which were league fixtures.
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Portland ended the 2022 campaign in eighth place, missing out on a final series spot for the first time in six years, and up to this point of the season, they have struggled to put a run of any significance together.
Before heading into the cup competition, the Timbers managed a much-needed 3-2 win over Columbus Crew, which brought an end to a five-match winless streak that included three draws and two losses.
To date, the Timbers have managed 26 points from their 23 matches, with a record of six wins, eight draws and nine losses, but have failed to win any of their last six away league matches ahead of this one.
However, while their recent form suggests they may struggle here, Portland do have an excellent record against this opponent, unbeaten in their last eight encounters dating back to 2018 while outscoring Houston Dynamo 15-6 in that time.
Team News
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Houston Dynamp will be missing three players for the upcoming encounter, with Teenage Hadebe, Tate Schmitt and Ifunanyachi Achara all ruled out through injury.
Amine Bassi has been Houston's standout player this season and should resume in attacking midfield behind Ibrahim Aliyu at the top of the pitch.
In the opposite dressing room, Giovanni Savarese will be without the services of David Ayala and Eryk Williamson, with both players suffering from ACL injuries.
Evander had an eventful League Cup, which included scoring in consecutive games and being sent off, though he will almost certainly resume duty in midfield with Franck Boli in attack.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Escobar, Sviatchenko, Micael, Steres; Artur, Herrera, Franco; Quinones, Bassi; Aliyu
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Bingham; Mosquera, McGraw, Zuparic, Bravo; Chara, Paredes, Asprilla, Loria, Evander; Boli
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Portland Timbers
Neither of these sides have done anything of late to suggest that they can go on to win this one. While they would certainly love to get all three points, we expect they will have to settle for a point each.
How to watch
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