Charlotte FC will look to extend their four-match unbeaten streak with a positive result against the visiting Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
Thanks to a string of wins over Eastern Conference teams, Charlotte (10-7-5, 35 points) sits 10 points clear of the postseason cutoff line. The squad has scored 11 goals in its last four games (3-0-1) and has risen to fifth in the Eastern Conference. But to contend with the heavyweight teams above it, the club will need to keep its good form and remain steady.
“If you want to be successful, you have to be consistent,” Charlotte manager Dean Smith said. “It’s the biggest thing to have. If you have got consistency, then it gives you a chance to compete at the top levels. It’s really important that we continue to grow as a club and evolve as a club.”
To beat the Dynamo (12-7-3, 39 points), Charlotte will need to rely on an attack that can strike quickly on counterattacks. The club is led by Pep Biel (11 goals, nine assists) and Idan Toklomati (seven goals). Recent arrival Allan Saint-Maximin and winger Liel Abada (five assists) have also created trouble for opposing defenses.
Houston enters the matchup with one of the best defenses in the league. It has shut out its opponents in six of its last seven league outings. The Dynamo upended their roster during the transfer window. They acquired key pieces such as attackers Lyle Foster and Duncan McGuire and Boca Juniors defender Marcelo Saracchi. They sold attackers Jack McGlynn and Ezequiel Ponce to European clubs.
“I feel we have a very good group that’s capable of winning games,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said. “We have a pretty good foundation and know who we are. But … there’s going to be some tweaks. And when it’s not like for like, there’s going to be different ways, good and bad, that you can manipulate your team, but that takes open-mindedness from players and energy for our coaching staff to figure out that next iteration of ourselves.”
Saracchi is questionable for Saturday’s matchup with a lower-body injury. He didn’t appear in Houston’s most recent game, a scoreless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes. Foster, who joins the Dynamo on loan from Burnley of England’s EFL Championship, has been ruled out and will make his MLS debut at a later date.
–Field Level Media
