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Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: How to Watch, Open Thread, and More
This is your open thread for Orlando City SC’s Friday night showdown with the Houston Dynamo! Houston comes in 1-0-0 on the season, while the Lions are looking to get their first MLS win.
Orlando is coming off a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s opening match against New York City FC, which saw the Lions control the game but fail to get on the board until the 91st minute. They were the more dangerous team throughout, but after Mix Diskerud’s goal put New York on top, the Lions needed a fortuitous deflection on a Kaká free kick in extra time to escape with a point.
Conversely, Houston struggled at times in their opening match against Columbus Crew SC but managed to earn a 1-0 victory. English forward Giles Barnes scored the winner, but it was the stellar play of keeper Tyler Deric between the pipes that kept the Dynamo in the game.
Houston will be the strong favorites at home in this contest, particularly considering the Dynamo feature a veteran-heavy lineup with loads of MLS experience. However, they're adjusting to a new coach in Owen Coyle, and they were none too impressive in their opener against Columbus.
Here's your required reading to get ready for tonight's match:
- Here’s my Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo match preview and tactical breakdown
- The latest PawedCast, featuring our guest, DynamoTheory.com writer Derek Stowers
- Our Intelligence Report on the Dynamo, including more questions for Derek
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Donovan Ricketts
Defense: Brek Shea, Seb Hines, Sean St. Ledger, Rafael Ramos
Defensive Midfielders: Amobi Okugo, Darwin Cerén
Attacking Midfielders: Lewis Neal, Kaká, Kevin Molino
Forward: Carlos Rivas
Bench: Earl Edwards Jr., Luke Boden, Conor Donovan, Eric Avila, Tony Cascio, Pedro Ribeiro, Cyle Larin
Houston Dynamo (4-4-2):
Goalkeeper: Tyler Deric
Defense: Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst, Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley
Midfielders: Brad Davis, Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Leonel Miranda
Forwards: Boniek Garcia, Giles Barnes
Bench: Joe Willis, Will Bruin, AJ Cochran, Rob Lovejoy, Nathan Sturgis, Alexander Lopez, Corey Ashe
How to Watch:
Match time: 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Venue: BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
TV: UniMas
Radio: 104.1 Real Radio
Streaming: MLS Live
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).
*UniMas Viewing Reminder* For our non-bilingual readers, you CAN switch the commentary to English!
Match Thread Rules:
This is your live thread for posting comments on the match. So use our comments section below to talk about the game in real time with other supporters. If you’re new, welcome to our happy home! While you’re here, please observe a few basic rules:
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- Keep it somewhat clean and fair when criticizing players / officials. You never know who might be reading.
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