Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Scouting Report

Orlando City will take on the Houston Dynamo this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the Lions’ only home MLS match in the month of June. It will be a short turnaround for Orlando after its 1-1 road draw against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, which makes it even more important that this match will be at home for the Lions. Let’s take a deep dive into the opponent for this weekend’s match for Orlando, the Houston Dynamo.

Statistical Analysis

The Houston Dynamo have performed below league averages offensively this season. The Dynamo are tied for 18th in MLS in goals scored (17), however the dispersion of those goals has been quite interesting. Houston is tied for the second-most goals scored from outside the box this season (5), which means almost 30% of the team’s goals have come from a considerable distance. The Dynamo are not necessarily threatening in terms of consistency in their attacking either, as Houston is 24th in total scoring attempts (154) and tied for 18th in on-target scoring attempts (56). Houston does not use ball movement to help its scoring out either. The Dynamo currently rank 23rd in assists (14) and 26th in accurate forward zone passes (1,864) which is indicative of their overall lack of movement to generate offense.

Defensively, the Dynamo have been a bit more up and down this season. Houston is tied for 10th in fewest goals allowed (17), however, it only ranks in the top 10 in two other defensive categories. Those categories are clearances and blocks, where they rank sixth (315) and 10th (207), respectively. The Dynamo are middle of the pack in terms of interceptions where they rank 12th (149), and shots on target allowed, where they rank 13th (62). Furthermore, Houston sits in the bottom third of MLS in the following categories: duel percentage (20th, 48.3%), tackles (tied for 23rd, 212), and successful pressure percentage (27th, 25.6%).

Players to Watch

Forward Darwin Quintero has been the leader for the Houston offense this year. Quintero is tied for first in goals (5) and he leads the team in total scoring attempts (26) and on-target scoring attempts (13), as well as being tied for first among regular starters in accurate shooting percentage (50%). Meanwhile, forward Sebastián Ferreira has also been a key spark to the Dynamo offense, as he is tied for first in goals (5) and is second in total scoring attempts (22) and on-target scoring attempts (9). Ferreira and defender Adam Lundqvist have been important pieces to the Houston passing game, as they lead the team in assists (3), and Lundqvist is first in crosses (10).

Defender Teenage Hadebe has been important in disrupting the flow of opponents’ offensive play, where he leads the Dynamo in interceptions (23). The Houston defense has also found a surprising amount of help in one-on-one situations from midfielder Fabrice-Jean Picault, who has won a team-leading 151 duels this year. Goalkeeper Steve Clark has been solid in net for the Dynamo, starting 13 of 14 matches. In those starts, Clark has only allowed 14 goals on 56 shots against, for a quality save percentage of 75%.

This is what I could find on the Houston Dynamo. Let me know what you think in the comments below and as always, go Orlando!