HOUSTON DYNAMO vs NEW YORK RED BULLS BBVA COMPASS STADIUM, Houston, Texas August 3, 2012 (WEEK 22, MLS Game #206)
7 p.m. CT (NBC SN)
The Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls play the first of their crucial home-and-home series over the next two weeks when they meet Friday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo come in riding a four-game winning streak following a 2-0 win in Toronto last weekend, and still maintain an 18-game home unbeaten streak. The Red Bulls are coming off a 3-1 loss in Montréal to start a run of four road games out of six. The teams are separated by a single point atop the Eastern Conference. REFEREE: Silviu Petrescu. SAR (bench): Jeff Muschik; JAR (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Kevin Terry Jr. MLS Career: 50 games; FC/gm: 27.4; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 8; pens: 7 INJURY REPORT: HOUSTON DYNAMO -- DOUBTFUL: FW Will Bruin (R calf contusion) … NEW YORK RED BULLS – OUT: DF Brandon Barklage (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Heath Pearce (R hamstring strain) INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none SUSPENDED: NY: Dax McCarty (caution accumulation; through Aug. 5) WARNINGS: SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: HOU: Calen Carr, Corey Ashe … NY: Kenny Cooper, Joel Lindpere HEAD-TO-HEAD ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Dynamo 2 wins, 14 goals … Red Bulls 4 wins, 15 goals … Ties 7 AT HOUSTON (6 meetings): Dynamo 2 wins, 10 goals … Red Bulls 0 wins, 5 goals … Ties 4 FUTURE MATCH: 8/10: New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo, 8 p.m. ET (NBC SN) The teams are meeting for the second time this season, after a Kenny Cooper goal gave the Red Bulls a 1-0 victory May 9 at Red Bull Arena. The Dynamo haven’t defeated New York since a 1-0 win May 31, 2008. The Red Bulls have won four of the 10 league and MLS Cup meetings since, with six draws. The teams have played to draws in their last three league meetings in Houston. But the Red Bulls closed out their Robertson Stadium history having never a regular-season game there (0-2-4) – though they did win the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series in 2008. The Dynamo have never won at New York, with four losses and four draws in eight league and MLS Cup meetings all-time. Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. NY: P18 W5 L5 D8 … Hans Backe v HOU: P5 W2 L0 D3 LAST MEETING (MLS) 5/9: NY 1, HOU 0 (Cooper 7) The game's lone goal came after seven minutes. Kenny Cooper raced onto a lazy back pass from Dynamo defender Corey Ashe, and deflected the ball into the back of the net as goalkeeper Tally Hall attempted to clear. Red Bulls goalkeeper Ryan Meara was called upon to make three saves on the night in recording a third consecutive shutout. NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-1-4-1): Ryan Meara - Brandon Barklage, Tyler Ruthven, Markus Holgersson, Connor Lade - Dax McCarty - Dane Richards, Mehdi Ballouchy (Juan Agudelo 46), Joel Lindpere, Jan Gunnar Solli (Roy Miller 87) - Kenny Cooper (Jhonny Arteaga 91+). HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Jermaine Taylor, Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe Calen Carr, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Alex Dixon 56), Brad Davis - Macoumba Kandji (Colin Clark 73), Cam Weaver (Will Bruin 61). HOUSTON DYNAMO The Houston Dynamo won their fourth consecutive match, going to BMO Field and coming away with a 2-0 win against Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon. The Dynamo are in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference with 37 points from 22 games. LAST MATCH The Dynamo struck just seconds before halftime. Brad Davis looped in a lovely corner to the near post and Bobby Boswell flicked it on to the back post, where an unmarked Calen Carr headed the ball into the bottom right corner.
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