Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/14/21
Houston Dynamo play host to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night from BBVA Stadium in Houston, Texas, in a crucial Western Conference tilt. The two conference rivals have already met once this season, back on May 15th, in a 3-1 Colorado home win. The Rapids dominated from start to finish in a matchup that saw them get out to a lead early and hang on throughout. They won the possession game, 63-37, and outshot Houston both in shots, 12-8, and shots on goal, 5-4. Ten points separate the two teams in the standings, with Colorado sitting in fourth place in the standings and Houston in eleventh place and fighting for every point as they try to remain in the playoff race. Houston hasn’t won a home game since May and hasn’t played at home since July 31st and they’ll need the home crowd to help push them through. For Colorado, the return trip to Houston promises to be an exciting game that can only further help propel them in the standings.
Houston Winless Streak Continues
Houston enters Saturday’s game without a win in their last eleven games, struggling to get over the hump in plenty of close games over that time frame. They’ve dropped each of their last two games, both on the road, to Austin and to Minnesota, which has the team lacking confidence in their return home. The winless streak has seen Houston fall all the way back into 11th place in the Western Conference standings, with 18 points across 18 games. With a minus-six goal differential, Houston hasn’t been able to turn a corner and now with Colorado coming to town, a team they already lost to 3-1, it’s a tough ask for them to be able to finally find a win for the first time in months on Saturday. Having dropped two straight games, it’ll be interesting to see how the home team reacts to Houston’s return to town on Saturday night and if they can help push them towards a win.
Unlike many teams, Houston doesn’t have the injury report to fall back on for their misfortunes this season, as they’ve remained relatively healthy of late. According to the league’s availability report, Nico Lemoine (right groin) will be out, while Ethan Bartlow (right thigh strain) and Tyler Pasher (right lower body), are questionable to go. Pasher is second on the team with four goals and tied for the team lead with two assists, and could be a big miss if he can’t give it a go. Bartlow has yet to appear in a game this season and Lemoine has only appeared in one game, meaning their potential absences won’t be nearly as impactful.
Maximiliano Urruti remains one of the most feared forwards in the league and leads the team with six goals in 15 games. He has some nice offensive balance around him, with Fabrice Picault adding three goals and a team-high two assists. 11 players have added assists on the season and shows the creativity littered throughout the roster, but also the lack of consistency in anyone standing out night after night. On the defensive end, Tim Parker remains one of the best center backs in the league and is a huge reason why the defense has played some low-scoring draws before these last two losses. If Parker can dominate the game out of the back, the Dynamo have a good chance at keeping the game close.
Colorado Eyes Consistency
Colorado will enter with a lot of confidence after taking down Houston with ease when the two teams met earlier in the season. Colorado hasn’t exactly passed the eye test this season even though they sit right in the thick of home field advantage for the playoffs. The draws have started to add up but the losses remain few and far between. Their last loss came back on July 24th against Real Salt Lake and before then it had been since June 23rd when they lost to Sporting Kansas City. Colorado is coming off a home draw to Kansas City the last time out in a game where they were unlucky to not take all three points. They held Kansas City without a shot on goal and with only six shots total, while taking more possession, but ultimately failing to get on the scoreboard. Colorado has 28 points in 16 games, with a plus-six goal differential, but they know they need every point possible to ensure their safe inclusion in the playoffs come the fall. It’ll take a strong game on the road though to ensure the sweep over Houston on the season.
The Colorado Rapids almost don’t even appear on the availability report and while Houston has been blessed with a clean bill of health, so have the Rapids. They are only planning to be without Younes Namli (undisclosed injury) for Saturday’s game and having only appeared in four games, adding no goals and no assists in the midfield, means he won’t be a huge absence. The biggest issue though is the loss of Sam Vines to Royal Antwerp in Belgium over the last few weeks. The defender who has shined on the season and on the international stage in the Gold Cup for the United States, is going to be difficult to replace for a team that relied on him to do so much. Out of the back, Vines had one goal and one assist on the season, but also added leadership attributes too that will be tough to duplicate.
The Rapids lack some of the big names of other MLS teams but still have scored their own fair share of goals. Michael Barrios leads the way with four goals and three assists, with three others right behind him with three goals each. Cole Bassett represents the young core coming through the club, Andre Shinyashiki brings college experience to the attack, and Diego Rubio brings his own senior national team flair. Add in Keegan Rosenberry’s two goals and creativity and ability to win balls in the defensive third, and it’s no wonder why Colorado is so high up in the league’s standings. One player to keep an eye on is Mark-Anthony Kaye, the longtime LAFC midfielder, whose experience and box-to-box ability fits right in.
Pick: Colorado +170
The Colorado Rapids have quite a few advantages over the Houston Dynamo but the biggest is the difference in form between the two teams. Houston likely forgets what it’s like for them to even win a game, as it has been months, and adding in that Colorado dominated the first meeting between the two teams on the season, leaves them in a difficult mental position. One of Houston’s top playmakers is unlikely to play and on top of that, Colorado’s attacking ability would be tough to match even with a full side available for Houston. The Rapids are in fourth place and will make sure to find a win and three points against of the Western Conference’s worst teams to ensure their playoff positioning heading into their next game.
Pick: Over
Both of these teams are filled with attacking prowess and creativity, especially within Colorado’s side. With so many goal scorers available for Saturday, it’s no wonder that the Rapids will be expecting an impressive goal performance. Beyond that, Houston has some scorers in their own right and rely far too much on Tim Parker to dictate how their energy and form will be. The first meeting between these two teams in the season had four games, and over the last five meetings, both teams have scored in each of them, with at least four goals being scored in three of the five. With Vines also out as a key cog in the back for the Rapids, expect a shaky start for that group, as goals and chances happen early and often.
