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The New York Red Bulls have traveled to Texas to take on one of the hottest teams in the league, the Houston Dynamo.
The Red Bulls will look to bounce back after Real Salt Lake held them to a scoreless draw at Red Bull Arena in their last game..
Goals have been tough to come by for New York through four games this season with the team only fpur times so far in the league - led by two-goal top-scorer Own Goal.
New York will need recently re-signed forward Bradley Wright-Phillips to be especially motivated this week as the team looks to correct its offensive woes.
RBNY might be encouraged by the fact Houston has given up six goals in three games played. But the team's success comes from being able to outscore rather than shut out opponents: it has scored seven in the same span. The Dynamo revamped its offense this offseason with the additions of Honduran internationals Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis, and the return of Erick Torres. Leading scorer (three goals) Quioto sustained an injury while on international duty and will miss this weekend's match.
Last time out, Houston's high powered offense was not enough to get by Portland on the road and the Dynamo lost 4-2. The Dynamo currently sit in third place in the Western Conference after winning its first two outings of the season.
The off-season changes have led Houston to play a high-pressure system that puts a lot of emphasis on the front three.
In addition to Quioto, Houston will also be without off-season addition Juan David Cabezas. The Colombian midfielder is out with a concussion. Houston boasts former Metrostar/ Red Bulls Ricardo Clark and Eric Alexander, both of whom will likely feature for the Dynamo this weekend.
Key Players
Alex: After an unsuccessful spell with the Chicago Fire, Alex emerged as one of the few bright spots for an abysmal Houston team last season. The midfielder is tied for the league lead with three assists in the young season and will surely eclipse his career four assists in Major League Soccer sooner rather than later.
Sacha Kljestan:The RBNY club captain is returning from international duty with the United States this past week and will be needed for the team to have success moving forward. Last season Kljestan thrived in a central playmaking role and lead the league with 20 assists. This season due to a formation change the California native has been shifted more toward the wings and has struggled. If Kljestan cannot adapt to the new system soon I believe the team will need to revert to the ways of old.