The Major League Soccer season is in full swing as both conferences begin to plot their route to MLS Cup glory. It’s going to be a long road for them to get there but with the league being as competitive as it’s ever been, there’s a real opportunity for teams to step up and make a name for themselves. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the upcoming clash between Houston Dynamo and Austin FC.
Houston Form GuideHouston Dynamo had a pretty strong end to the season last year and as such, were able to vault their way to fourth spot. In their three-game series with Real Salt Lake, they were taken to penalties on two occasions. They came out on top, went on to defeat Kansas City in the conference semi-finals, and ultimately ran out of gas in a 2-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC.
Following a 2-1 loss to NY Red Bulls, Houston rattled off three straight wins over Portland, Colorado and San Jose. From there, they were knocked back down again in a 2-1 loss to Chicago, but they recovered nicely against Minnesota in a 2-1 win.
Austin Form GuideAustin’s success was always going to come in a ‘long term’ kind of format, and while they’ve certainly got a solid fanbase behind them, things didn’t look great on the pitch last season. They finished in 12th place in the West, although it’s worth noting that the conference was pretty weak, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them fare a bit better this time around.
After 2-2 draws against St Louis and Philadelphia, Austin lost 2-0 courtesy of Orlando. From there, they beat Dallas and San Jose in pretty tight affairs - but on the road to St Louis, they fell short in a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Match PredictionAustin are a team that have begun putting the right pieces in place for success, but they’ve still got some fine-tuning to do over the next few months and years. On the flip side, the Dynamo look more well-rounded - which is why we’re backing a Houston win here.
