Both Minnesota United and the Houston Dynamo are anxious for a quick turnaround when they meet Wednesday night in Houston.
Minnesota (6-8-6, 24 points) had a nice start to the month, but its most recent outing was a 4-1 setback to Austin FC on Saturday. The club’s recent problems largely have been failures to convert on the offensive end.
“You’ve got to get pressure on the ball and be diligent to that job,” Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath said.
Devin Padelford posted his first career goal for Minnesota in Saturday’s match, but too many opportunities for the United were thwarted. Of 14 corner kicks, Minnesota produced only two scoring chances.
“The fact that we had that many corners shows the amount of possession,” Heath said. “You’ve got to show a willingness to put your head where (the ball) is. Maybe we’ve not got the people in the right spots.”
Heath has adjusted Minnesota United’s formations, putting Zarek Valentin at left back and DJ Taylor at right back in the most recent match. There could be lineup changes upcoming.
“We’ll have to manage the minutes for some,” Heath said. “It’s a heavy schedule coming up.”
Houston (8-9-4, 28 points) is on a three-match winless streak (0-2-1), though Ivan Franco’s goal in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time allowed it to salvage a 2-2 tie with visiting Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
“A sign that we have resiliency and the grit that you need to get into the postseason,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said. “That’s our goal. Every point counts.”
Franco, a substitute, scored his second goal of the season.
This seems like a critical time for the Dynamo, who won’t play at home again for more than a month.
“It’s nice to get back to work,” Olsen said. “See who’s left and put the best foot forward against Minnesota, who is another hot team that’s going to come in here and be tough to break down. They’ve got some new additions as well.”
Minnesota defeated Houston 1-0 at home on May 17.
–Field Level Media