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Major League Soccer
Nov 11, 2023 at 11pm UK
BBVA Compass Stadium
RS

Houston
1 - 1
Salt Lake

Houston win 4-3 on penalties
Baird (28')
Baird (20')
FT
(aet)
Luna (65')
Savarino (46'), Arango (66'), Vera (72')

Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Major League Soccer clash between Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

On Saturday, we will discover who will be the last Western Conference side to qualify for the semi-final round of the MLS Cup playoffs when the Houston Dynamo host Real Salt Lake at Shell Energy Stadium in the third game of that series.

At America First Field in Utah earlier this week, Claret and Cobalt were 20 minutes away from elimination but fought back to claim a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before winning 5-4 on penalties to force this decisive match.


Match preview

It was there for the taking, but in the end, the Dynamo could not finish what they started as they have been pushed to the limit in the opening round.

The good news for Ben Olsen's men is that this pivotal match takes place at home, where they have only suffered one defeat in their previous 11 playoff affairs, including a 2-1 victory against Salt Lake in the opening game of this series.

They will carry a seven-match unbeaten run at Shell Energy Stadium versus MLS opponents into this match, one shy of their longest streak without a defeat in Houston from 2019.

Although they were beaten on penalties in game two, Orange Crush have not lost in normal time in their last seven competitive fixtures and have not conceded after 45 minutes since September 23 (2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City).

Houston have usually started matches well throughout the 2023 MLS campaign, scoring first in 18 encounters (regular season and playoffs), but they tend to take their foot off the gas in the latter stages, conceding 10 times in the 80th minute or beyond.

In their entire playoff history, the Dynamo have never been eliminated from a tie when winning the opening match, although, in those previous instances, they were two-leg affairs.

They rarely dazzle fans with their play on the field, but eliminating Real Salt Lake never seems straightforward, as this scrappy side fought their way back into game two when all looked lost.

Scraping through has become a trademark of this side since Pablo Mastroeni took charge during the 2021 campaign, and it has them on the verge of a second conference semi-final appearance in the last three years.

Salt Lake collected the most away victories in the Western Conference during the regular season (eight), while they fought their way back to earn a positive result in seven MLS encounters this year, including their game two triumph versus the Dynamo.

RSL have never won a playoff contest in Texas, squandering a 2-0 lead in their opening round fixture at Austin FC last season, losing on penalties, before being beaten by the Orange Crush in game one of this series.

Claret and Cobalt have not won a playoff contest when scoring first since 2019 when they defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1, while five of their last six post-season encounters were decided in a shootout or by a single goal.

Only one of their last 10 goals scored in normal time versus an MLS opponent occurred in the opening half, when they played the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-1 draw in mid-October.

Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:

Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer form:


Team News

Houston are expected to be without Tate Schmitt and Ifunanyachi Achara for this match, as they are both dealing with knee injuries.

Amine Bassi was the hero in game one of this series, netting the winner, and it seemed like his opening goal would hold up in match two, but his fortunes took a turn when Salt Lake equalised and then he was the only player to miss from the penalty spot, forcing this deciding game.

Hector Herrera has scored in his last two home games versus RSL, including the opener in their US Open Cup semi-final victory when Adalberto Carrasquilla and Luis Caicedo found the back of the net in extra time as Orange Crush won 3-1 and went on to lift the trophy.

Marcelo Silva missed the previous match for Claret and Cobalt because of a personal matter, Erik Holt sat out with a sore shoulder, Bode Hidalgo was sidelined due to a hamstring strain and Pablo Ruiz was unavailable with a knee injury.

A brilliant free kick from Jefferson Savarino put the home side on level terms in match number two, sending that game into a shootout where Zac MacMath stopped the first shot that he faced, while Chicho Arango, Damir Kreilach, Savarino, Brayan Vera and Diego Luna all converted their spot kicks.

Savarino set up the only RSL goal in that US Open Cup defeat that his side suffered at Houston earlier this year, with Anderson Julio finishing off his nice pass.

Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Escobar; Artur, Herrera; Carrasquilla, Bassi, Caicedo; Baird

Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Brody, Glad, Vera, Oviedo; Chang, Ojeda, Palacio, Luna; Savarino, Rubin


We say: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Real Salt Lake

The Houston workhorses in midfield should be able to find a way through a resilient RSL side who do not have as much depth or creativity as Orange Crush.

How to watch

You can watch Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data


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Premier League Table

Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721
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