Photo credit: Houston Dynamo FC

The Crew begins its 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup campaign on Wednesday as they take on a fellow MLS side in the Houston Dynamo.

The Black & Gold received a first-round bye thanks to their 2023 MLS Cup triumph over LAFC in early December. Houston on the other hand, has already played and won a CCC matchup in 2024 over St. Louis FC. This home & away matchup comes smack in the middle of the beginning of each side’s 2024 MLS regular season campaign and presents an interesting and unique challenge for each side.

In addition to this matchup being two matches, away goals factor in as a tiebreaker if needed. Thus, Wednesday presents the Crew with the opportunity to grab control of this matchup with a good performance and maybe even an away goal or two. Here is everything you need to know about Houston, and what the Crew should be focused on Wednesday night in Texas.

Houston Dynamo at a Glance:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Record: 1-1-0 (Advanced vs. STL on away goals)

Recent Form (All Comps): L-D-W-D

Leading Scorer: Gabriel Segal, Ibrahim Aliyu, Erik Sviatchenko, Sebastian Kowalczyk (1)

Assist Leader: Ibrahim Aliyu (2)

Player to Watch: Adalberto Carrasquilla

Carrasquilla has burst onto the scene in the past 18 months in Houston. Known for his exceptional passing and ability to beat defenders off the dribble, Carrasquilla has become the puppet master in the Dynamo attack. The 25-year-old Panamanian is an excellent chance creator with the ability to pop up in between defensive lines and play the final pass. Carrasquilla contributed six assists for Houston last season and is already off the mark with one assist so far in 2024.

When under defensive pressure, Carrasquilla is often able to elude pressure and run at the opponent’s backline. Carrasquilla typically operates on the right side of the midfield and often tucks into central areas in possession. The Crew will have to be very aware of his whereabouts defensively, as they will likely be outnumbered in midfield when Houston has possession. Look for Carrasquilla to be at the center of most Houston attacks over this two-game set.

How Houston plays: 

Houston won its place in the 2024 Champions Cup thanks to a famous victory over Inter Miami in the 2023 US Open Cup. The Dynamo then followed that up with a trip to the Western Conference final, where they fell to LAFC. Their success last season is largely due to good player recruitment and a good tactical setup from head coach Ben Olsen. Olsen, who is in his second year at the helm in Houston, has set up his side in a 4-2-3-1 over his tenure.

However, Houston has played with a back three twice this season and could very well do the same on Wednesday against Columbus. No matter what shape they are in, the Dynamo will look to keep possession of the ball and move it side to side quickly. When in possession, Houston’s shape is usually a 3-5-2 as they move an outside back (typically Griffin Dorsey) high up the pitch and a wide midfielder (typically Carrasquilla) into an advanced central area. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this shape closely resembles the shape that the Crew prefers to attack out of.

Defensively, Houston prefers to defend in a mid-block just in front of the halfway line. At times, The Dynamo step their line of confrontation higher up the field in an attempt to win the ball back closer to their attacking goal. When Houston plays with a back four, they typically defend in a 4-4-2 shape. If they play with a back three, they will likely defend in a 5-3-2 formation with their wingbacks defending in the wide areas. Identifying this shape will be important for Columbus to do early in the match as they look to keep possession as much as possible.

How the Crew can win:

Find the advantage in possession
As with most matches the Black & Gold play, they will aim to have a possession advantage for the majority of this match. Thus, the Crew needs to figure out where their advantages are in possession. If Houston plays with a back four, the Crew will need to exploit their overload in midfield by finding forward passes in between Houston’s midfield and defensive lines. If Houston plays with a back three, Columbus should look to get the ball into wide areas to exploit the 1v1 matchups they should have out wide.

Rest defense
This has long been the secret to success for Columbus but will be especially important in this match given the speed Houston has up top. The Crew will need to be well-positioned to defend when they have the ball on Wednesday. If they do this, it will allow them to thwart Houston attacks while applying pressure in the attacking half. If not, Houston could have a field day on the counterattack.

Be professional
The old saying goes something like this “You can’t win a tie in the first leg, but you can definitely lose it in the first leg.” That is especially true for the road team against a team that has already advanced one round in this competition. The Crew need to look to control the game and have a solid performance, losing by multiple goals could cause problems and be too much to overcome in the second leg. Conversely, winning this match could mean an easy second leg back in the confines of Lower.com Field. The Black & Gold needs to do its best to avoid giving away silly goals (like against Minnesota) and getting a goal or two of their own to set themselves up well for the second leg.