The Crew got punched in the mouth in Los Angeles on Tuesday, falling in leg one of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 3-0 to LAFC. Now, we get to see how the Black & Gold will respond.

Up next for the Crew is a visit from the Houston Dynamo. Houston comes to Columbus winless and looking for a kick start to their season. After losing to Texas rivals FC Dallas and a Messi-less Inter Miami. Houston will be licking their lips after a full week to prepare for a Crew side reeling from their defeat on Tuesday. 

For Columbus, it’s important to move on and get back to winning ways. Despite their monumental challenge next Tuesday to advance to the next round of the CCC, the Crew are perfect so far in MLS play. The Crew need to continue to find wins (especially at home) as they continue to wait for reinforcements to come in the way of new signings to the club. The Crew don’t have a ton of squad members to rotate from game to game, so we can expect a super similar lineup from Columbus in week three of the MLS campaign. 

Houston Dynamo at a Glance:

Record: 0-2-0 

Form: L-L

Leading Scorer: Amine Bassi, Nico Lodeiro(1)

Assist Leader: Erik Duenas, Ezequiel Ponce

Player to Watch: Jack McGlynn

If you watched either of the USMNT games in January, you saw just how good Jack McGlynn can be. The left footed central midfielder is an excellent in possession player, with a top level passing skills that allows him to play multiple different types of passes over different distances. Adding that to his ability to shoot from distance and dribble out of pressure, it’s easy to see why Houston paid over 2 million dollars to acquire his services from Philadelphia Union. McGlynn is one of the hottest young players in the USMNT player pool and many experts are predicting that he will be one of the next MLS exports to Europe. McGlynn is a perfect fit for the way Houston plays and will be at the heart of most of the Dynamo’s best moments on Saturday. 

How Houston Plays:

Under Ben Olsen, the Dynamo are probably the most similar team in the MLS in the way that they approach the game. In fact Houston actually averaged more possession than the Crew did last year. Houston loves to have the ball and use it to break down opponents. Their possession is also a way to control the flow and tempo of the game. 

The Dynamo typically operate out of a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, when the Dynamo have established possession, this shape shifts into a very similar shape to the Crew. Typically, Houston will look to push an outside back high up the field on the right side, while their right winger shifts  into more central areas of the field. On the left side, their left winger will stay high and wide while their left back stays a little bit deeper to be connected with the rest of the back line. When all of this moving and shaking is done, you get a very similar 3-4-2-1 shape that we see Wilfried Nancy’s Black & Gold utilize week in and week out. From there, Houston looks to move the ball quickly from side to side and utilize big switches in play to get their attackers in 1v1 situations out wide. Keep a close eye on McGlynn and former Crew player Artur when Houston has the ball. In the central midfield, these two are key components in helping maintain possession and kick start attacks. 

Defensively, Houston prefers a 4-4-2 shape in defense as their central attacking midfielder moves up next to the striker to help create the two player defensive line up top. When in this shape, Houston don’t normally extend pressure all the way up the field, preferring to stay a bit closer to goal to stay more compact. However, given the struggles the Crew had on Tuesday against a high line of pressure, don’t be surprised if Houston applies pressure higher up the field to try and cause the Crew problems. 

How the Crew can win:

1. Solid Defensively: Given Houston’s ability to keep possession and the Crew’s tired legs from their midweek matchup, Houston will likely have spells of possession in this match. The Crew need to defend these moments well. Being patient in these moments will help limit Houston’s ability to create chances offensively. At times, the Crew can be impatient when they haven’t been on the ball as much as normal. Things like ill advised tackles and pressure without support are red flags for the Black & Gold Saturday. 
2. Counterattack: When Houston has possession for long periods of time, they will shift into a similar attacking shape as the Crew. Crew fans will well know that this shape can be vulnerable to counterattacks. The Crew should look to threaten as much as possible. 
3. Limit Houston’s Ability to Switch the Ball: All of Houston’s most dangerous chances in last years CCC action came from them switching the point of attack in possession. Whether it was a simple square ball from one side to the other in the midfield, or a big diagonal ball played in behind the Crew backline, Houston were a constant threat when they were able to switch the ball. If the Crew can keep Houston from switching the ball and force Houston to beat them on one side of the field, Houston will find it much harder to threaten the Crew goal.