Columbus Crew vs. Houston Dynamo: Match Preview

By: James | August 2nd, 2008

Look for a tough one in Houston tonight. It’s hot in Texas. The Crew is missing Rogers and Ekpo for the Olympics. Hejduk is out for yellow card accumulation. Lenhart is out 2 games for a flagrant foul and red card.

Last week’s game against the Rapids was the first without Rogers and Ekpo. Sigi debuted a 3-5-2 starting line up with Lenhart up top with Moreno in his first start. Hejduk was moved from defense to the midfield as the fifth man. With Schelotto playing a bit back compared to most games. I thought it made sense to formalize Hejduk’s position in the midfield since he’s been playing up there for a month. But with Hejduk out does the 3-5-2 still make sense?

Possibly. If they keep the 3-5-2 Jason Garey is going to be as effective as Lenhart up top. In Colorado, Schelotto was teamed in the midfield with Miglioranzi, Gaven, Carroll, and Hejduk. Rookie Corey Elenio looked sharp in the two international friendlies if Sigi wants to make Hejduk’s spot offensive minded. Ezra Hendrickson could get the nod for his experience and a more defensive mindset.

Brad Evans took a knock to the ankle in Denver and may not be available. Miglioranzi played 45 minutes against the Rapids with Evans playing the other 45. I think bringing a fresh midfielder in at the half is great idea if they both understand that they’re expected to give 90 minutes of effort in 45. Elenio could be kept back for the second half.

If they go back to a 4-4-2 I think we still see Garey up top and Schelotto in center midfield, but Ezra’s a shoe-in on defense, although Jed Zayner seems to have Sigi’s eye.

Enticingly, Sigi barred Shawn Mitchell (everyone really, but Mitchell’s pretty sure he just means him) so that line-up and tactical decision don’t make it into the press before game time. Evidently Sigi felt like the 3-5-2 change should have been hard for the Rapids to adjust to, but since it was in theDispatch before game time, they came out ready to defend against it, effectively shutting down the Crew’s plan of attack. Could Sigi have some nefarious plan of attack up his teutonic sleeve?

Houston made a decent showing when they came to Columbus, showing good attacking play in the second half, although Columbus handled everything they brought. The Dynamo seems to improve measurably as their seasons go on, and they’ve made a good showing in SuperLiga this month. They’re still only a middle of the pack Western Conference team at this point, but they should not be taken lightly. Two factors that may contribute to a Columbus result are that Houston might show some fatigue from their SuperLiga match being just 4 days ago and, All-Star Dwayne DeRosario is out.

Against Chicago Sigi had Brian Carroll mark up Blanco. Carroll had his best performance of the season. Brian Ching has 7 of Houston’s 19 goals. DeRosario is the only other player with more than one goal. If Carroll can mark up Ching as effectively as he did Blanco, the Dynamo could be done.

Finally, Columbus has struggled in their attempts to control possession. If they can concentrate on holding the ball and working quality chances forward - play they’ve shown capable of - Columbus could turn a match they probably should tie into a win.