Pre/In/Post: Chicago Fire @ Houston Dynamo 7:30 PM CST July 3, 2012

Who: Houston Dynamo v. Chicago Fire (Bridgeview)
When: Tuesday, July 3 @ 7:30 PM CDT
Where: BBVA Compass Stadium
Records: Chicago Fire (8-5-3) 27 PTS, 4th in EAST
Houston Dynamo (6-5-5) 23 PTS, 5th in EAST
TV: KPRC LOCAL 2
Radio: 790/850

The Houston Dynamo welcome the Chicago Fire into BBVA Compass Stadium for the 7th home game of the season Tuesday night, having drawn in a rain shortened game 1-1 on a Dynamo goal by Will Bruin. These two teams will meet again in Bridgeview September 2nd.

The Chicago Fire come off a stunning 1-0 victory at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City Friday night. The Fire have won three games in a row and defeated Sporting Kansas City, Columbus Crew and the New York Red Bulls. The Fire are (3-4-1) away from home this season scoring 9 goals and giving up 12.

In the last five matches, the Houston Dynamo have L-W-T-L-W scoring 10 goals and giving up 12 goals and defeating FC Dallas & Philadelphia Union and losing at Vancouver and Montreal while drawing vs. Toronto FC.

Can't go to the game on Tuesday because I work so currently I am reselling my ticket on AXS. If anybody wants to directly buy the ticket from me I'll sell it for $15 and cancel my post from the AXS website. You can email me at cruz.eric16@gmail.com or text me at 832-576-8871 (I prefer text)

if Nyarko and Oduro play up top it will be interesting to see how we nuetralize their ability to get in behind defenses.

Nyarko is used exclusively in midfield nowadays. Believe it or not, his finishing is worse than Oduro's. We'll likely line-up in a 4-4-1-1 with Rolfe sitting in behind Oduro.

Short week, but we are starting to have some real depth. We will have to check the injury report, but we seem to have lots of options.

Indeed. It'll be really interesting now to see who starts and how Dom lines them up.

And, hopefully, we'll have fewer no-shows.

What do you guys think of Oduro?

Carr started very slowly with us but has really come on over the past few weeks playing right mid in a 4-4-2

anyone wanna bet on how many empty seats there will be?

The general sentiment is positive. Obviously, he'll miss some chances that you'd expect most forwards to finish, but at the same time his speed alone will create goals/chances that no other forward can in MLS. There are some who wonder if he may be better suited as an outside midfielder, but the majority see him as a forward, and just about everyone considers him a legitimate starter.

For me, I think he's invaluable to our offense. He's basically a one-trick pony, yet his speed makes our offense more dynamic overall. When teams play a high line to compact the field, Oduro's speed burns them with through balls. When teams back off to keep Oduro in front of them, as more and more are doing now, that opens up space for our small attackers who like to play with the ball on the ground (Rolfe, Grazzini, Pappa, Nyarko). On top of that, our central mentality is defend-and-counter, so speed is vital for that.

I was never one of Carr's biggest fans, but I agree that his best position is right mid. Osorio in 2007 was the only coach that actually used him in that spot, and that was the only time I considered him even serviceable. Up top he's basically useless because he can't shoot and he's terrible in the air.

However, even at right mid, I wouldn't consider him more than a sub/depth role.

I voted for the option marked: El Batallon, Brickwall, Texian Army and La Bateria work together to make a gigantic banner in support of gay rights, but a Section 8 member flicks it off. Nothing happens afterwards.

Chicago @ Dynamo, all-time:

05/20/06 HOU 0-1 CHI
04/29/07 HOU 0-1 CHI
08/31/08 HOU 1-2 CHI
08/09/09 HOU 3-2 CHI
08/21/10 HOU 4-3 CHI
10/01/11 HOU 1-1 CHI

That's 2-3-1 with 9 goals scored and 10 allowed. The Fire have scored in every game here in Houston so far.

You guys won the 2008 game 2-1, not us.

And the 2009 game was won on a bullshit penalty at the end. If soccer were fair, it should be 2-2.

EDIT: Chicago @ Dynamo, all-time:

05/20/06 HOU 0-1 CHI
04/29/07 HOU 0-1 CHI
08/31/08 HOU 2-1 CHI
08/09/09 HOU 3-2 CHI
08/21/10 HOU 4-3 CHI
10/01/11 HOU 1-1 CHI

That's 3-2-1 with 10 goals scored and 9 allowed. The Fire have scored in every game here in Houston so far.

The best goal ever against Chicago was the DeRo kick from past the half line against the wind, over the goalie's hand and just under the crossbar. I really remember very few goals, but I remember that one in Chicago very well.

Ortiz is tweeting some stuff about Dom apparently being concerned about some fitness issues. If that's the case, we may see even more interesting tinkering with the lineup than we might've expected with the short turn-around anyway.

someone's still butthurt

To me it didn't sound so much like concern but the need to be honest with him. Not to try to suck it up if they really are tired, but let him know instead. Not necessarily expecting it, but just being clear about it.

well a win Tuesday at the Oven puts let's pressure on us to have to get any points when we go to Bridgeview one last time.

Suddenly I'm shocked there's not a compilation of Oduro fail GIFs somewhere on the intertrons

Should be a sell out!

Prices for tickets for this game on stubhub are 2-3x higher than our saturday game

Canetti tweeted earlier today that they still had about 1,500 tickets available.

There is an email saying there are fewer than 1500 tickets left. How many empty seats, though, that's a better question.

joseph and i politely disagree:

Yea, ok, that was pretty good too. See, I'd forgotten that one. And I had forgotten how good he could be.

Corey Ashe cost us the match*






*Copyright 2012 JuveChelsea & Co.