Sporting @ Houston 7/18 7:30 p/i/p [R]

Except that Espinoza is gone for the Olympics now, right? It will be interesting to see if Cesar finally reappears, or if he stays on the bench since Olum is still out and Thomas gets the start at DM instead. Any word on Peterson's ankle? What about Convey's status?

Houston's romp over DC last night brought the latter back even with SKC on goal differential. I am hoping that the Dynamo already reached their quota of goals for the week.

 

Here's to hoping Houston left it all on the field against DC and we can come in and steal a point (or three).

Is Cameron gonna be with them or is he off to Stoke now?

 

Apparently the latest is that MLS is asking for a larger transfer fee than Stoke City is willing to pay. Hopefully the deal gets done quickly enough that we see him next week, but NOT this week!

 

Games against Houston at their home are always going to be tough. I don't care what any of their recent results are, it is not going to be an easy match no matter what. It's been a decently long road trip, with a lot of congestion in the schedule for us, and guys have got to be getting tired.

If Peterson and Convey are both unavailable, I hope for this:

-----------------Bunbury----------------
--Sapong--------------------Kamara----
---------Nagamura-----Zusi------------
------------------Cesar-------------------
------------the usual back 4-------------
------------------Puma-------------------

With Saad, Thomas, and Harrington as subs.
If either Peterson or Convey can go, put them at left wing and either CJ or Teal sits - don't care which one.

It's going to be tight, and I would be satisfied with a point, very pleased with three.

 

(I claim no credit for these statistics, I saw them in other threads - thanks to those posters.)

KC currently has a 220 minute streak of no goals allowed, and Houston has a 314 minute streak of their own. Obviously two very good defenses going against each other, could be another 0-0, especially if it's another hot, muggy day.

 

I could live with that, then we take the season series here in September.

 

Its been raining on and off for days now and might possibly rain Wednesday. Low attendance on Sunday because of rain in the morning. 46% chance of rain Wednesday but too early to tell.

 

Rain? I've forgotten what rain is like.

 

Yall are getting the weather we had last year. We've had more rain in two weeks than we had up to this point last year, and days over 105 over and over.

 

I haven't had to mow my lawn in like six weeks at this point even with weekly sprinklering. I went outside barefoot to run my dog around and the grass was bsically cutting into my feet.

 

We had this weather last year too, just later in the year and on a shorter scale (which is why our new turf came up in chunks at times). This heat wave/drought has been going on pretty much since early June and doesn't look to break anytime soon.

 

Last year it rained after our regular season game up there. That was about the only rain I saw last year. This summer it's rained close by almost every day.

 

Buzz Killington - Am I wrong or don't we have a pretty good record playing in a new stadium for the first time?

 

It would be sweet if SKC could be the first visiting team to win at BBVA Compass; another way to ease the lingering pain of 11/06/11, since the team did not get it done at LSP on 07/07/12.

 

I'm pretty sure we were the first visiting team to win in both Seattle and Toronto...

 

And, if I'm not wrong, the first to win a regular season game in Rio Tinto...

As far as just the first times we visited a stadium, I believe that we won our first time in Portland, first time @ BC Place (but only drew when we should've won at Empire), in Montreal...

I think we drew our first game in Philly and lost our first game at Red Bull Arena...

So that leaves Home Depot, Bridgeview, Columbus Crew Stadium, Pizza Hut Park and Dick's... as well as all of the other legacy non-SSSs.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-07-18-hou-v-skc/preview
I don't recognize this ref....not sure if that's good or bad. Injury list might explain why Zus did not play last weekend.

 

Here is the injury report as updated yesterday.
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- QUESTIONABLE: MF Adam Moffat (R adductor strain)
SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: DF Cyprian Hedrick (L fibula fracture); GK Jon Kempin (R ankle fracture); QUESTIONABLE: FW Jacob Peterson (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: DF Korede Aiyegbusi (R knee sprain); FW Bobby Convey (L calf strain); FW Kei Kamara (L knee contusion); DF Lawrence Olum (L groin strain); MF Graham Zusi (R quad strain)

 

Cesar is old like me; Zusi is used and injured; Roger is in the Olympics; Peterson is untouchable right now and injured.

Convey needs to tape and aspirin to it, and get his a** back in there.

 

Wasn't Convey listed as probable before the Columbus game, and then not even on the bench?