FC Cincinnati take on Houston Dynamo at Paycor Stadium in their first MLS fixture of the season on Saturday night.
The two sides have not met since July 2021, when they played out a 1-1 draw at the Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
Match preview
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Cincinnati enjoyed a solid season in the Eastern Conference of the 2022 MLS, finishing in fifth place before bowing out in the playoff quarter-final in a narrow defeat against Philadelphia Union.
As such, Chris Albright remains in charge of the Orange and Blue, and he will be hoping to build on last season's performance and contend for the MLS Cup.
Albright's side were known for an exciting brand of football during the previous campaign, as highlighted by the fact that they scored the second-highest amount of goals in the Eastern Conference, although this did make them defensively vulnerable, ranking joint-third for goals conceded.
In preparation for the new season, Cincinnati's results have been mixed, winning two and losing two of their four warm-up games, and it appears as though their style will remain unchanged going into the new campaign, judging by some of their results.
The Orange and Blues both scored and conceded 11 goals in total, most recently being defeated 6-3 by Nashville SC, while they also managed to rack up a 4-0 victory against New England Revolution.
Houston Dynamo did not fare as well as their opponents in the 2022 campaign, finishing second-bottom of the Western Conference, just one point ahead of San Jose Earthquakes, and so they will be hoping for a much-improved campaign this time around.
Manager Ben Olsen was appointed in November 2022, and the club have decided to stick with him after a solid end to the campaign, picking up 10 points in their last six matches to avoid finishing on the lowest points tally.
The most impressive victory for Orange Crush during that time was a 2-1 win against eventual MLS Cup winners Los Angeles FC, while they also picked up wins against New England Revolution and Nashville SC.
Pre-season has been solid if not spectacular for Houston Dynamo, winning two, drawing three and losing one of their six warm-up matches, although they were on the receiving end of a heavy 6-1 defeat against Mexican side Club America.
In their last match, Olsen's side put in an impressive performance, which indicated they are ready for the new MLS season, running out 2-0 winners against FC Dallas courtesy of goals from Daniel Steres and Corey Baird.
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Team News
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Despite receiving significant bids from abroad, Cincinnati have been able to keep hold of strikers Brenner and Brandon Vazquez, and they are both expected to lead the line again, having scored 37 league goals between them last season.
In terms of arrivals, the Orange and Blue have brought in young defensive midfielder Marco Angulo, right-wing back Santiago Arias, as well as young Colombian centre-back Yerson Mosquera, and the latter two players are expected to come straight into the side.
As for Houston Dynamo, they have lost defender Tim Parker, who has joined St. Louis City SC, so Teenage Hadebe and Daniel Steres are the expected partnership in the centre of defence.
Franco Escobar is the likely choice at right-back, having arrived as a free agent after leaving Los Angeles FC, while Amine Bassi could come in on the left of the front three, with Corey Baird in the centre and Ivan Franco on the right.
FC Cincinnati possible starting lineup:
Kann; Mosquera, Miazga, Murphy; Arias, Nwobodo, Moreno, Barreal, Acosta; Brenner, Vazquez
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Escobar, Steres, Hadebe, Schmitt; Carrasquilla, Herrera, Artur; Franco, Baird, Bassi
We say: FC Cincinnati 3-2 Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo look a much-improved side under the helm of Olsen, but FC Cincinnati have home advantage, and they are undefeated in the previous two meetings between the sides.
As such, we expect a narrow home victory, with the game likely to be a high-scoring affair judging by both teams' results in pre-season.
How to watch
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Dominic Lund
