St. Louis City v Houston Dynamo: Hosts are better than recent showings suggest, says Hackworth

John Hackworth has challenged St. Louis City to do better against Houston Dynamo after a disappointing loss to LA Galaxy last time out in MLS.

St. Louis had won back-to-back games before losing 1-0 to the Galaxy last time out in a game where they did not register a single shot on target.

They cannot make the playoffs, sitting 12th in the Western Conference on 34 points with just two games left, and Hackworth is looking to learn from their mistakes in the last game to end their final home match of the season on a positive note.

"We didn't play as well as we're capable of [against LA Galaxy], but I think that can be a good thing for us going forward," he said.

"I don't want anybody to accept that it was anything other than a loss. We can look at ourselves knowing we're much better than that."

Meanwhile, Houston bounced back from a defeat to Seattle Sounders with a 2-1 victory over New England Revolution.

With their playoff place already secure, their aim is to finish as high up the table as they can, currently sitting in fifth, with only four points separating them and Los Angeles FC in second.

Ben Olsen was particularly pleased with his defense against the Revs and believes that will be the key for them in the postseason.

"Our defense is what we hang our hat on," Olsen said. "Sometimes we get some credit for some of the build-up, but really we're a defensive team, and we can defend with the ball, but we've got a great back four.

"It's a collective effort, everybody's doing their part, but we're going to keep working so they know when they're good or when they're not up to snuff."

Won not done#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/Upcp1MYfeU

— Houston Dynamo FC - x (@HoustonDynamo) October 3, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert

Cedric Teuchert has scored in each of his first three home appearances for St. Louis City, the only player in club history to do so.

Only one player in the last 20 years has scored in each of his first four career MLS home games: Federico Bernardeschi with Toronto FC in 2022 (first five).

Houston Dynamo – Adalberto Carrasquilla

The Dynamo have won a club-record eight away matches this season. Houston's 26 road points (W8 D2 L6) are the most they have ever collected in a single regular season in club history.

Adalberto Carrasquilla secured the record-breaking win for them against Austin on September 22 and added two more assists to his tally in the win over New England last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

The home side have not lost any of the five meetings between St. Louis City and Houston, with St. Louis recording wins in both of its home matches against the Dynamo, including a 2-1 win in the first round of this season's Concacaf Champions Cup in February.

That bodes well for St. Louis, who have won 21 of their first 40 home matches in all competitions (D8 L11), scoring 75 total goals. They have won four of their last six at home in all competitions (D1 L1) after winning one of their previous seven at home (D2 L4).

However, Houston's 2-1 win over New England on Wednesday took them to 51 points for the season, equaling their total from last year. A win over St. Louis City would set a new club points record for the Dynamo, surpassing the 53 they earned in the 2012 campaign.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 32.9%

Draw – 25.6%

Houston Dynamo – 41.5%