The Houston Dynamo return to the postseason for the first time since 2016 as they host Real Salt Lake at Shell Energy Stadium in Game 1 of their first-round series in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Houston finished fourth in the Western Conference with 51 points, their most points in a season since they tallied 50 in 2019 and they are looking for a second trophy in 2023 after winning the U.S. Open Cup.
For RSL, they have qualified for the playoffs in all three of manager Pablo Mastroeni's seasons in charge, reaching the Western Conference final in 2021 and are in postseason play for a fifth successive season.
The first matchup between the two franchises will see the winner advance to the Western Conference semifinals against either top-seed St. Louis City SC or eighth-seed Sporting Kansas City.
Team news
Ifunanyachi Achara and Tate Schmitt are both out with knee injuries.
Pablo Ruiz scored ten goals before tearing his ACL and he remains sidelined.
Chicho Arango (hamstring), Justin Glad (adductor), Erik Holt (shoulder), Brayan Vera (knee) and Marcelo Silva (bereavement) are all listed as questionable.
Arango and Glad will start should they be able to play.
Predicted lineups
Houston Dynamo: Clark; Escobar, Maciel, Sviatchenko, Dorsey; Artur, Bassi, Herrera; Quinones, Baird, Carrasquilla
Real Salt Lake: MacMath; Oviedo, Glad, Hidalgo; Brody, Ojeda, Luna, Eneli, Chang; Julio, Musovski
Ones to watch
Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo)
The Mexican midfielder has consistently put in spectacular performances this year, racking up 17 assists while playing over 2,500 minutes.
His technical ability and connection with playmakers such as Artur and Amine Bassi make Herrera one of the most important and influential players in the playoffs.
Jefferson Savarino (Real Salt Lake)
With Arango's status up in the air, Savarino will be key to any success RSL might have as the winger has had a very balanced year offensively with seven goals and six assists.
Previous meetings
This is the fourth meeting between Houston and Salt Lake with the Dynamo winning twice and the other ending in a draw.
That draw was their first matchup of the season in May when the game ended 0-0, RSL extending their unbeaten run against Houston to 11 matches.
In the US Open Cup semifinals, Hector Herrera and Anderson Julio exchanged goals in regulation time before Adalberto Carrasquilla and Luis Caicedo found the back of the net in extra time to send the Dynamo to the final.
In their most recent match in late August, Corey Baird and Daniel Steres scored inside the opening half an hour and Carrasquilla added a third in the 75th minute to give Houston a comprehensive 3-0 win.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on Apple TV + with Mark Rogondino serving as the play-by-play announcer and Heath Pearce as the analyst.
Kickoff is set for 6pm Eastern time.