Houston Dynamo FC head into Leagues Cup 2023 clinging to the final wild card spot in the Western Conference by a single point. The club’s recent form heading into the tournament has contributed to its tenuous spot on the table: just two points earned in its last five matches. The club has had trouble stringing together wins with just one winning streak of three or more matches this season. In a tournament when stringing together results is important, it could spell trouble for the club.
While fellow group member Club Santos Laguna comes into the tournament with mixed performances (a 1-1-1 record), Orlando City SC comes in on a little roll. The MLS side has won three of its last four matches and earned a point in four of its last six.
Scoring has been Houston’s biggest issue coming into the tournament, but if Amine Bassi can catch fire in the short-term, Dynamo have a shot of getting out of the group stage.
Speaking of Bassi…
Amine Bassi leads the way in attack
The first-year MLS player set the Western Conference on fire, scoring five goals in his first five matches. Since then, however, he hasn’t been nearly as dangerous. He’s scored just three goals in the 14 matches since his hot start and has scored just once in the last month. The fact he’s still team leader in goals (five more than the next highest player) is just a sign of Houston’s struggles to find the back of the night.
Thorleifur Úlfarsson leads a cadre of young attackers in Houston
One of the young players to watch during Leagues Cup 2023 is Thorleifur Úlfarsson. The 22-year-old is one of Houston Dynamo FC’s budding group of young attacking talents within the team. A native of Iceland, he played collegiately for Duke University before joining Houston last year in the MLS SuperDraft.
After scoring four goals in 31 appearances last season, he already has three this season, and will look to use the tournament as an opportunity to take the next step in his progress. Leagues Cup 2023 will provide Úlfarsson with an ideal platform to further showcase his abilities on an international stage.
Ben Olsen looks to turn the Dynamo into MLS Cup contenders
The 2014 MLS Coach of the Year was a mainstay at D.C. United between his years playing and coaching with the club. For MLS lifers it may still be odd seeing Olsen on the touch line for a club outside of D.C. United, but he hopes to build a brand new legacy with Houston Dynamo after taking over the job in 2022. In just 27 matches, he has a higher winning percentage (44.44 percent) than his career winning percentage at D.C. United (34.65). But will he stay in Houston for as long?
Success in Leagues Cup 2023 would go a long way toward helping him solidify his position despite the club’s recent poor form. He’s no stranger to winning single-elimination tournaments despite poor regular season results. He led D.C. United to a 2013 U.S. Open Cup title despite finishing dead last in MLS with an abysmal 3-7-24 record.
