Two sides who are currently fighting for a place in the top nine of the Western Conference come together on Thursday when Houston Dynamo host Colorado Rapids at the BBVA Compass Stadium in the MLS . The hosts are in eighth place with a game in hand on those below them, while the visitors are sixth and hold a six-point lead over 10th place. © Reuters Since making a return to the Western Conference in 2015 Houston have struggled to finish in the playoff positions come the end of the regular season, competing in the playoffs just twice thanks to a fifth-placed finish in 2017 and fourth place last year.
Their fourth-placed finish saw a major improvement compared to recent campaigns as they had finished in the bottom three of the Conference in each of the last four years. Not only did Houston make it into the playoffs for the first time in six seasons but they went all the way through to the Western Conference final, missing out on a place in the MLS Cup final after a 2-0 loss to eventual runners-up Los Angeles FC. Ben Olsen 's men would have been hoping to build upon that this term but an inconsistent start has seen them win five and lose six of their opening 14 fixtures, just five less losses than across the entirety of the 34 league matches last year.
While it looked as if Houston had recovered from a draw and a loss in their first two with four wins in the following five outings, the Dynamo have won just one of the seven games since. Their home form will be particularly worry.