The Houston Dynamo have yet to lose consecutive games this season. To keep that streak alive, they'll need to do something they've managed to accomplish just once thus far: win on the road.
After falling to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Houston aims to bounce back when it visits the struggling Montreal Impact on Saturday at Saputo Stadium.
Winners of two in a row and unbeaten in the last four before the loss, the Dynamo (5-4-3) rallied after falling behind for a third straight match. Alberth Elis extended his scoring streak to a career-best three games with his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 75th minute. Seven minutes later, a Kyle Beckerman score sent Houston off without any points.
"To finish the game, to close the game, we were really soft in set-piece situations," head coach Wilmer Cabrera told the team's website. "We have to regroup now, we have to look forward to the next game on Saturday against Montreal because (it) was a day that we didn't have the performance we're used to having lately in all the games when we play away."
While the road hasn't been kind thus far, Houston isn't that far removed from its lone victory, a 3-2 win over the Chicago Fire on May 20. And while Cabrera is pleased with the efforts on offense, he wants more from his team in its own end.
"We continue to create offense, but we gave up two goals. Every game that we play away, we concede two goals. It's still not good enough from our defensive side," he said. "As a team, we're not defending very well. That's something that we have to keep pushing. But we have to be better -- all of us. The positive thing is that we keep scoring."
The Impact haven't had much luck in either end this season. Remi Garde's group extended its losing streak to four games, all by shutout. Montreal (3-10-0) hasn't won since May 5 against the New England Revolution and has dropped eight of its last nine games.
"We had opportunities, but there was a lack of skill, talent and willpower," Garde told reporters after the loss.
Montreal's 14 goals scored are the third fewest in MLS and its 29 goals against are the most conceded by any team.
Frustrations were evident at a team practice early in the week, with players and Garde heard raising their voices trying to get everyone on the same page by reporters in attendance.
"On a team of 28 players, in the situation that we're in, we have to create a culture in which if guys feel that others are pulling their weight or are slacking on certain plays, they have to be able to tell them and the others have to be receptive to that," defender Chris Duvall told reporters.
Houston will be without defender Alejandro Fuenmayor as he serves the second of a two-game suspension.
