San Diego have six games to revive their playoff push

Anders Dreyer says San Diego FC are relishing the pressure of their bid to reach the MLS postseason, despite a slump that has left them four points outside the Western Conference playoff places.

With six regular-season matches remaining, San Diego sit 12th in the West, behind the LA Galaxy in the final playoff position. They have gone six league games without a win, including a 4-1 defeat to the New York Red Bulls. Dreyer missed a penalty in that match, with San Diego already trailing 3-0.

“There's pressure on us. It's nice; we like that,” Dreyer said. He recalled San Diego finishing first in the league after 34 games last year and entering the playoffs with expectations. “This year, if we reach the playoffs, we'll be underdogs, and we can only surprise.”

Houston arrive amid a winless run

Houston Dynamo are fifth in the West, but have won only once in their last eight MLS matches and are on a four-game winless streak. They salvaged a 2-2 draw with Minnesota United last time out, with Duncan McGuire scoring an equaliser in stoppage time.

Houston coach Ben Olsen pointed to a positive in the performance, saying a number nine had scored for the first time for the club in a match in which they fielded two strikers. Lyle Foster also scored his first goal for Houston. “You can see the part when he does have chances; it's pretty easy for him,” Olsen said of Foster. “He understands that part.”

San Diego’s Dreyer set up Cedric Bakambu for the team’s goal against the Red Bulls. The assist was Dreyer’s 32nd in the MLS regular season and his 29th primary assist, according to the source report.

San Diego favoured in the forecast

Houston have won two of the teams’ three previous meetings, including a 1-0 home victory on April 22. Despite San Diego’s six-game winless stretch, the Opta win probability cited in the report gives the hosts a 44.1% chance of victory, compared with 26.8% for a draw and 29.1% for Houston.