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Galaxy-Dynamo Preview

The Los Angeles Galaxy's struggling attack isn't going to have its main scoring threat back, but one of the midfielders who slots in behind him could help get things going.

Steven Gerrard is expected to play Friday night in Houston, where the Dynamo will try for a fifth straight home win in the series.

With Robbie Keane and Gerrard in the lineup, Los Angeles managed seven goals over a 2-1-0 start. The Galaxy (2-1-2) haven't scored for themselves in two games without those injured stars, a drought going back to Keane's stoppage-time penalty kick in a 3-1 win over San Jose on March 19.

They needed an 84th-minute own goal to escape with a 1-1 home draw with MLS Cup holder Portland on Sunday, which followed a scoreless draw in Vancouver on April 2.

"Obviously it wasn't good enough," coach Bruce Arena told the club's official website of the Timbers match. "We controlled the play for long periods of time but still didn't produce enough quality opportunities."

That came with Giovani dos Santos returning from more than a month away with a calf injury. Dos Santos started and played 64 minutes, but Arena said it was evident the Mexico international wasn't in top form.

"He played OK. He hasn't played since the first game," Arena said. "He's only played 45 minutes this year coming into this game, so to get 65 minutes out of him was good. You could see he needs a little more time."

While Keane will miss his third straight match in what's expected to be at least a four-week recovery from March 31 knee surgery, Arena said Gerrard is expected to be available after being sidelined by a calf injury.

However, it is a one-in, one-out scenario because Nigel de Jong will begin serving a three-game suspension which the MLS announced Friday. The defensive midfielder was banned for a brutal tackle of Portland's Darlington Nagbe that resulted in a since-criticized yellow card - the league said a red card was merited - and the United States national team midfielder being stretchered off.

Regardless of starting XI, scoring hasn't come easily in Houston. The Dynamo have kept clean sheets in the last two meetings and won the last four by a 9-2 aggregate. Houston is unbeaten in three home matches to open the year and 3-0-3 since its last home defeat, while Los Angeles has two points from its last seven away matches.

On Houston's 3-1-1 overall span in the series, the Galaxy have been limited to two goals. The latest was a 3-0 final in Houston on July 25 - Gerrard's second MLS match.

Will Bruin scored that day and is off to an effective start with three goals through five matches, but it was Giles Barnes responsible for Houston's goal in Sunday's 1-1 home draw with Seattle. The Jamaica international, playing for the first time in nearly a month because of a hamstring injury, struck in the 35th minute before the Dynamo (1-2-2) conceded in stoppage time.

They opened the season by giving up a stoppage-time equalizer to New England, so they've given away four points before an imminent whistle. Houston also blew a 65th-minute lead in a 4-3 loss at New York on March 19.

"We can't keep saying, 'It's bad luck, bad luck,'" left back DaMarcus Beasley told the club's official website. "It always happens. Something's not right, whether it's the mentality of our team, or whatever. But we have to nip this in the bud because we can't keep going on like this."

The club's results have returned to the realm of reasonable scoring in the last two matches after there were 18 goals scored in its first three. They just haven't been the results the Dynamo have wanted with the disappointing draw following a 1-0 defeat in Vancouver on March 26 as part of a seven-match start to the season against last year's playoff teams.

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