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Dynamo-Whitecaps FC Preview

Yet another road failure meant it was finally time for the Houston Dynamo to part ways with Owen Coyle.

Now they've got another trip to a city in which they have never won.

The Dynamo play for the first time since their coaching change when they meet the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

Houston (3-7-2) is 0-12-2 in its last 14 road games after last Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Chicago, dropping to 0-5-0 this year while being outscored 12-5. The Dynamo are the only team that has failed to pick up a point on the road.

Four days later, the club parted ways with Coyle - a Scottish coach with no previous MLS experience who leaves with a 16-20-11 record.

General manager Matt Jordan says the team is moving on. Assistants Wade Barrett, Paul Caffrey and Paul Rogers are now leading the club.

"First and foremost, we're not satisfied with where we are," Jordan said. "And I think if you ask each and every player in that locker room if they feel they have played to their fullest potential, I think they would tell you to a man no."

The home team has captured all eight meetings between these clubs, with Vancouver (6-6-2) outscoring Houston 10-2 in five games in Canada. Pedro Morales converted a penalty kick in a 1-0 victory March 16.

The Whitecaps are concerned about their defense, having given up 24 goals to tie for the most in the league. They have yielded seven in the last two games, falling 4-2 at Portland on Sunday.

"We've conceded 24 goals in 14 games," coach Carl Robinson told the Whitecaps' official website. "If you actually look at individual errors, far, far too many, so we need to cut them out. If we cut them out, then we've got half a chance."

Both teams are missing key players due to Copa Centenario. Houston forward Giles Barnes, who has a team-high four goals, is with Jamaica.

For the Whitecaps, Blas Perez is with Panama while Kendall Waston and Christian Bolanos are with Costa Rica.

"We're missing players, but it is what is," Robinson said. "Every team goes through it. We'll just deal with it. I've built a squad here for a reason and one of those reasons is Saturday's game."

Barnes, Perez, Waston and Bolanos all missed the first meeting as well due to international duty. Morales, with two goals and two assists in his last three games, will be the Whitecaps' biggest threat.

The coaching change has created a sense of uneasiness as to what to expect from Houston in this rematch.

"You don't know how they're going to show up, how those players are going to deal with it," defender Andrew Jacobson said. "I think you prepare for them to come out flying with really not a lot to lose at this point. So it's very dangerous. I get the feeling they're going to be very motivated."

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