MLS Season Preview: Houston Dynamo

With the MLS season set to begin on Friday, theScore runs down everything you need to know about each team heading into the league's 20th campaign. Here, we take a look at the Houston Dynamo.

The numbers from Houston's 2014 campaign make for grim reading. Suffice it to say, the term "worst" is applicable in many places.

• Franchise-worst finish in the conference (8th)
• Most losses in franchise history (17)
• Joint-worst defense in the conference (58 goals against)

It was ugly. It was the type of season that is generally followed by widespread changes. That's precisely what happened in the offseason.

Owen Coyle was handed the reigns, taking over from Dominic Kinnear who joined the San Jose Earthquakes, and the club made some high-profile signings at both ends of the pitch.

All in the hopes of taking the first steps towards recapturing the glory that saw them win back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007.

2014 season: 8th in Eastern Conference

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Head coach: Owen Coyle

Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium

Season Opener: Saturday, March 7: Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew (BBVA Compass Stadium) - 8:30 PM EST

Key Arrivals

Erick Torres (Chivas - date to join club undetermined) Raul Rodriguez (free transfer), Joe Willis (D.C. United), Chandler Hoffman (re-entry draft), Nathan Sturgis (re-entry draft)

Key Departures

Tally Hall (Orlando City SC), Andrew Driver (D.C. United)

Player to Watch: Erick "Cubo" Torres

Exactly when he'll arrive remains a mystery, but the fact that Houston was able to secure the signing of the Mexican attacker affectionately known as "Cubo" was a massive coup for the club and Coyle.

Torres, 22, is on loan at Chivas Guadalajara, where he was initially expected to remain for the entirety of the Liga MX campaign. But rumblings of his unhappiness over a lack of playing time have popped up, and were followed by suggestions that Houston could bring the exciting attacker back to MLS earlier than first thought.

Per Darrell Lovell of MLSSoccer.com:

Dynamo president Chris Canetti alluded to contractual triggers that could push that move date forward.

"There’s an opportunity to get him here before May 13 depending on how things go down at Chivas. If not, then we have to wait for the [July] window to open,” Canetti told the media. “We have terms in our contract that I can’t disclose that indicate when the loan can end. It’s got moving parts to it. We’ve got scenarios that work for us to get him here earlier."

Coyle, naturally, is hoping Torres arrives sooner rather than later.

"Well, ideally as a head coach I wish I had him right now. It’d add another dimension to our play," the bench boss told Goal.com. "He’s a young, exciting, international striker. Scores goals. And that’s what we all crave in the game: match-winners, people who scores goals and put the fans in the seats. Cubo Torres does every one of those aforementioned things. That’s exciting to look forward to. I wish it was just now, but we’ll just have to be patient on that front."

Keep an eye on: Raul Rodriguez

Projected Starting XI

(4-4-2) Tyler Deric; DaMarcus Beasley, Jermaine Taylor, Raul Rodriguez, Kofi Sarkodie; Brad Davis, Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Boniek Garcia; Will Bruin, Giles Barnes

Season in a Sentence

It will take time for Owen Coyle to put his mark on a team that returns much of the core from last season's nightmare, but if Raul Rodriguez can solidify things at the back and Erick Torres can make good on the hype surrounding his arrival, there will be clear signs of improvement for the Dynamo in 2015.