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New England vs Houston Dynamo preview

United States flag 2026 Major League Soccer, United States
Boston Stadium Today - 8:30 PM
Major League Soccer
New EnglandNER
0 – 0
1ST HALF 16
Houston DynamoHOU
Live : 1st Half Today 8:30 PM
Regular Season

Match Commentary

10
Attempt Attempt
Carles Gil de Pareja Vicent takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
5
Attempt Attempt
Felipe de Andrade Vieira takes a right-footed shot but misses.
3
Corner Corner
Corner awarded.
2
Corner Corner
Corner awarded.
2
Corner Corner
Corner awarded.
1
Update Update
Kick-off! The referee is Malik Badawi.

Statistics

Possession
NER
50%
HOU
50%

Top Statistics

0 Shots 1
6 Dangerous attacks 4
53 Possession 47
2 Corners 0
2 Free kicks 1

Match Overview

2 Throwins 2
0 Dribble Attempts 1
0 Successful Dribbles 1
0 Successful Dribbles Percentage 33

Attacking

21 Attacks 9

Possession

2 Long Passes 5
71 Passes 58
30 Successful Passes 42
92 Successful Passes Percentage 81
2 Key Passes 0

Defensive

0 Saves 1
1 Tackles 1
1 Interceptions 0
3 Duels Won 3

Discipline

1 Fouls 1

Lineup

Referee : Malik Badawi

Starting XI ▼

30
Matt Turner
Matt Turner Goalkeeper
7.26
2
Mamadou Fofana
Mamadou Fofana Defender
7.09
8
Matt Polster
Matt Polster Defender
6.62
22
Ethan Kohler
Ethan Kohler Defender
6.89
23
Will Sands
Will Sands Defender
6.89
10
Carles Gil
Carles Gil (C) Midfielder
7.56
21
Brooklyn Raines
Brooklyn Raines Midfielder
6.79
80
Alhassan Yusuf
Alhassan Yusuf Midfielder
6.97
17
Marcos Zambrano
Marcos Zambrano Attacker
6.55
25
Peyton Miller
Peyton Miller Attacker
6.88
99
Dor Turgeman
Dor Turgeman Attacker
6.98
Referee : Malik Badawi

Starting XI ▼

31
Jonathan Bond
Jonathan Bond Goalkeeper
6.93
5
Lucas Halter
Lucas Halter Defender
6.89
11
Lawrence Ennali
Lawrence Ennali Defender
6.77
34
Agustin Resch
Agustin Resch Defender
6.76
36
Felipe Andrade
Felipe Andrade Defender
6.76
6
Artur
Artur (C) Midfielder
6.84
8
Jack McGlynn
Jack McGlynn Midfielder
7.5
16
Héctor Herrera
Héctor Herrera Midfielder
6.96
19
Mateusz Bogusz
Mateusz Bogusz Midfielder
7.06
20
Guilherme
Guilherme Midfielder
7.95
10
Ezequiel Ponce
Ezequiel Ponce Attacker
6.54

CONTEXT

The first half has commenced at minute zero with New England hosting Houston Dynamo. Houston entered as the pre-match stronger side but the opening moments show an even contest unfolding. Possession stands at fifty percent for each team with no red cards issued on either side. Expected goals figures are not yet available given the early phase. The qualitative balance on the field mirrors pre-match signals without any side asserting clear control. Both teams are probing cautiously in the initial exchanges as the game settles into its rhythm. No major disruptions have altered the flow and the structural setup remains consistent with expectations heading into the contest.

TL;DR

  • Live state: The first half has just begun with both teams level in the early exchanges.
  • Structural vs live: The live situation aligns with pre-match expectations of a balanced contest.
  • Projection vs live: Live metrics show neutral alignment to pre-game projections.
  • xG trend: Expected goals data remains unavailable at this early stage.
  • Possession profile: Possession is evenly distributed at fifty percent each matching the pre-match balance.
  • Event impact: No red cards or major events have occurred yet keeping the game in line with projections.
  • Second-half outlook: Live efficiency trend is in line with; The remainder should be decided by execution in transitions and set plays.
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
M. Badawi
M. Badawi
Referee • 25 matches
Fouls / Match
Referee 30.4
League Avg 0
Yellow Cards / Match
Referee 4
League Avg 0
Red Cards / Match
Referee 0.36
League Avg 0
Penalties / Match
Referee 0.36
League Avg 0
C. Parker
C. Parker
1st Assistant • 0 matches
Fouls / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Yellow Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Red Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Penalties / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
K. Atkins
K. Atkins
2nd Assistant • 0 matches
Fouls / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Yellow Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Red Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Penalties / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
R. Montero
R. Montero
4th Official • 0 matches
Fouls / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Yellow Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Red Cards / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
Penalties / Match
Referee 0
League Avg 0
New England M. Mitrovic
M. Mitrovic
VS
Houston Dynamo B. Olsen
B. Olsen
1.76
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.71
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
CF Montréal Rank: 60 D
Atlanta United Rank: 55 W
Toronto Rank: 57 D
Charlotte Rank: 65 L
Minnesota United Rank: 65 W
Nashville SC Rank: 72 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Sporting KC Rank: 55 W
Austin Rank: 59 W
DC United Rank: 55 D
LA Galaxy Rank: 61 D
Vancouver Whitecaps Rank: 73 W
Real Salt Lake Rank: 64 L
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 1
1

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
62.01
64.96
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
New England
Houston Dynamo
Power Score
62.01
64.96
League Position
3
4
Global Rank
519
412

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
New England — Opponent-weighted form score
Houston Dynamo — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) New England Houston Dynamo

Heatmaps Ball coordinates

Attack and defence zones from ball position data. Filters: last 6 matches (overall/home/away), time period, competition.

–
vs

New England

Left / Center / Right —
Opposition half density —
vs season average —

Houston Dynamo

Left / Center / Right —
Opposition half density —
vs season average —
Possession Efficiency data not available for this match.

Set Pieces Efficiency Attack & Defence

Set-piece reliance and strength using expected metrics and actual outcomes for each team.

New England
vs
Houston Dynamo
Created Set-piece attacking threat
New England Houston Dynamo
Set-piece xG Share Share of total expected goals generated from set pieces. Higher = more set-piece reliant in attack.
—
—
Goals per Match Average set-piece goals scored per match.
0.00 0.00
vs Expected (xG) Goals scored minus set-piece xG. Positive = overperforming; Negative = underperforming expectations.
— vs —
Conceded Set-piece defensive exposure
New England Houston Dynamo
Set-piece xGA Share Share of total expected goals conceded from set pieces. Higher = more exposed to set pieces defensively.
—
—
Conceded per Match Average set-piece goals conceded per match.
0.00 0.00
vs Expected (xGA) Goals conceded minus set-piece xGA. Positive = conceding more than expected (bad); Negative = conceding less than expected (good).
— vs —
New England
Houston Dynamo
xG Share = set-piece xG ÷ total xG
vs Expected = goals − set-piece xG

Counter / Transition Attack & Defence

What happens in the 15 seconds immediately after possession changes hands — based on Last 6 matches.

–
New England
vs
Houston Dynamo
Attack After Winning Possession transition → offence
New England Houston Dynamo
Goals per Match Average goals scored within 15s of winning the ball per match. ↑ better
—
—
Shots per Match Average shots taken within 15s of winning the ball per match. ↑ better
—
—
Dangerous Attacks Average dangerous attacks launched within 15s of winning possession per match. ↑ better
—
—
Transition Efficiency Index Composite score (0–1) of how efficiently this team attacks within 15s of winning the ball. Higher = more dangerous on transition. Higher = stronger on the counter
New England 0.00
Houston Dynamo 0.00
Defence After Losing Possession loss → defensive exposure
New England Houston Dynamo
Goals Conceded Average goals conceded within 15s of losing the ball per match. ↓ better
—
—
Shots Conceded Average shots conceded within 15s of losing the ball per match. ↓ better
—
—
Dangerous Attacks Conceded Average dangerous attacks allowed within 15s of losing possession per match. ↓ better
—
—
Vulnerability Index Composite score (0–1) of how exposed this team is within 15s of losing the ball. Lower = better at preventing transition attacks. Lower = better transition defence
New England 0.00
Houston Dynamo 0.00
New England
Houston Dynamo
Window = 15s post-possession change
Index = 0–1 composite score

PRESSURE INDEX

Momentum phases from smoothed minute-by-minute pressure.

  • NER had peak pressure around 5'.
  • NER started the game with stronger pressure.
  • Both teams' pressure dropped after the 30th minute.
NER Pressure HOU Pressure
⚡
Pressure Index: NER reached the top pressure at 5' (50.26).

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 1 match between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

New England NER Home
1 matches
Houston Dynamo HOU Away
Match Record
0
Wins
1
0
Draws
0
1
Losses
0
Goals
1
Goals Scored
2
2
Goals Conceded
1
-1
Goal Difference
+1
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-08T20:00:20+00:00

PLAYERS CURRENTLY PLAYING

Match Formation 4-3-3
Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Pitch
M. Turner
United States
30 M. Turner
M. Polster
United States
8 M. Polster
E. Kohler
United States
22 E. Kohler
M. Fofana
Mali
2 M. Fofana
W. Sands
United States
23 W. Sands
C. Gil de Pareja Vicent
Spain
10 (C) C. Gil de Pareja Vicent
B. Raines
United States
21 B. Raines
A. Yusuf
Nigeria
80 A. Yusuf
P. Miller
United States
25 P. Miller
D. Turgeman
Israel
99 D. Turgeman
M. Zambrano-Delgado
United States
17 M. Zambrano-Delgado

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 08, 2026, 08:30 PM
Competition
2026 Major League Soccer, United States · Regular Season
Stadium
Boston Stadium
Capacity
66829
Pitch Surface
Artificial turf
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Malik Badawi
Corey Parker
Kyle Atkins
Ricardo Montero

CONCLUSION

At this live stage, the run of play and underlying metrics suggest a in line path versus pre-match expectations. Projection alignment is neutral, while efficiency indicators are in line with. The remainder should be decided by execution in transitions and set plays.