Ben Olsen is hoping his Houston Dynamo team can build on their hard-earned point against the Vancouver Whitecaps when they face the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend. 

Just three games after their 3-0 defeat to the same opposition, the Dynamo snatched a point against the Western Conference high-flyers thanks to Artur's late strike. 

That result kept Houston's hopes of sealing a place in the playoffs alive, with the Dynamo 12th in the division and three points behind San Jose in the final postseason spot.

However, Olsen's side are without a win in their last five MLS games, though the Dynamo boss believes their display against Vancouver is a solid foundation to build on.

"We ended up being pushed back and defending for long stretches," Olsen said. "But they can do that, and they usually do it against teams that come into this building.

"The resiliency was real. The grit that we have been finding over the last few weeks was found, and to get something out of it was a really emotional point for us.

"The substitutes came in and did great again. Overall, a lot of good performances against a very good team, arguably the best in the division, most certainly in this building."

San Jose, meanwhile, are enduring a difficult stretch of late, picking up just one win in their last eight league matches, the latest of which saw them lose 2-1 to San Diego FC. 

They were made to rue a glut of missed opportunities, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.54 from their 16 shots to San Diego's 0.69 from their five attempts. 

And midfielder Noel Buck insisted that his team must improve their efficiency in attack if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the playoffs this season. 

"I think we have a really good team. The issue is getting over the line, keeping the winning lead," Buck said.

"It's unfortunate, but I know we will keep the belief of making the playoffs and winning our next games. With the quality we have, we should be able to do that."

San Jose have since strengthened their ranks with the addition of former Leeds United midfielder Ronaldo Vieira, who joined the club from Sampdoria on an 18-month deal. 

"We'll see. Part of the reason why we got him here was to have an experienced player in the middle of the field. "Hopefully he can be a leader," head coach Bruce Arena added.

"It's going to take a little time. Obviously, he just received his work permit. He's obviously not ready to play 90 minutes. He'll be in full training next week, and we'll see."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Houston Dynamo – Jack McGlynn

McGlynn notched his first MLS penalty-kick goal in Houston's last home league match, back in July, his 118th career MLS regular-season game.

The last Houston player to score a penalty in consecutive home MLS matches was Amine Bassi (three straight between March and April 2023).

SJ Earthquakes – Josef Martinez

Martinez has scored in three straight league matches, equalling the longest streak by a San Jose player this season, which was by Cristian Arango in May.

The Venezuelan has not had a longer goalscoring run in the regular season since he scored in an MLS-record 15 straight games in 2019 with Atlanta United, though.

MATCH PREDICTION: HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

Houston are unbeaten in their last 10 home matches (W9 D1) against San Jose, dating back to 2015. It's tied for the team's second-longest home unbeaten streak in the regular season against a single opponent, one shy of an 11-game run against FC Dallas.

The Dynamo did, however, draw for a third consecutive match on Saturday, scoring after the 85th minute to secure a point in each of the last two. Four of their last five draws have featured an equaliser after the 80th minute, with three of those in stoppage time.

San Jose, though, have also made a habit of leaving it late. They have scored 29 second-half goals this season, the second most in MLS. The Earthquakes have also scored in each of their last 13 MLS matches, with 18 of the 21 goals scored in those games coming in the second half.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Houston Dynamo – 49%

Draw – 25.6%

SJ Earthquakes – 25.4%