Houston loans racking up frequeny flyer miles early

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The Hounds had a fairly quiet bye week leading into the match against Orlando tomorrow night. The same can’t be said for the Houston Dynamo loans as they continue to rack up a few frequent flyer miles.

Word came out yesterday that Brian Ownby and Anthony Arena were heading back to Houston and will be unavailable this weekend.

Both were on the bench for Houston last night, though neither entered the game. If the Hounds were playing on Saturday this week they might have been able to make it back in time, but I guess the powers at be decided it would have been too much traveling. This is actually the second week in a row Ownby has been recalled. It wasn’t unannounced but during the Hounds bye week Ownby found himself in Los Angeles playing for the Dynamo against Chivas. Houston has had a couple major injuries in their midfield this season which may mean Ownby’s time on the Hounds will be limited going forward. Ownby has been a solid addition to the midfield in the three game’s he’s played in a Hounds uniform. Fortunately while his talents will be missed the one area the Hounds aren’t lacking in is midfielders. With almost everyone back from injury and a month to build some much needed chemistry, someone else on the roster should be able to fill his spot.

The more concerning recall is Arena. The Hounds defense is the clear week spot so far this season, and losing one of the few full time defenders that has been playing consistently could make it even worse. Lisch aside, Arena is probably THE Houston loan the Hounds have relied upon the most as a crutch to fill gaps. With an Orlando team coming to town that’s firing on all cylinders it’s time for someone else to step up and show that we’re not going to let up four goals like we did to Wilmington when Arena isn’t around.

One of the big question marks going into tomorrow’s game is where the heck is Jason Johnson. We missed the news during the bye week that he was recalled to Houston for the May 3rd game against Chivas. Johnson ended up not dressing for the game, however there’s been no word if he’s back in Pittsburgh or not. I asked a couple beat writers on Twitter and they didn’t know either. I haven’t been impressed with what I’ve seen out of Johnson so far this season, but with Collins John still suspended and Johnny Arteaga out with an injury, the Hounds sure could use Johnson on the roster as an option. If he’s not back there will be only two strikers on the roster this weekend- Jose Angulo and Mike Seth.

It’s a big match tomorrow as USL juggernaut Orlando City comes to town. The Hounds need a win, and it’s not going to be easy. Kick off is at 7:00 pm.

#UNLEASH

ISAVesty

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