During a week when controversy surrounds Major League Soccer playing through an International Window (again), the Colorado Rapids travel to Texas with a full squad hoping to break a (very, very) long winless streak on the road in the US. This will be their best chance at a full three points as the Houston Dynamo has been slammed with call-ups and injuries. With potentially 8 players out for one reason or another (7 of them starters) head coach Owen Coyle will have to not only dig deep into his bench but get creative with his tactics to have any shot of getting the full three points.

Coyle will be without midfielders Luis Garrido and Oscar Garcia as they join Honduras in an attempt to qualify for this summer's Gold Cup in a home and away series against French Guiana. He'll also be without defender Jermaine Taylor and striker Giles Barnes, with the duo representing Jamaica in a pair of friendlies against Cuba and Venezuela in preparation for a deep run in the Gold Cup. Normally such absences could be handled, especially with a revamped bench that has started to prove itself inch by inch this season. However Coyle's hard-won point in Los Angeles may have cost him dearly as three players ended up with injuries as a result. Ricardo Clark left the match in the first half with a rib injury, while DaMarcus Beasley left in the second with a hamstring injury. Earlier this week, Glenn Davis reported that Nathan Sturgis picked up an injury as well. With Raul Rodriguez still on the mend, this leaves the team with quite the predicament.

The entire defensive midfielder corps is depleted, meaning Coyle will have to start a rookie in that key role or get creative in choice of personnel and tactics. He's already shown a propensity for such change so a system other than the Dynamo's typical Empty Bucket 4-4-2 is in the cards. For the younger players, this could be their big opportunity to prove themselves and crack the starting lineup. Rob Lovejoy, who was ok during his 50 minute stretch last week, Leonel Miranda, Zach Steinberger and Chandler Hoffman are likely to be relied upon heavily to help fill the gaps.

Another possible inclusion into the lineup could be much maligned midfielder Alex Lopez. Absent from the starting lineup ever since he made the move from Honduras' Olimpia, this could be the time when he gets a real chance to prove himself in Major League Soccer as the deep-lying playmaker the team hasn't had and hoped he would become. His ability to split apart the defense with a concise pass could be vital to get past a Rapids defense that has yet to concede a goal this season.

So what's the possible formation? Assuming none of the injured are healthy, it might be best if Coyle went with a Diamond formation or perhaps a 4-5-1 to clog the midfield with numbers (if not talent), relying on the fullbacks to provide width. Veteran left back Corey Ashe will need to fill in for Beasley, which isn't a huge drop off in talent or skills. Sophomore center back AJ Cochran will line up alongside David Horst, renewing the partnership they form at the end of last season. They proved to be a good team then and will be hoping to be just as good this weekend. With Miranda on the right flank and Davis on the left, the real problem comes in the center. Steinberger is the only quasi-defensive midfielder left on the team. He could be paired with a veteran like Davis to help him control the center of the field. In that case, expect Miranda to take his spot on the left while Lovejoy takes the right flank.

The forward pair is rather simple to figure out, with Will Bruin certain to get the starting spot and Hoffman either starting or replacing Bruin later in the game, depending on what happens in the midfield. There are a myriad of other options there that could go on and on endlessly.

For Pablo Mastroeni and his Rapids, they'll be welcoming back Bobby Burling after serving his one match suspension. The veteran defender will be relied upon to keep Bruin in check, matching him for physicality. Panamanian midfielder Gabriel Torres and Senegalese striker Dominique Badji will need to pounce on a very vulnerable Dynamo defense, especially in the middle. Their best bet is to take the defenders on and keep the ball on the ground as Horst and Cochran will likely eat up anything in the air. Getting a shot past Texas native Tyler Deric is the hard part. Only one shot has made it past him that wasn't the result of a horrible mistake, and that shot panged off the crossbar. The Rapids offense will need to by Dynamic and fast to get past the best goalkeeper in the league so far this season.

On the flipside of things, Sam Cronin, Marcelo Sarvas and/or Lucas Pittinari will need to make sure Davis continues to have a bad season as he'll most assuredly be the central attacking threat for the Dynamo. Preventing dangerous free kick opportunities will also be a high priority for the Rapids defense. Not only can Davis provide the best service (still) in the league, but Miranda has shown the ability to provide equally good service with his right foot.

This game has all the signs of either a scoreless draw or a very narrow one goal victory for either side.