Photo: Paul Rudderow

Who: Philadelphia Union at Houston Dynamo
What: Regular season game
Where: BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
When: 9 pm, Friday, Aug. 15
Watch: NBCSN, NBC Sports Live Extra
Whistle: Baldomero Toledo; Linesmen: Frank Anderson, Kermit Quisenberry; Fourth Official: Ted Unkel

Ninth place team? Psh. Walkover. Only five points out of the playoffs? Watch out!

The Eastern Conference is a crazy place this season, as Philadelphia Union can readily attest. An emotional win followed by a Friday night matchup in a difficult place to play means Philly needs to be mentally ready for a motivated and rebuilt Dynamo side.

And the Houston team that shows up Friday will be quite different from the one that played out a dour draw at PPL Park in April.

This Houston team features DaMarcus Beasley at left back and Luis Garrido in midfield. And, finally, it features an effective partner for Will Bruin up top.

Who is Houston right now: Unknown

Well, mostly unknown. Two big transfer window signings –Damarcus Beasley and Luis Garrido — are acclimating to Dom Kinnear’s system. If that happens quickly, the Dynamo could make a run in the convoluted East. After all, Houston plays nothing but Eastern Conference opponents from here on out.

The fresh faces looked like quick learners against Seattle last weekend. Though Houston lost 2-0, they were never overwhelmed by the Sounders’ offensive juggernaut. Garrido’s influence on the game was massive. Protecting the back four, he accumulated 9 tackles and 3 interceptions. Meanwhile, Beasley was influential going forward, offering the constant threat of a counterattack.

How do they want to play: I think you know

Dom Kinnear isn’t going to start buttering his bread on the bottom just because his team is outside of the playoff picture. After experimenting with Oscar Boniek Garcia in a central role, he has restored the Honduran to the wing. Along with Davis, Boniek Garcia can collect the ball in deeper positions than most wingers and either create or cross. And, as usual, the Dynamo are dangerous in the air, collecting 10 of their 21 non-penalty goals from crosses, corners, and indirect free kicks.

In the past, Ricardo Clark has been a thorn in the Union’s side with intelligent late runs to meet aerial balls. Freed up from defensive duties by Garrido’s arrival, expect Clark to once again appear late on the scene.

Defensively, Houston will protect the box with aplomb. In Kofi Sarkodie and Beasley, they can pressure crossers enough to prevent perfect service, and Jermaine Taylor, AJ Cochran and David Horst do the rest.

How should the Union defend: Just like they have been

With one minor adjustment. Philly has been content to sit deep and counter under Jim Curtin, and the only real issues have come when teams try to overload one side and get behind the defense.

Houston will overload, but with a different goal in mind. The aim is to draw pressure off Davis and Boniek Garcia so they can sit in deeper positions and serve balls or find runners. So the danger area is, in effect, further from the 18-yard box than it normally would be. The space where a defender would normally say, “Ah, perfect. that winger is further out than he wants to be” is exactly where Davis and Boniek Garcia want to be.

In the back, Valdes and whoever partners him will need to track the mobile Giles Barnes without getting too far from the center of the pitch. Barnes’ is an effective partner for Will Bruin because he pulls defenders out of the box, and Bruin can be a dominant ball winner in 1v1 situations.

An additional defensive question is more personnel-centered. The Union are not likely to rotate out Williams or Gaddis in the back, simply because there is nobody except Fabinho ready to step in. Wingers, however, could be a different story. Sebastien Le Toux, coming off injury and extended playing time, could certainly get a break. And with younger players like current USL PRO Player of the Week Pedro Ribeiro and Zach Pfeffer flitting around the fringes of the first team, a new face could certainly feature. Defensive communication between any new players and the established backs will be crucial against a Houston side that largely creates from wide areas.

How should the Union attack: With speed, and on the ground

Last time these teams played, Philly famously went a full ninety at home without once threatening the Houston goal. If they play from wide areas at BBVA Compass Stadium, the same outcome would hardly be surprising.

However, Houston has allowed an alarming 12 goals off crosses, corners, and indirect free kicks this season. The Union, not being an especially large team, should not see this as an opportunity. Of Philly’s regulars, Amobi Okugo is the only player who seems to be able to meet corner kicks with any consistency, and then he consistently heads the ball in a randomly chosen direction.

Instead, the Union should take a cue from Andrew Wenger and attack Houston with speed on the counter. This has become modus operandi under Jim Curtin, but it should be emphasized on Friday. If Beasley and Sarkodie are caught up, Philly can give Houston fits if they drive at the defense with speed. An early card on a central defender is a game changer against a team that relies heavliy on physicality.

Who to watch: Beasley and Garrido. And Clark.

Beasley is that rarity in MLS: A fullback that can bring the ball out of the back then play and pass like a midfielder. He offers that extra dimension that Ray Gaddis lacked late in the Open Cup semifinal against Dallas, an ability to take people on toward goal, rather than just toward the endline.

Garrido will be tasked with tracking whoever sits atop the Union midfield triangle. Against Seattle, he was very good at closing space and preventing the quick, sharp buildups that Seattle have used to dominate this season. The Union won’t attack that way. Instead, Garrido will have to keep an eye on the creative member of the midfield and prevent him from creating opportunities with longer passes and throughballs.

And, finally, Ricardo Clark. Look, he’s going to charge into the box late. Someone keep an eye on him. I’ll do it. Anyone. Please.

Possible lineup. On short rest, it’s hard to guess.

Big moments, big areas: Free kicks, creative midfield, up top, in goal

Set pieces will be huge in this match. Houston scores a ton and gives up a ton. If the Union rest Le Toux, they will be without their primary free kick taker, though Maidana could get his first start off injury and take over.

If Nogueira plays, he should probably drop into a holding role. If Maidana isn’t good to go, will the Union look to younger players or Fred? Either way, that player will have the difficult problem of escaping from Garrido.

Conor Casey can’t start again, right? Where does this guy get the energy? If Casey rests, who will bang with the big bodies of Houston? Will Curtin consider Aaron Wheeler, or does Brian Brown have a lock on the backup slot? The key will be picking the guy who can hold the ball up and play the ball in behind Sarkodie and Beasley.

Mbohli watch 2014: Will the Union’s new signing be in Houston? I have no idea. Let’s assume no. The Union made such a big deal about signing the guy, you would think they might send up a few hype balloons when he’s ready to play.