Reigning MLS champions Houston Dynamo visit The Home Depot Center this Saturday night to take on the blue-and-gold.

The Dynamo look a lot like the same team that won MLS Cup last November and are lead by Canadian international midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and US national team member (and ex-Galaxy) Brian Ching. However, they lost the scoring tandem of Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua (two other ex-Galaxy players) in the off season and the impact of their departure may be deeper than previously thought.

Notable absences due to injury are 'keeper Pat Onstad and defender Craig Waibel. Backup 'keeper Tony Caig has performed well in place of Onstad and Houston has historically played a great collective defense that has minimized the impact of these injuries.

It has been a rough start for De Rosario and the rest of the "Orange Crush," with zero wins, a loss and two ties thus far. Ironically, San Jose -- the city from where the Dynamo relocated but three years ago -- is the only team with a worse record in the conference. The Dynamo will be hungry to get their season on track as they attempt to become the first MLS team with three consecutive league titles.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy (1 - 2 - 0) come into Saturday's game looking to recover from a disappointing loss to Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon.

Forward Carlos Ruiz remains on the injury list for a few more weeks and will not be available for selection this Saturday. The rest of Sunday's lineup is available and likely to once again take the field against the Dynamo. It will interesting to see if Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit makes any changes to address last game's deficiencies on defense to contain De Rosario, whose performance will be key to a Dynamo victory.

He is a proven offensive threat and always seems to bring a little extra when playing against the Galaxy. One only needs to look at this goal to get an appreciation for what he brings to the game. The Galaxy back line will be tested throughout the night and there will be little room for error.

In order to win, the Galaxy must keep De Rosario in check and capitalize on their opportunities. If the blue and gold is unable to contain him, it will be a long night for the Galaxy faithful.

This will be the Galaxy's toughest test so far and this game has all the ingredients of an exciting match: a defending champion looking to redeem itself and a Galaxy team looking to re-establish itself as an MLS powerhouse. It will be a clash of styles and one between two teams with opposing fortunes in recent playoff history. This game is sure to provide much to talk about in the MLS circles come Sunday morning.

GO GALAXY!

Game Details
Venue: The Home Depot Center in Carson
Time: 7:30 PM
Forecast: 52F, Cloudy
TV: MLS Direct Kick, FSN-W (6:45 PM)
Online: MLSLive.tv
Radio: 1150 AM (English), 1330 AM (Spanish)
Promos: 35% Off Ticket Prices, Free cap night for first 5,000 fans!

Photo by Tyler S. Andrews via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr