The reasons why Houston went from being a candidate, to staying out of the Playoffs

Houston was a really fast team, characterized by the stamina and the pace of the players on the attack and the midfield of the pitch. They would force turnovers really quickly, but now his system is not working and they hardly can get a point like the last match against Minnesota United.

The Tab Ramos team has only won 1 of the last 10 games. The problem relies on the departure of Alberth Elis but it is really easy to blame someone who is gone. The real problem is that the team could not find a way to replace him. The winger was the most important player because of the amount of opportunities he created.

Neither Ariel Lassiter nor Niko Hansen could fill the spot of Elis. Darwin Quintero is being effective, but that is not enough for the team. There is also a problem with the number 9. We all know that Ramos can set a proper team to fight for a Playoff spot, but without Christian Ramirez or Mauro Manotas scoring, this will be impossible.

Houston now has to face Columbus Crew, one of the best team of the MLS at this moment, but they need the three points if they want to keep dreaming about a postseason. If they lose, probably it will be too late to recover and they even end up at the bottom of the table.