Ben Olsen believes his Houston Dynamo team have put themselves on the map after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps to go top of MLS' Western Conference. The Dynamo beat the Whitecaps twice in the same season for the first time in midweek, with Franco Negri's 34th-minute goal sealing all three points at BC Place. It was a result that extended Houston's winning run in the MLS to five matches, catapulting them above Vancouver and into top spot in the West. Houston have not finished top of the West since 2008, while their best finishes in the division since then came in 2009 and 2011, when they finished the campaign in second. They are on the road once again this weekend as they face St. Louis City SC at Energizer Park, and Olsen urged his players to continue making waves."We always dream," Olsen said. "We always dream, especially once you start to see some potential in a team, but there are a lot of games left."And I've been through the MLS too many seasons as a player and coach to get too riled up right now. We need to just keep pushing and try to grab as many points as we can."Within that, we need to get better and just keep rolling. We're always [feeling] like a little bit of an afterthought in this league. That's just how it's been since I've been here."So, we're still digging out of that, and we have to put ourselves on the map and make teams and the league respects us."St. Louis, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 11 league matches, but were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with West strugglers Sporting Kansas City last time out. Eduard Lowen had given St. Louis the lead in first-half stoppage time, only for Calvin Harris to equalise in the 55th minute and seal a share of the spoils at Sporting Park. Sporting KC looked the more likely to win it, given they registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.30 from their 18 shots to St. Louis' tally of 0.52 from their seven attempts. "I don't know if it was a classic derby game," St. Louis boss Yoann Damet said. "It was a game with a lot of challenges, where we came out a little bit flat in terms of energy."In the end, we're walking away with a point. That's probably the only thing we remember. There is a lot of fatigue coming from the West Coast trip."We're all aware of that. We're not going to make it an excuse. It's definitely not the point. That gives a little bit of context."I still think, as a group, these are games where we need to improve, and we can do a lot better."PLAYERS TO WATCHSt. Louis – Eduard LowenLowen became the second St. Louis player to net 20 regular-season goals after scoring against Sporting KC in midweek (Joao Klauss - 25).With 22 assists to his name, Lowen is the first St. Louis player with 20 goals and 20 assists in MLS play, and he will be keen to add to those numbers here. Houston Dynamo – GuilhermeGuilherme has been key to the Dynamo's recent success, and he will once again be important if he is to continue Houston's upward trajectory in the West. Against Vancouver, he posted team-high totals for successful dribbles (five) and duels won (10), while only Jack McGlynn (nine) played more passes into the final third than his seven.MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS WINThe nine all-time meetings between St. Louis and Houston in all competitions have been split with each team recording three wins (D3). St. Louis have outscored the Dynamo, 13-9 in those games, with two of their three wins coming by 3-0 scorelines.St. Louis also extended their club-record unbeaten streak to 11 straight in all competitions (W7 D4) last time out. They have won four of six at home during that run (D2), after managing just four wins in their previous 14 at home in all competitions.Houston, however, have recorded five consecutive shutout wins following their win over Vancouver. The Dynamo are the third team in MLS history to post five straight shutout wins (Los Angeles FC in 2024, Atlanta United in 2019), equalling the longest such run in MLS history.OPTA WIN PROBABILITYSt. Louis – 46.5%Draw – 24.3%Houston Dynamo – 29.2%