This week's losses have fans heated. Is it time to clean house?

11 games.  11 stinking games.  That's about a third of an MLS season.  It's been just over 2 months since we've seen a game end and the Dynamo came away with all three points. I was still teaching classes the last time the Dynamo won a game.  This summer has been miserable, not just because of all the rain, and all the heat, and because......you know.......2021 is a soul-sucking banshee, but because we discovered that this team isn't all that good.  There's plenty of blame to go around.  From the previous owners to the GM, to Tab, and the rest of the coaching staff.  There's plenty of blame to put down on the players too, I mean....Zarek Valentine has been getting his fair share the last few weeks.  So, we should just tear it all apart and clean house right?  Right?

If you're wondering what my answer is, it's pretty simple: No.  I don't know if I'm an outlier here, but I know I stand very alone on message boards and Reddit.  Do I think we can find a better coach than Tab Ramos?  No, not really.  Is Tab probably going to be shown the door in the offseason?  Most likely.  Do I think there are better GMs than Matt Jordan?  Absolutely. Do I think Matt Jordan is the worst GM ever?  No, I don't.  He's found some pretty good gems in his time in Houston, and he's had a few busts.  There are guys that the jury is still out on (Bajamich). 

 Let me be clear.  I think Tab is a good coach.  I think he's tactically sound, I feel he's transformed the defense this offseason, and Matt Jordan helped him do it.  The concern has always been where the goals are going to come from.  I've been saying that since before the season started.  He's soo desperate to find a player that can create goals, we are literally picking guys of the street (Griffen Dorsey) and throwing them on the field.  We played a guy yesterday (Coco Carrasquilla) that hadn't even practiced with the team yet, as he had just got his visa that morning.  "TAB'S TOO STUCK TO HIS SYSTEM!" He's used 4 different formations this year.  He runs a fluid 4-3-3, that bounces between a 4-2-3-1, a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-4-2 depending on who is playing and who they are playing against.  "IT'S A TIRED, BORING SYSTEM!" The system is generating the 9th most shots per 90 in the league, with 3 holding midfielders and no real #10.  Those shots are coming from the 8th closest distance in MLS (16.8 yards/shot).  The problem is the guys taking those shots just aren't that good.  

"WE NEED TO OVERHAUL THIS ROSTER!" Uh, we've pretty much been doing that since the beginning of last year.  Since the end of last season, we've massively upgraded both CB spots, added two really nice midfielders (and maybe a third), upgraded both wings, and added one solid striker and during the season went out and got another.  Sam Junqua has taken over for Adam Lundkvist at LB. We've added Teenage Hadebe, a backup striker who is fairly solid (Corey Baird), and a young creative midfielder in the last couple of weeks. The roster overhaul has been going on since Tab took over.  Now it's time to let it gel.  This has nothing to do with "continuity through ownership change". But teams need continuity.  Playing without your best 3 best attacking players (Pasher, Urruti, and Quintero) last night didn't help either.  

If I blame Tab for anything this year, it's for not giving Quintero a single start despite fielding a team that is struggling to score.  Tyler Pasher is our best creative player, he's played 591 minutes.  That's about 1/3rd of the minutes the Dynamo have played this year.  He's second on the team in goals and leads them in assists in 1/2 the touches of Memo, Mattias Vera, and Fafa Picault and about 1/3rd of Joe Corona's. Do I blame him for Zarek playing soo many minutes?  No, because we don't have anyone else to put there.  "BUT, BIZAMA!" Bizama isn't an MLS player.  Tab didn't think so, neither did any other MLS team out there.  We can see how he does at Charlotte, but the Dynamo have a record of 2-1-9 when he starts over the last three years.  I don't know that no MLS team wanted him this transfer window, but I strongly suspect they didn't.  That was a Matt Jordan bust, but most likely was a scouting department bust.  But if the guy that brought you Elis, Quioto, Manotas, Boniek, Ceren, and others says this guy can play, wouldn't you trust him? Tab's putting guys in position to make plays.  They don't make plays.  You know why they don't make plays?  Because they aren't that good.  That's not on Tab, but he'll take the fall for it.  The guy Tab trusted to make plays this year (Memo) can't, and no one in this town wants to admit it.  That's on Tab too.  He's put Memo in important positions in every game, and Memo isn't getting the job done.  Memo isn't a #10, he's more of an #8 with a little #6.  Honestly, the way Memo defends the wings I'd like to see him play RB.  At least that'd give us a guy who can defend and progress the ball down the field, maybe get a cross in while he's at it.

This is rambling I know.  I'm frustrated.  Ted Segal needs to figure out what to do to right this ship.  I don't feel like Tab is the problem.  I don't really feel Matt Jordan was THE problem, but I agree he could have done a better job.  It's tuff to evaluate how good we should be, when we are near the bottom of the league in spending every year.  There are multiple expansion teams with higher payrolls than us.  I think Jordan is gone, and probably Tab too.  I'd give each another season with new ownership and better support before I make that decision though. I'd give each another season regardless since this has been a rebuild project since day 1.  We've been rebuilding forever since Kinnear left, this is just a rebuild I'd actually give time to. We are soo impatient to win now, we want to bypass all the important things it takes to get us there. You want to build an academy from scratch?  It takes time.  You want to develop young players?  It takes time.  You want to rebuild facilities?  It takes time.  Winning.....real winning, takes time.  Sure, you can rebuild an MLS team in a year or two, but not even the great Zlatan got LAG to the playoffs every year.  To build a lasting structure takes time, or else it crumbles and fades away. With as many changes as this team has made in the last year, they are still two players away from contending for anything.  They need another wing that can actually make plays, and they need a midfielder that can break down defenses from the middle of the field and give service to Urruti and Pasher. They also need Pasher to be healthy and on the field. I stated before the season started this team wasn't good enough to make the playoffs because they didn't have enough scoring options.  That's when I thought Darwin was going to play.  Clean House?  Sure.....why not?  Just be careful what you ask for.  Things actually could be a whole lot worse around here.