After an encouraging run, the Dynamo hit a snag. What does it mean?

 

Two big defensive mistakes, and the inability to put the ball past the keeper.  That's the story of this game.  :54 seconds into the game, our backline fell completely asleep and allowed Robin Lod to run directly behind both of them and chip one past Michael Nelson to go up 1:0.  It wasn't a particularly nice through ball from Franco Fragapane, it wasn't a particularly nice run by Lod.  What allowed Minnesota to break through this early in the game was a lack of pressure on the ball, lack of communication and chemistry by Parker and Hadebe, and a somewhat nice finish by Lod.  Neither of our CB's reacted to the ball, Lod didn't try to do too much with it and placed a perfect left-footed chipper past a sprawling Michael Nelson.  This play somewhat sums up the entire season for the Dynamo.  Other teams do things we apparently can't, and took advantage of a situation that should have never been.  If either Parker or Hadebe reacts, this play never materializes.  If this were Maxi Urruti chipping this shot, the ball ends up in the supporters' section.  This game reflected what has plagued us all season:  the inability to execute.

Goal #2 was a mistake that can't be made.

Parker won the initial ball, then lost it off his back heal leaving it in perfect position for Ethan Finlay to spin and hit into the goal.  Nelson miraculously got a hand on it, and almost kept it out, but Parker has to either control or clear that ball into the stands.  This goal is a perfect example of why we need Goal Line Cameras in MLS.  The ball apparently went over, but there was no angle to conclusively tell whether it completely cleared the line before Zarek punched it out.  It was a tremendous effort by Nelson just to get a hand on it, but a terrible mistake by Parker gifted Minnesota a goal.

There were plenty of opportunities for The Dynamo to equalize:

It took 32 minutes for the Dynamo to finally get a shot on Target.  After Zarek Valentine's left-footer was blocked, he found Quintero all alone on the right side from 15 yards out.  Darwin hit it right at Goal Keeper Tyler Miller who knocked it down and corralled it.  Not to take anything away from Miller, who played really well last night, but his toughest save came on a shot from his own player. It was far from the lone opportunity missed on the night, however, as The Dynamo had 7 chances inside the 18-yard box over the last 30 minutes of play. While none of them were tap-ins, they were all opportunities good teams capitalize on.  What's most frustrating is that two of those came from Darwin Quintero.  Darwin hit them both directly at Miller, who posted 7 saves on the night but never had to move or dive for any of them. Corey Baird and Maxi Urruti had multiple chances last night, and couldn't find the net on any of their opportunities.  While this team is goal efficient this year, what they really are is striker deficient. 

Once Tab threw in extra attackers and switched to 3 in the back, the opportunities came often.  The Dynamo managed the last 9 shots of the game, all except Memo's 30-yard blast coming from within 15 yards.  Fafa and Urruti both had shots from inside 8 yards that failed to get through.  Minnesota has been the best in MLS at keeping balls out of the net at home.  The Loons have only allowed 7 goals at home all season, but this game wasn't about them keeping it out, it was about the Dynamo failure to find the net.  While at times it seemed like there were 25 Powder blue unis out there, and Minnesota is as quick to the ball as any defense in the league, the Dynamo had plenty of opportunities and actually generated more shots than Minnesota on the game (15-12) and more Shots on Target (7-6).  They just never made Tyler Miller work for his saves.

Did we learn anything from this game?

In short, no.  This game showed us what we've known all season long.  With or without Darwin Quintero, this game simply isn't built to beat quality opponents.  This is the worst goal-scoring team in the history of this franchise, and Darwin needs someone reliable at the point of attack that can capitalize on the chances he creates.  The most pressing need moving forward is a striker who can time runs and finish.  It's more vital than upgrading RB, it's more pivotal than finding an upgrade at the defensive midfield, and it's as important as playing Quintero 2,000 minutes or more next year.  If Fafa, Pasher, and Dorsey all return, there are pieces up top that can legitimately play at the MLS level.  The Center Back pairing of Parker and Hadebe is good enough to make the playoffs with.  Adam Lundkvist is a quality MLS left-back, and Mattias Vera is a constant worker and an extremely smart player.  If we are to ever make it out of the MLS doldrums, we have to find a decent striker, and we have to figure out how to pick up points on the road.  

Inside the numbers:

• Houston currently ranks 2nd worst in MLS in goals/Shot on Target (0.24). Only the Chicago Fire (0.22) are worse.
• After inserting Darwin Quintero into the lineup, the Dynamo have jumped 3 spots in passing percentage.  They have been second-worst in the league almost all year, slightly ahead of NY Red Bulls.   They currently have a passing percentage of 76.6%, which ranks 4th from the bottom.
• The Dynamo have also pulled out of last place in possession %.  They have ranked at the bottom of MLS for most of the season, but recently have climbed slightly to 43.6% on the season, ranking them ahead of Nashville SC.
• After racking up 2,367 minutes on 30 appearances (26 starts) for Yeni Mal'spor, Teenage Hadebe has made 14 starts and played 1,251 minutes for the Dynamo this season.  Hadebe literally didn't have an offseason and after playing a full season came to Houston to play in the brutal heat of the summer.   The season has to be wearing on him, but he's played exceptionally well leading the Dynamo in Areal duels % (72.9%) and ranks 3rd on the Dynamo in Areal Duels won (35) despite playing half as many games as the two in front of him (Tim Parker - 55 in 27 games and Fafa Picalut - 65 in 25 games).  

Next Up:

Houston takes on Vancouver Whitecaps this Wednesday at home (I don't even know what to call our stadium these days.)  Vancouver is one of the worst road teams in MLS, posting a 1-4-7 record on the road. The only MLS team with fewer road wins than Vancouver (1) is Your Houston Dynamo FC (0).  After posting back-to-back home wins last week, Houston is now 5-3-5 at home posting 1.54 PPG in the friendly confines of faded Orange seats.  This is also a 7-1-3 night, so show up and get your $1 dollar dogs at every stand that isn't labeled "Hot Dogs" and your $3 beer from places that aren't labeled beer stands.  The weather is supposed to be nice, and an 8:00 kickoff could be an awesome break to your workweek. Just a heads up, the Astros play Tampa bay at 7:10 as well, so you might want to get there a little early and be ready to fight a little traffic after the game.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian