A tip of the cap.

Entering the game I had an admiration for Austin F.C. for what they've built and the direction that they're headed.  I meant it when I said that I am jealous of the way the #Verde fanbase supports their team.  It's the way fanbases should support their team: they show up in numbers and have passion.  The league needs it, the sport needs it here in America, and I'm happy to see it happening here in the great state of Texas.  After writing my last post I still have respect for them, but also think they are much like their goalkeeper:  ignorant, arrogant, and slightly lacking intelligence.  Some of you are playing too far outside your goal, and getting hit with 61 yard blasts that leave you reeling.  I mean this in a pure literary sense, and I'm going to let you in on a secret: nobody cares what you think here in Houston.  You're not one of us, you're not part of us, you've never gone through the things we've gone through.  Not as a fanbase, not as a community.  You can kindly take your snooty thoughts and opinions and keep them within your own, weird #Verde culture.  I'm glad this game played out on the field, but unfortunately (for me) the better team won.  Austin F.C. has bragging rights, and as a brash young fanbase is prone to do go ahead and take full advantage of it.  Tip of the cap to you, you've earned it. 

I guess there's a place in the world for pretentious people who drink champagne with raised pinkies and hide behind a guise of sophistication and general snobbery.  I'm glad you found your place.  If all I had to cheer for was the Longhorns in this town, I'd be running to Austin F.C. too. I've been cheering for crappy teams basically my whole life and am well versed in how to love sports and teams.  I was born into some of my fandoms, others I chose to love.  The Houston Dynamo are one I choose.  I'd never chose yours. I mean, when your biggest accomplishment is beating our hot pile of garbage team you still have a long list of nothing accomplished. I seriously hope you guys have just enough success to never earn a star above your crest.  You know......like those two over ours?  

Shades of last year.

Two big tests, two tests failed, and this team is looking a little bit like a reincarnation of last year.  What both games proved is that we lack the basic ability to break down a defense and organize an attack.  Our midfield looked poor in both games, and while I acknowledge that Coco, DQ, and Vera all got banged up in the FC Frisco game we just don't have the overall quality to do what we need to do.  Both games saw us unable to get the ball into the attacking third with any form of regularity.  Both games we seemed content to take an early goal, try to sit back and bomb the ball deep down the touchlines.  Both times it came back to bite us. 

FC Dallas dominated the game from the 60th minute on.  We simply don't have the horses to take control of a game, hold possession, and grind things out.  Frisco didn't steal points from us, we didn't hand points to them, they simply beat us.  Austin FC outplayed us for 90 minutes.  It wasn't even close.  We managed to complete 3 passes into their box the entire game, and rarely broke midfield much less entered the final third.  After going up 1-0 on a ridiculous 61 yard strike by Sebastian Ferreira and playing fairly balanced over the first 20 minutes, #Verde choked the life out of us owning every major statistical category.  The final score might have been 2-1, but it wasn't even really that close.

This team simply lacks the ability to park the bus and defend while holding a lead, but they need to find it.  This team has to be better.  Point blank, end of story.  Nagamura even said it himself:

• “Players have to understand that we can’t just accept, that because we scored early, we cannot play with no urgency or no commitment to keep pushing the game as well,” 
• “After we scored, we dropped too much, and we stopped playing the way that we wanted to play on a hot day,”
• “It is really tough when you’re just defending, defending even though we were really, really dangerous directly and with our counterattack.” (Credit to The Bayoucitian)

Speaking of the midfield.....

Darwin Quintero wasn't good.  DQ had a rough night despite getting 2 decent chances in the first 20 minutes.  His passing (10/20) was off all night, especially in the short passing game (5/10).  3 of his passes were intercepted going into the final third, and missed guys on runs early in the game.  His second chance (20 yards out, saved by Tarbell 20th minute) he actually had Pasher in the box to his right. He put a good foot on it, but not good enough.  Memo had a good day statistically (3 tackles, 2 interceptions, 14/15 passing%,) but didn't do enough to help hold possession and break lines.  Memo replaced Vera and put in a Vera-esque performance.  While efficient with his passing, he only completed one pass into the final 1/3rd the entire game. You can make the same critique of Coco Carrasquilla, who outside of a really nice ball into the box to Tim Parker wasn't really a serious threat in the game. Darwin Ceren who came on in the 64th minute for Quintero, did almost nothing as did everyone else off the bench.  Pasher and Fafa rarely managed to break through and find the ball, but when they did poor touches and over dribbles plagued the day.  Fafa had one nice cut back to find DQ in front of the box in the 20th minute, but other than that was rarely dangerous.  Pasher didn't do much, gave way to Corey Baird who was awful. 

Quotables:

• "To be honest, I don't think it was our best day, we could have had a couple of better moments on the ball," Parker said of the team's performance. "Obviously, Driussi hits a really good shot into the upper corner from where he is at. There are moments that we might shut off or there are moments that we can prevent these things," Parker added. "There are moments in games where there are small mental lapses, tiredness, fatigue, poor positioning, those kinds of things." (Striker.com)
• "It started well. We scored early, but after we scored, we turned off a bit. Bottom line, it was just a poor performance overall. We came with a plan. Most of the time we stuck to that plan, but we are not consistent enough throughout the 90 minutes," Nagamura said in his assessment of the game. "I think we have to understand that we are a team that cannot afford to turn off, just because the way that we want to play and the way that this league is, very competitive," Nagamura added. "As a group, we have to make sure we are being accountable to each other and make sure that we minimize those moments because teams will capitalize on those moments. This afternoon, we had a few plays that we turned off and we paid the price." (Striker.com)
• “Real significant laceration across his knee, structurally everything looks good,” Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said of Stuver’s injury. “They may keep him overnight to make sure they clean that up and stitch it up properly, but everything structurally looks good. It was a tough knock and the guys responded from that, but good win. Obviously Brad’s in our thoughts and he should be fine in the coming weeks. But awesome performance by the guys tonight and really proud of them to get three points on the road (in) a difficult place.” (Click2Houston)
  

Final Thoughts:

In all seriousness, Austin F.C. credit to you.  You've been taking it to us in every way since your inception.  Your Front Office has been better than ours, your coach is better than ours, your team is better than ours, and your fan base is bigger and more passionate than ours.  You've been better on the pitch, and you've been better as an organization. Your TIFO game is even strong. I tip my cap to you.  While I will never like you (in a rivalry sense), R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  Here's hoping that this rivalry gets better and better.

Thanks again for reading

Remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange