Austin FC 3:1 Houston Dynamo - a post game rant.

This will be short and sweet. After another embarrassing performance against Austin F.C., I don't have much to say.  I've been reading all the comments on Twitter, Reddit, FaceBook, and Big Soccer, so let me be definitively clear.  This team isn't snake bit, it's not unlucky. While it is, at times, poorly set up, it's not necessarily poorly coached.  What it definitively IS is not good enough.  Plain and simple.  This team has soo many holes, so much mediocrity, and so few guys that can do the fundamental things that professional soccer players need to be successful at their position it negates anything the coach is trying to do anway.

This team can't break lines with the ball at their feet.

This team can barely break lines with passes.

This team, against a high-pressing team, can barely get the ball across midfield.

This team can't finish.

This team doesn't create enough scoring opportunities.

This team falls asleep at the worst times on the defensive end.

This team gives the ball away too much.

Despite adding Coco and HH this midfield is still really poor. The other three major players in the midfield offer you almost nothing except effort and the occasional play, and those three also eat up $1.4 million in cap space.

Our wings are soo one-dimensional that if you put two of them together you still wouldn't have a complete player, because none of them can cross or pass the ball.  

Our backs are undersized and getting us killed at the back post on crosses.  

But the good news is (#sarcasm):

While Austin F.C. is playing teams like Atlanta United and their M.A.S.H. unit of a back line, we get to play the following schedule the rest of the way:

The yellow highlighted teams are above the playoff line, and the blues are within 3 points.  Colorado is no slouch even though they are underperforming, and we all know what Sporting K.C. can do to us.  With this schedule, the Dynamo could literally not win another game this season.  Let that sink in.

Austin and the Transfer window have squashed some much-needed enthusiasm.

It's easy to forget that we made the biggest acquisition in this team's history this transfer window, but when Pat Onstad came out and said they weren't looking for a big signing it was kind of a no-brainer.  We have our DP's, all three of which have gotten here within the last calendar year.  We tied up big money in guys like Parker, Vera, Fafa, Clark, and Darwin Quintero that are underperforming.  There are some higher-priced backups like Memo, Ceren, Valentine, and Baird that aren't doing anything to help you win consistently.  In this window, what they really need to do is find out how to move on and upgrade everyone I just listed above.  None of them are young, and none of them have upside.  None of these guys should be off the table, and the only acceptable reason to keep any of them around is that their contract expires at the end of the season.

Speaking of Contracts, who is up at the end of the year?

The only guys I'd consider bring back off this list are (1) Lundy.  Pick up his option.  He's got a very affordable cap price and is a solid player for us. (2) Zeca, same as Lundy.  But we need to figure out how to not have Zeca exposed on crosses.  

That's it.  That's the list.  If Dorsey and Junqua want to come back as low paid back-ups, I'd be ok with it.  If Pasher wants to come back for what he makes now ($169k), I'd consider it, but would probably still move on. Everyone else can go.  

Sorry for the quick rant, but like I said, not much to say. We'll see what San Jose has to offer us.

Thanks again for reading, 

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian