Sunday, March 26, 2023

Brought the Nasty: Houston 1:0 NYCFC

 

A night of contrast for the Houston Dynamo: beautiful stadium on a beautiful night with a team that managed to play stretches of beautiful soccer, but bring home an ugly 1:0 win.  On a night with no Coco Carrasquilla, no Ivan Franco, and against one of the stingiest defenses in MLS, the Dynamo managed the only chance that mattered and kept their second straight clean sheet at home.  Bringing the Nasty is rounding into form, as Ben Olsen has found a defensive unit and shape that is working at home . 

There are lots of things to celebrate from this game, as well as some major causes of concern. Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of this game.

The Good:

Brooklyn Raines makes his first MLS start.

Brooklyn Raines is the first teenager to ever start a game for the Houston Dynamo in an MLS match.  In a much-anticipated appearance, Raines had a mostly quiet first half.  Highlighted by his miss on the one good chance the Dynamo had created during the half that really stung, Raines otherwise was mostly unnoticeable during the first 45.  He came to life in the second.  Had a really nice move and a crafty pass through defenders on the buildup that led to the Pen.  Drew a couple of key fouls, and despite only having 27 touches found ways to impact the game.  Brooklyn just mistimed a couple of runs, and his teammates had a little trouble finding him on some of those deep balls. Most importantly didn't do anything that cost the team the win.  Raines took over Coco's duty of applying high pressure and making runs between the left CB and LB.  High energy, was active, impacted winning.  Overall a solid 74 minutes, hopefully he starts to get a few more shifts as the season progresses.

Artur

Artur is the backbone of what has been a dominating midfield.  The midfield trident has been extremely good in 3/4 games so far this year (Cinci, Austin, NYCFC) and Artur has ben the rock at the back end of it.  Defensively he was outstanding last night.  While the tackle and interception numbers aren't staggering (1 tackle, 2 interceptions), he was always in the right spot and gobbled up 11 loose balls in the midfield.  Artur was also instrumental on applying pressure to Keaton Parks and Alfredo Morales, virtually taking them out of the game.  Artur has also been creeping further upfield in possession and looking to make plays.  Took a big left-footed blast right before Corey Baird hit the cross bar, and who can forget his nutmeg/run against Austin F.C. Owning the midfield was key to this matchup, and none was more active or more important than Artur.

The Defensive Back 3 of Teenage, Bartlow, and Steres

It's an unconventional way to get to a 3 in the back lineup, but that's essentially what it is.  4-4-2 in defense, but 3 CB's staying home and protecting when we go forward.  While Steres began to venture forward at spots, having these three set the back line allowed Tate Schmitt to get down the wing and wreak havoc.  The three weren't called on to do a lot, but were always there when they needed to be.  Largely responsible for holding NYCFC to five shots (1 on target) for the entire game.  NYCFC went over 30 minutes without a single shot of any kind (from the 57th minute - 91st minute).  Add to that the fact that NYCFC only had 5 touches inside the box for the first 90 minutes of the game.  While Steve Clark will get credit for his 52nd Career Clean Sheet, the bulk of the work went to the midfield and these guys in the back.

Honorable Mention:

Ben Olsen's defensive game planning, Amine Bassi, HH being HH, and, it sounds weird since we lost the possession numbers, but the possession game was there when we needed it.

The Bad

Corey Baird

Baird did some really good things defensively.  His pressure on the Center Backs combined with the midfield activity of Raines, HH, and Artur really disrupted NYCFC's attack.  However, going forward Baird poses almost no threat of helping the Dynamo score. When he makes a run AND is onside, his decision-making has been extremely poor.  Had a chance to bury NYCFC and make it 2-0 but missed a poacher's goal and hit the woodwork, his only shot of the game.  He's not getting chances, he's not creating chances, he's not really even taking guys on.  He did draw 4 fouls, but other than that his stats were very meager.  45 touches, 8 possessions lost, 0 key passes, 0 shots on target, 1 offsides, 0/1 in taking guys on.  For four straight games here the striker position has been virtually nonexistent in the attack.

The Attack

There was some really pretty combination play, and some quality plays from the midfield, but the Dynamo managed only 2 shots on target the entire game, and one was off a deflection on the back post.  The top three of Baird, Bassi and Quinones didn't combined for 1 shot, 1 key pass, and 2 passes completed into the penalty area.  Without Franco and Carrasquilla the attack lost a lot of punch and creative flair.  The top three have yet to create a goal in the run of play on the season.  

The Ugly

Steve Clark's one major gaffe

Luckily it didn't cost the Dynamo a goal, but right after Amine Bassi's pen Clark almost gave them one back.

Final Thoughts:

These are games the Dynamo usually don't win.  You can take both wins with a grain of salt (beating Austin F.C. on a short week and NYCFC after traveling across the country) but to post two straight clean sheets at home AND winning both hasn't been done in ten years.  This is a good stretch, and the Dynamo have a real chance to make it three in a row traveling to San Jose Earthquakes next weekend. Also, getting to listen to Glenn Davis on the call through Apple TV's new "Hometown Radio" feature was a game changer for me.  I now love this ap entirely.

Next Up:


Until then.....

Thanks again for reading.
Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian



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Monday, March 20, 2023

Houston Dynamo 2:0 Austin F.C. - All Around Team Effort

 

It seemed like forever.  The eternity that existed between losing to the Revs and their first home game of the season against Green Tree F.C. had all of the #ForeverOrange faithful in desperation mode.  We got to see the fresh new Shell Energy Stadium with all its updates and some fresh tactics by Head Coach Ben Olsen.  In an up-and-down performance for much of the game, the Dynamo managed to do two things we haven't seen in some time: (1) keep a clean sheet at home. (2) Take control of the game and not relinquish the lead.  While there are some differing opinions over which new food vendor was the best, if the East Side Club was cool or not, and whether this was a boring game or not, one thing we can all agree on is that it feels good to win, especially against Austin F.C.

The First 45 minutes:

The starting lineup saw a couple of notable changes.  Daniel Steres at RB, Amine Bassi at LW, Ivan Franco at RW, and Corey Baird got the start at the #9. Defending with 2 lines of four, Olsen mostly had Coco playing up top next to Corey Baird.  The plan to start the game was simple, sit deep, pack the box defensively, and ping it deep to stretch Austin F.C.'s backline.  Early runs by Baird, Coco, and Ivan Franco paid dividends on the back end of some beautiful deep balls by Teenage Hadebe and Hector Herrera.  Even though the ends of these runs and passes were normally sloppy and disjointed, you could see #Verde's backline creeping further and further back with each change of possession.   With Bassi tucking inside behind Baird with Tate Schmitt running the left flank, Coco was making darting runs between Leo Vรคisรคnen and ลฝan Kolmaniฤ opening up the right flank for Ivan Franco.  You could see the gaps widening in the midfield as the game progressed.  Bassi began filling these gaps from the left flank, and taking much of the space that Coco normally fills.   Dropping deep to defend, Bassi was helping progress the ball down the middle third as well as making runs to stretch the left flank. He found his way through first, although his left foot cross went seriously wayward.

While they were defending with two stacked lines of 4, going forward Daniel Steres never left going forward.  He stayed back to protect the left flank from Diego Fagundez on the counter and in transition. With Steres staying home and HH, and Artur paying heavy attention to Driussi, they were able to hold the two to 1 shot total over the first 45 minutes of play. While the Dynamo had shut down Austin's top two attackers, they were being exposed on the other side. John Gallager and Emeliano Rigioni were dominating the run of play, combining for more shots than the entire Houston squad.  Rigioni nearly broke the game open twice, and Maxi Urruti should have had the games opening goal.  Off a nice cross by Sebastian Driussi that was badly misplayed by Tate Schmitt, John Gallager managed to flick one back toward the goal that found Urruti's head right in front of the goal.  Luckily for the Dynamo, Urruti couldn't get it down, but it was a point-blank chance that should have made it 1-0.  While Austin controlled the run of play over the first 35 minutes, Houston began to find cracks over the next 10.  They ended the half with the last 4 shots.  

The next 45:

Houston came out firing.  Hector Herrera's stop-start-right-footed blast off the end line (47th minute), Ivan Franco's flying overhead off a deflection, and Coco's outside-the-box blast all ended up directly at keeper Brad Stuver, but Houston was beginning to find their way through.  Houston completely controlled the first 25 minutes of the second half.  The turning point came midway through the second half right after Adam Lundkvist checked in.  Ethan Bartlow's header gave Lundkvist no time to react and caught in an unnatural position the ball struck right off of his waiting hand.  Although the entire refereeing crew initially missed it, after review Drew Fisher pointed to the spot.  Amine Bassi put it home to put the Dynamo up 1:0. 
15 minutes later, Hector Herrera made it 2:0 by punching a left-footed punch that beat Stuver to the near post.  It was a crafty goal that just saw HH outsmart and out work the Austin backline.

While Austin tried to pull one goal back over the next 4 minutes but Houston was able to hold on.  The win was much-needed and nudged Houston above the playoff line.  

Notables:

While I could mention basically the entire team, and don't mean to leave anyone off, we'll look at a few of the highlights.

Hector Herrera: 

HH was tremendous from opening to close.  In the first 30 minutes, he was pinging bombs on the money to Coco, Franco, and Baird on the run.  From the opening of the second half, he began to work into the box and wreak havoc. On the night he had 91 touches, 60 completed passes, 2 key passes, 5 shots, and 1 very big goal.  He was touching the ball all over the field, hitting passes at all levels, and working on both sides of the ball.  Had one terrible turnover when he tried to spin his way out of a challenge, but luckily Teenage had his back.  He had several dangerous corners, and his blasted free kick (42nd minute) almost beat Brad Stuver.  It was a continuation of what we saw vs. Cincinnati, although a little more progressive.  Great bounceback game after a rougher outing vs. New England.

The Backline:

The backline of Steres, Bartlow, Hadebe and Schmitt were tremendous all night.  A few cracks opened up on the right side, but each time Steve Clark was right where he needed to be.  Not only did they make every defensive play they needed to, they also made several key plays going forward.  Bottling up Fagundez and Driussi is no easy task, and the two managed 0 shots on Target for the entire game, and only managed 66 touches for the game.  

Steve Clark

Steve Clark was on point for 90 minutes.  Although he wasn't spectacular he didn't need to be.  Shook off a nock on the knee in the early minutes of the game to post a clean sheet.  Although it was a team effort, Clark was where he needed to be when he needed to be.  Solid performance in this game.

THIS:


Next Up:


Thanks again for reading,
Remember to always always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian







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Sunday, March 12, 2023

Dynamo Fans are already losing their minds, let's take this week off and refocus.

 

I'm not gonna lie, I'm grumpy.  I'm grumpy because we're 0-2, we lost a game against Cincinnati we should have earned a point from, I'm grumpy that we got embarrassed the next week, I'm grumpy because there's no game this week, we're playing Verde next, and because Dynamo fans are now complaining about...well....everything.  We've become Brick from Anchor Man, simply mad and shouting because we don't know how to handle all this.  I've read a lot of things the last week, and I'm going to try to go back and address some of them in a logical manner. I'm also going to address some things I'm sick of already, and use this as a bit of a therapy session for myself.

First of all:

I'm sick of hearing about "Inverted Wingers"

I get it. I understand the concept. I see other teams using it successfully. What we're missing here is that those teams have a lot of talent.   I see our team constantly look like we don't have a plan going forward, displaying dudes who can't finish (or pass) running into each other's space.  I see overlapping backs who either can't make plays with the ball at their feet or get back and defend (or both).  I see our back post constantly being exposed while our FB is trying to get back and cover it only to be 5 steps too slow. I see our CB's being put in bad positions a ton, and I also see most of our possession coming from passing it between our CB's for large sections of time.  I've seen us change coaches, players, and literally everything else, but yet I still see this garbage.  I honestly don't care what formation we run, I don't care if we want to be a possession team, a counterattacking team, or the boringest defensive team you've ever seen.  What I can't literally care about anymore is this concept: inverted wingers are the plan going forward.  If that's the key to unlocking our attack, go get Mo Salah/Darwin Nunes types.  If we are going to start Corey Baird or Thor there, find a different way.

"We can get anyone to do what Coco and HH can do for way less money"

Great, we just gutted our payroll and are back to being the lowest-paid team in the league again.  The same fans crying about this are the same ones that wanted the last ownership group out for failing to invest.  I could go around the world and talk about the cost of a good 8 in a 4-3-3.  Spoiler alert: they cost a bunch of money and don't put up a lot of key stats (Luca Modric).  Doesn't make them any less important, doesn't make them any less valuable. It's just their job.  I understand that MLS has, in the pass, had a cost associated with goals and assists.  That's changing.  CB's are starting to earn real money, and with Roman Burki goal keepers are too.  I literally don't care about how the Dynamo did things in 2006-2008, because THAT VERSION OF THE LEAGUE IS DEAD.  There were no DP's,  guaranteed contacts,  U-22 initiatives, or many other roster designations we have now back then.  The league is changing.  

Secondly, we have 3 DP spots.  Do we need more out of Sebas?  Sure.  Do we need more out of Teenage? Yup.  But you know who we really need....I don't know....anything out of?  Our Goal Keeper, RW, RB, LB and Ivan Franco.  Can we still buy down Teenage and get a legit third DP?  Yup, probably this summer.  Why does it take until summer?  Because that's when the biggest and best leagues in the world go on break. HH and Coco are our two most important players and have more asked of them than anyone on the field. It's the style and system we play. We need two pretty good players there, and we have those.  We need better players around them.  We hit HH because he's the highest paid player this team has ever had, and a top 10 highest-paid in the league.  I'm sick of the money portion of the conversation when it comes to HH because it gives some of us unreasonable expectations of him.  He's not a guy that's going to get you 20 goal contributions a year.  That's not who he is, that's not even what his position demands. HH's job is to control the game and get it to guys who make plays.  No, you can't find a guy just as good as him for $150-$600k.  Joao Paulo is the closest comparison, he's a DP too.  If they take a DP slot, it literally doesn't matter how much money they make because it all costs the same against the cap.  Some of us saw the figures that HH and Coco were bringing in, and set unreachable expectations.  I also think there's some jealousy there and (this is not my opinion, just calling people out) anti-Mexico sentiment. There are people that simply think he was brought here as an advertisement and nothing more.  I think every star is brought in as an advertisement, but if you listen to what Pat, Asher, and Ted have been saying, HH was brought in to transform the locker room and the mentality as well.  If he can get that done, I don't care what they paid him.

This is just the same ol' Dynamo:

No, this is a different version of the Dynamo......They're just (currently) still terrible though. I'll tell you one thing that's the same: the team loves to create chances they can't finish.  Last year's Goal Efficiency: (Goals Scored - XG): -1.3 (8th worst).  Through the first two games this year: -1.3 (4th worst in the league).  In 2020: -11.6 (5th worst in the league).  Sebas has actually helped that, because he's a solid finisher.  Despite not scoring a single goal from open play in 2 games this year, they're mid-pack in xG (13th).  The Dynamo are 5th in the league in shots/90, but have yet to score a goal from open play in 180 minutes. Tate Schmitt, our backup LB who is starting while Brad Smith rehabs a knee injury, has as many shots (4) as our two strikers combined (Sebas - 2, Thor 2) and more shots on target (3/1). There is a disconnect between this team and it's strikers, and a lack of creativity inside the box and final third.  

"I'm sick of watching players leave and immediately get better":

There's maybe 1 guy you could make that case for.  No, Fafa hasn't gotten better.  I've watched every Nashville game and he's the same Fafa that played here (which was the same Fafa from Dallas and Philly by the way). He runs, he draws fouls, he had an assist, he did all of those things here too. He also still gets the ball taken from him inside the box.  Mattias Vera has yet to see the field for Argentinos Junior, Darwin Quintero has been pretty decent for America (2 goals, 4 assists in 6 games), Memo has had two very Memo games for LAG (and has 0 goals and 0 assists), and Lundy's barely made it off the bench for Austin.  Sam Junqua had 2 uneventful minutes for Frisco. They haven't gotten better, they just play for better teams.  

Tim Parker has actually played really well, a lot of that has to do with him being in a system with a good level of protection around him. He's got two really good defensive midfielders in front of him, and their two full-backs have been there covering his back.  He's also got really good chemistry so far with his partner Kyle Heibert.  St. Louis is a really good fit for him.  I liked all these guys and wish them well, but we also cant pretend like they are just beating the pants off MLS out there.

I'm actually sick of watching all these new teams win:

We all are.  HEY PAT!  HEY ASHER! Can we get a good team too?  MLS is like....handing them out like Halloween Candy.  Can we jump in on that?  Can we get a TAM starter pack, an extra international slot (because some idiot permanently traded one of ours away), and some really exciting young players?  

If the Dynamo don't make the playoffs, Pat Onstad needs to go:

He'll probably get fired.  They all have come out and said the goal is to make the playoffs.  They haven't exactly said it's Playoffs or bust,  but I think they're feeling the pressure.  My only problem with all of this is that I don't think I've ever seen a fanbase so ready to just fire every coach and GM that steps foot in Houston before they've even played a game.  I'm not saying give it time, but it's going to take time, no matter how impatient we are.

Other Notes:

I'm extremely jealous of the atmosphere in these new clubs:

St. Louis, Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, Atlanta, LAFC, and Cinci have built great atmospheres and fan bases.  It's honestly what soccer SHOULD be about.  In game atmosphere during games is what sets it apart from every other sport on the planet.  I'm hoping that we can rebuild this in Houston.  I never got to experience the Robertson Days, but it would be great to stand there singing and cheering with all of you.  I'd love to hear 20,000 strong singing 3 little birds more than just 15 minutes before kickoff.  We should sing it after every time the other team scores.  There's a million things I'd love to see done, but more than anything I just want to see a packed Shell Energy with rowdy and fun fans.

One thing we agree on:

If you're reading this, you love the Dynamo.  We also all hate Austin.  We need a win, let's show up, bring some friends, and get behind our guys.  They for sure need us. Let's show up, show out, and #BringTheNasty

Thanks again for reading:
Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,
Brian

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Monday, March 6, 2023

Houston Dynamo vs. N.E. Revolution: Time for Massive Overreaction.

 




All offseason I tried to temper it.  I tried to tell myself that despite all the moves, the talent influx that we were looking for just wasn't there.  But with every move,  every player added, and every new department or front office position created it started to grow: Hope.  There wasn't a lot, just a flicker.  It wasn't even hope that we'd be one of the best teams in the conference, just hope that we'd be better.  Match Day 1 against Cincinnati actually helped build that hope, as though even though we failed on the scoreline we were clearly the better team for long periods of that game.  Saturday was the type of game that crushed every bit of hope that had been seeded its way into my psyche in a mere flash.  When Dylan Borreo raced in to track down a low cross and sneak one past Steve Clark 40 minutes into the game, it not only felt like the game was over, it felt like the entire season was over.  The game had been fairly uneventful at that point, but the Dynamo had a couple of decent chances that they put right on the keeper.  "Oh.....Come.....ON!!!!" Could probably be heard three blocks away as I pounded my fist into my poor little Ikea coffee table that has taken too much punishment over Dynamo games, PS5 renditions of FIFA and War Thunder, and is much more durable than my belief in my beloved club at this point.  It took me a good day to think about what I wanted to write because at first reaction it was all hellfire and brimstone.  This post will be full of answering some of my own overreactions but also setting appropriate expectations.

It's time to set our sights higher:

When Ted Segal came in, my biggest hope wasn't in fancy stadium renovations, brand changes, or anything like that.  My hope was that we would have an MLS Organization that was the best in the league.  This team had no real scouting department, they had no fancy analytics department, their youth development was trash, and so was the product on the field.   You could see just from their MLS Super Draft picks over the last decade that they had no idea what they were doing, and from the vast majority of whiffs they had on foreign transfers (especially the cheap ones).  This offseason Ted Segal attempted to fix all of that, and with that should come real expectations.  Pat Onstad and Asher Mendelsohn have every tool and resource available to their disposal.  Now it's time to put it together.  No more swapping mediocre players for other mediocre players.  No more having a team of mismatched parts that don't fit. It's time to do the things that make great MLS teams.  Go get stars, go find a few gems, and develop a few of your own.  At each position find guys that will outwork their man.  Build a tuff, gritty, blue collar team that fights for 90 minutes and represents our city and our fanbase.  The tools are at your disposal, it's time for you to prove if you can use them.

This is the same ol' Dynamo:

It is, but it isn't.  Despite all the work this offseason, this team still has gaping holes.  The back line isn't good enough.  While it's probable that Ethan Bartlow will grow into a solid MLS defender, right now he still has work to do.  It was his mark that  back heeled it to wide open space after he allowed a free run to the near post on the first goal Saturday.  On goal #2 he was stuck in limbo as a low cross went right in front of him to a streaking Bobby Wood.  Hadebe is getting beat far too often, and our backs are still attrocious at defending.  Our midfield can control the game, but we can't get them the ball, and they have no one to play it to.  Ivan Franco has been good but has yet to make a scoring impact, Tate Schmitt has shown some good things going forward but struggles in defense, and Corey Baird has mostly been a ghost through 136 minutes. Neither of our strikers has seen much space or the ball, which is a testament to both their play and their teammates.  Right now our best offense is getting the ball to Coco or HH and have them break three lines with the ball at their feet. Steve Clark has been terrible, and with a save percentage of 44% you have to wonder if he can do this job anymore.  He didn't even attempt at the third goal on Saturday, and hasn't been able to stop shots effectively this year at all.  The even worse news on that front is that Andrew Tarbell has historically been a below average MLS keeper (to put it nicely). We knew that going in, and when we are prayerful that we did enough to possibly sneak in to the 9th spot that tells you that we didn't really do a lot.  Ivan Franco has looked good.  He's aggressive, has good skill, and isn't afraid to take people on.  Tate Schmitt has looked good coming up the left wing, but the right side of the attack has been non-existant.  

What's exceptionally frustrating to me is this isn't an inexperienced Head Coach that we are working through this with.  Ben Olsen should have answers.  He's the most experienced Coach the Dynamo have ever hired (he's got 28 games on Owen Coyle coming in).  He should have answers.  We were completely exposed against New England, and the game plan wasn't that complicated.  Flood the midfield, hit us deep down the wings, fire a low cross across the box.  They beat us on it three times, and we had no answer for them going forward.  Ben not only found a way to cover this tactical weakness, he made no adjustments to get the ball to his goal scorers for two weeks.  We have yet to score a goal from open play, and in both games our Strikers got shut down.  I also don't understand why you already bring Sebas off the bench.  It seems to me like early in the year with a team trying to gel you sit your best goal scorer to start the game.  

This isn't about a "team needing to gel", it's just not good enough.

Good teams produce.  While I wholeheartedly agree that it will take time for Franco, Bassi, Thor, and Sebas to click (I don't add Baird, because I don't consider him offensively relevant), producers produce.  One of them should have lucked their way into a goal by now.  Franco has had chances, but has been unable to finish off a play.  Our strikers are absent, and it's almost as if we are playing with ten at this point.  Even if they gel, is it going to be a playoff caliber team?  I'm still doubtful.  Maybe that's the cynic in me, but I just don't see it.

We aren't even building for the future:

While Coco and HH are our best two players, Juan Castilla and Brooklyn Raines need to play.  They should be getting sub minutes at a minimum and rotational minutes on occasion. The fact that the two have combined for 1 minute played on the season is ridiculous.   We've seen Corey Baird, he's not going to help us win.  Amine Bassi and Nelson Quinones need to be playing minutes there.  Bartlow and Dorsey are younger type players, and both are being given an opportunity, but both need to be better.  I'd actually like to see Micael in the near future.  This is a team that's not good enough, not building, just stuck in mediocre limbo.  At least we have HD2 season around the corner. 

This game is forcing overreaction:

It was because of HOW BAD this game was.  It was sloppy, it was disorganized, and it just looked bad.  We can make excuses about it: it was cold, New England is good, Bruce Arena is a legend.  But at the end of the day the scoreline makes this game look closer than it actually was.  My buddy Wade has a good handle on it:

Next Up:




Until then,
Thanks again for reading.
Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian



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