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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