Houston Dynamo Season Preview: 2022-2023

Major League Soccer Season Preview (2021/2022) – Houston Dynamo

Basics: 

Full Name: Houston Dynamo F.C.
Nicknames: Orange Crush, El Naranja (The Orange)
Founded: December 15, 2005
Majority Owner: Ted Segal
General Manager: Pat Onstad
Stadium – P.N.C. Stadium

Year Built: 2012

Capacity: 22,039

Attendance: 207.732 (12,220 per match; 18th in MLS) 

Trophies: MLS Cup - 2006,2007 MLS Cup (Runners Up) - 2011, 2012; U.S. Open Cup - 2018, North American Super-Liga (Runners Up) - 2008

Kits: 

Coach: Paulo Nagamura

MLS Position: 13th in Western Conference (25th Overall)

U.S. Open Cup Result: Cancelled

Playoff Result: Did not qualify.

CONCACAF Champions League Result: Did not qualify.

Additions: Steve Clark, Sebastián Ferreira, Zeca, Brooklyn Raines, Thor Úlfarsson, Daniel Steres, Arturo Ordóñez, Paulo Lima
Losses: Jose Bizama, Kyle Morton, Joe Corona, Ariel Lassiter, Maxi Urruti, Marko Maric, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Erik McCue, Boniek Garcia, Mateo Bajamich, Maynor Figueroa,

2020/2021 Overview: 

In a season that started off with some promise, then quickly went in the tank, there was little to cheer for.  Starting off the season going 3-2-2 with wins over San Jose (2-1, Week 1), Sporting K.C. (1-0, Week 5), and Vancouver (2-1, Week 7), things turned disastrous fairly quickly for Tab Ramos and the entire organization.  Going winless from May 29th - Sept. 3rd (0-8-8), the team dropped from 4th to last and ended the season with 4 straight losses.  While the results on the field left the dwindling fanbase with little to be excited about, major shakeups have brought hope that changes are about to take place.  Ted Segal bought a majority ownership stake of the Dynamo and Dash for $400 million, Matt Jordan was fired and replaced by Pat Onstad, and Tab Ramos' contract was not renewed. 
  

This Winter was a season of major changes:

One of the things that should perk all of our ears up is how the Dynamo made some major structural changes organizationally this winter.  Not only did we change out the GM, but the dividing up of duties with the hiring of a Technical Director, and hiring the Dash their own club President will help lessen the load of GM Pat Onstad.  The most exciting change to me, however, is the formation of the MLS Next-Pro unit, fully staffed, and on-site.  Having your 2nd team line up in the same building, on the same training fields, every single day as your 1st team should solve most of the developmental issues we've seen here over the last decade.  Hopefully, this fully functional and clear pathway from Academy to 1st team should interest more Houston area prospects into joining the Dynamo, and hopefully, we don't lose the Christian Cappis' of the world to F.C. Frisco and Europe in the future.  Another encouraging development this summer is the success of Alberth Elis in France's League 1.  Seeing a player who came here as a 20-year-old, was sold on, and is now succeeding in one of Europe's bigger leagues should be welcoming to young players wanting to come here and develop.  Finding a way to add young players with a high ceiling to some real DP-level talent and a couple of key veterans is one way to begin to turn this roster and this organization around.

2021/2022 Position Outlook:

Goalkeeper:

Steve Clark, Michael Nelson

In one of his first moves as GM, Pat Onstad went out and got himself a keeper.  Last years' combo of Maric (22 starts), Michael Nelson (11 starts), and Nelson (1 start) ranked in the bottom third in the league in Save % (67.3%, 8th worst in MLS), Goals Against (54, tied for 5th worst in MLS), and didn't save a Penalty Kick against the entire year (0-4).  Clark is an experienced vet who is (at least on paper) an obvious upgrade over last year's crew.  Clark's 78% save percentage was good for second in the league despite seeing 110 Shots on Target against in 24 games.  Clark ranked 10th in MLS in number of saves, despite only starting 24 games.   Clark is a winner (36 wins over the last three years), has been part of playoff teams in every MLS season except 1 (2017 D.C. United) and has been a playoff goalkeeper every year as a starter.  While Houston doesn't have the quality of defenders in the back 6 that Portland does, Clark is a quality addition and a step in the right direction towards getting the Dynamo back in playoff contention.

Central Defense:

Tim Parker, Teenage Hadebe, Daniel Steres, Ethan Bartlow, Derrick Jones, Sam Junqua

While the additions of Teenage Hadebe and Tim Paker built a solid backline, the proof didn't show up in results.  Houston's 54 goals against (51 conceded, 3 own goals) was tied for 5th worst in the league. While we did see an uptick in Goals against from 2020 (1.79-1.59) and Shot Creating Actions Against/90 (23.09 - 20.59).  The arrival of Hadebe in June didn't make much of an impact in terms of wins/losses, but all you have to do is watch the guy play.  He's a top-level MLS defender with range and deep ball passing ability.  He goes after the ball with tenacity and  His 4.3 Clearances/90 and his 1.8 interceptions/90 led the team.  Parker wore the captain's armband for much of the year and helped settle a tumultuous backline from the year before.  Both Parker (75.9%) and Hadebe (70.6%) won over 70% of their aerial duels. Bigger expectations are placed on these two, and although they started off great (3 clean sheets in their first 3 games together) and improved XGa (1.68-1.18 through October 20th), the expectation was that these two would help carry the Dynamo into one of the best defenses in the league.  While stopping the ball from going in the net is the responsibility of more than two people, these two have to be better.  I find it interesting that Hadebe gets a lot of blame, and there are people out there saying he's not very good, but Parker gets (for the most part) a pass.  Just compare the two's productivity/90 minutes.  It heavily favors Hadebe in virtually every category.

The two need to stay healthy because behind them there are extremely limited options.  Daniel Steres is a declining MLS player, who has shown little in the offseason to give confidence he could improve the squad, Sam Junqua made strides towards being a solid MLS level player last year, but still makes bad reads on balls and reacts late to runs at times.  Junqua actually led the team in taking on opposing attackers (60% in tackles vs. Dribblers) and his 43 blocks were 2nd on the team, but he also got lost off the ball at times and it led to goals.  Bartlow, last year's 1st round pick in the MLS Super Draft comes with some pedigree of success, and Jones has the size and range to be a quality defender, but neither has played a single MLS minute at the position.  

Full Backs:

Adam Lundkvist, Sam Junqua, Zarek Valentin, Griffen Dorsey, Zeca

Adam Lundkvist is a solid player.  He defends well, has a high work rate, is good with the ball at his feet, and is the team's best crosser from outside the box.  To date, the team is still searching for the compliment on the other side of the field.  We all know Valentin's limitations and that a new RB is needed.  Dorsey has been the answer for most of the pre-season, and you have seen both Austin F.C. and Dallas go directly after him.  Newly acquired José Carlos Cracco Neto (Zeca) will take over one of these spots, the only thing left to figure out is which one. The 5'7" right-footer has played both sides at all stops during his career, including Santos in the Brazillian Serie-A.  At 27 years old and a veteran of both the Brazillian league and national team play, he brings along with him over 10,000 minutes played at high levels of competition.  

Junqua made strides defensively last year and is a solid player going forward, but he lacks the ability to execute in the final third and makes horrendous mistakes off the ball at times, leading to goals.  He has seen almost no time in the pre-season, and I imagine with the arrival of Zeca he and Zarek will be odd-men looking out.  Many are waiting impatiently to see what Zeca brings to the table for the Dynamo. If he can get the ball forward and connect to the players up top, make plays into the box, and defend, we have a piece to add to this group.  If he turns out to be Bizama, who never really fit and never really got a chance, then we are back to square 1 and this is Griffen Dorsey's job to lose.  This group needs to take it to the next level for this team to have any chance of making a jump, both defensively and in the attack.  

Central Midfield: 

Matias Vera, Darwin Ceren, Darrick Jones, Ian Hoffman, Juan Castilla, Coco Carrasquilla, Memo Rodriguez, Marcelo Palomino, Daniel Rios, Darwin Quintero,

The most important part of this team, and the one paid the least attention to in the offseason, the Dynamo will go as far as this group can carry them.  Currently, its a group that doesn't really fit together, doesn't fit any particular style of play and was the downfall (for the most part) of last season.  The problem with this group, as a group, is that they don't do anything particularly well.  They don't protect the backline very well, they don't move the ball downfield very well, they don't break lines with passes very well, they aren't very creative, and they don't play the possession game very well.  Their one-touch passing is sub-par, and their first touch is poor.  Looking at them individually there are guys that can be solid pieces, but together they just don't work.  Mattias Vera is a solid 6, he plays hard,  chases down balls, and is an extremely accurate passer.  Partnered with the right guy in a double pivot formation, he'd be a solid piece.  In a single pivot formation, Vera lacks the range and size to protect the backline.   

This group has a knack for giving the ball away in terrible positions, leading to quick counter-attacking chances by the other team.  As a group, they aren't the fleetest of foot and will lose footraces to most MLS attackers.  The biggest overhaul going forward needs to be in the midfield.  Memo Rodriguez was highly disappointing last year.  After starting for much of the first half of the season, he did little to show he could be a productive everyday midfielder at the MLS level.  While I still believe that Memo can be an important guy on the team, he's not THE guy on the team.  Tab hedged his bets on this belief, and it really came back to bite him.  Coco Carrasquilla shows some flashes but lacks consistency on both sides of the ball.  Too much of the attack has been placed at Darwin Quintero creating for everyone, and the aging #10 wasn't up to the task for much of the year last year.  Darwin was sometimes spectacular for the last 10 games of the season, but for much of the year couldn't find teammates in space or find the back of the net.  For a team that desperately needed goals, he couldn't find them often enough.  

Look for the younger contingent (Castilla, Rios, Hoffman) to spend some time developing with Dynamo II.  I believe we may see some Palomino in the lineup this year.  Palomino had a solid first year as a pro with Charlotte in the USL last year, posting 6 goals and 1 assist in 2,100 minutes played.  He probably needs another full year at that level to truly develop into a productive attacking midfielder, but may get his chance to develop with the first team this year.

Forwards: 

Sebastian Ferreira, Thor Úlfarsson, Fafa Picault, Tyler Pasher, Corey Baird, Griffen Dorsey

Last year before the year even started I asked where the goals would come from.  The Dynamo had their worst goal output in the Franchise's history and were last in MLS with 36 goals scored.  In answer, the front office stepped up and landed the largest transfer in Dynamo history with Sebastian Ferreira, then drafted one of the most productive goal-scorers in the NCAA in Thor Úlfarsson.  Fafa Picault showed he could still be a productive everyday winger last year, with his 11 goals and 4 assists.  Tyler Pasher jumped off to a fabulous start, before losing almost a month playing for the Canadian National Team and injuries cost him more of the season upon return.  Pasher was never the same after his hot start to the first 10 games of the season.  Corey Baird was landed for a large sum of TAM and GAM before also being lost for the end of the season, without scoring a single goal or producing a single assist.  Baird has seen the lion's share of time at RW in the preseason and notched his first goal of the year with a header vs. FC Dallas in the final preseason matchup. Baird is a high-energy player who makes good runs but has shown a declining ability to put the ball in the net over the last few years.  

Sebas can do one thing we sorely lacked last year: finish.  He finds good space in front of the net and can put the ball past the keeper in a variety of ways.  He's shown scoring ability in Liga Mx, and in Paraguay's Primera Division, and should be a major upgrade over Maxi Urruti from a year ago.  My biggest question: Who gives Sebas the service he needs?   Between Fafa and Baird, the ability to stretch the defense and open wholes for Sebas and Quintero should be there.  But can they get him the ball with precision and timing so he can finish off chances?  Of the wing players, I think Tyler Pasher has the best ability to play with Sebas, but he's been mostly off the bench this preseason. 

Head Coach:

Paulo was hired to do two things: (1) Help the Dynamo install a developmental system and mindset at PNC (2) Install a "proactive" approach to play. Pat, Paulo, and Ascher have all referenced this style of approach in press conferences. What does this mean? Attack when the opportunity presents itself, possess when the opportunity exists, and counter when you can.  My question about the hiring is this:  How patient is this fanbase, and (more importantly) the new owner and GM going to be?  We have a young, inexperienced coach and a collection of players who are mismatched to the style we want.  I'm intrigued to see how the team responds to him and to see exactly how he's going to put this collection of players together.  In the preseason, he seems fixed on a 4-3-3 formation, but we've seen multiple variations of it.  Against Austin and Dallas, it was more of a deep-lying 4-3-3 with two of the three midfielders (or at times all three) playing super deep in their defending third.  The plan seemed obvious to play out of the back, build up through quick combo play and timed runs.  It was a disaster on that cold night at PNC, as we couldn't connect more than two or three passes together at a time and couldn't find Quintero in space in the attacking third, and Sebas couldn't find any service inside the penalty box at all.  We saw almost this same style play out last year, as Tab instituted a 4-3-3 with Vera, Jones, and Memo early in the season.  The problems were similar vs. Frisco in the last tune-up game, and the questions remain as to whether Nagamura will continue to try to develop this system, whether the Dynamo can succeed playing this way this year, or will Nagumura try to change tactics in order build some wins.

Paulo Nagamura

Synopsis: 

Pat Onstad and others have all talked about a "Proactive" approach to soccer inside PNC, and I found it interesting the number of articles I dug up from the glory days referencing this exact same mantra. In the early goings of the preseason, it's looked ugly against MLS-level opponents.  While the record isn't terrible, the games against Austin F.C., Toronto F.C.,  and F.C. Frisco were tuff to watch.  The ball movement hasn't been crisp, the off-ball movement hasn't been timed well, and the first touch and possession game has been really poor.

While being "proactive" can be the focus and mindset, the Dynamo don't have the midfield to do it.  I'm not even sure they have the wings to do it, although I think this style of play fits Fafa if we can get the ball to him on the run the way Bayern gets the ball to Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry in space.  While Lundqvist somewhat fits this style, Zarek Valentine can't go forward well enough, and Griffen Dorsey doesn't defend well enough.  Even if Zeca is the answer they are looking for, the midfield is still a problem. They simply don't have the personnel that fits this style of play.  Last year's team was one of the worst passing teams in MLS, one of the worst possession teams in MLS, and it wasn't simply because of Coaching decisions and style of play.  It was because of the personnel on the field.   The midfield (at least at the time of this writing) hasn't seen a new addition this offseason. This year is going to be an installation year, and one where you should see the team progress as the year goes along.  Hopefully, a change in the style of play will lead to a better product on the field, but I don't see it leading to a better place in the standings, at least not for this year.

Prediction:

If the Dynamo truly try to install a "proactive" approach with this squad, it's going to be a long season.  The squad simply doesn't fulfill this style and doesn't have the horses to do it.  We don't have the midfield to do it, outside backs to do it, and our wingers lack the ball skills and passing ability to be successful.  The midfield is slow, lacks touch, and doesn't connect well up top.  Quintero's creativity isn't going to carry us to a playoff birth and despite the addition of Clark and Sebas, this team isn't equipped to initiate this style of play or contend in the West.  Look for the Dynamo to finish 11th in the West this season.

Houston, WE have a problem....

 

Houston 3:2 FC Frisco

It started like most other games.  Get to the parking lot, check out the vibe of the band playing outside the stadium, get a feel for how big the crowd would be, and talk about our thoughts on the game.  Wade Dowden is one of the biggest Dynamo fans I've ever met and has been kind enough to share his season tickets with me this year.  We sit in section 203, and Wade has never missed one minute of game action since he started buying season tickets a few years back.  Seriously, the guy won't even get up to go to the bathroom.  We got there a little early yesterday, as we were scared that parking would be hard to come by with the Astros playing across the street.  As we were walking up to the stadium Wade said "Uh.....dude, do you see this or am I going crazy?"  So, for those of you that didn't know, we now have a new Stadium sponsor and name.  It's soo new, they haven't changed any of the signs inside the stadium yet.  This has been reported for a while, PNC has been working on acquiring BBVA for some time.  I had forgotten about it, and hadn't seen anything about this at all, and it kind of took both of us by surprise.

We walked over to Pitch 25 to grab a bite to eat and share a bucket before the game.  The atmosphere there was good (as always), and I just had a good feeling going into the game.  There were a lot of Orange Kitsat the greatest striker in Dynamo History's establishment, lots of beers were flowing, and lots of happy people were mingling.  The last time we played Frisco on August 22nd, we played to a 2:2 draw in which we dominated almost the entire first half and Frisco couldn't get the ball across midfield.  It was a frustrating game, the Dynamo had a ton of chances in the first half, and only a Fafa Picault penalty in the 25th minute found the back of the game.  We wore ourselves out trying to get the second goal, and pushed too high to start the second half.  The game ended in a 2:2 draw, and after two draws with FC Frisco this year I was ready for a win.

This game started in a much different way.  The press with the front three of Urruti, Dorsey, and Fafa was much less persistent, and Tab set his back 4 much deeper. Despite the fact that Dallas kept finding Jáder Obrian behind the defense, he kept finding either the side net or the back of Tim Parker's legs for the first half of play.  You could tell Tab had setting our backline and looking to strike on the counter, and it took just under 5 minutes to hit.  With the backline sitting deep and the front 3 putting pressure on Dallas' midfield, the Dynamo were taking away the short passing game and forcing Frisco to play the ball deep.  It saw quick results, as in the third minute a deep diagonal pass from Brandon Servenia to Paxton Pomykal was picked off by Zarek Valentine.  Without an option for a quick counter, the ball eventually was played back to Michael Nelson.  Nelson found Teenage Hadebe, who darted one 30 yards to Fafa in the middle of the pitch.  Fafa chipped a beautiful one-touch pass over a defender's head to Lundkvist on the left sideline, then turned and hit the afterburners. Lundkvist corralled it before going down hard on a tackle by Obrian, but the ball squirted forward and found Fafa on a dead sprint.  Fafa took two nice touches and crossed a bouncing cross through the box.  How the ball didn't find a powder blue uniform, I still don't know.  What's even more amazing is Phelipe was standing like he was frozen in time.  The ball had taken a slight deflection off a Dallas defender and took 4 hops through the box, Griffen Dorsey made a great play chasing it down from the backside, and blasted home his second goal of the season.

There was real excitement when this happened in BBVA (I refuse to call it PNC yet).  The official attendance was 12,353, but I'd say there were more like 6,000-7,000 sitting in the seats.  There was a great group of teenagers sitting behind us that seemed to be a Griffen Dorsey fan club (btw, props to the dude wearing a hat that looked like Homer Simpson's Nacho Hat.)  Those kids were awesome.  Props also to the little kids jumping and screaming "LET'S GO DYNAMO!" while waving their shirts over their heads.  Those kids were up and screaming from the top of the stadium the entire night.  You can see on the replay the jumping and cheering on the goal, like we'd just scored in a derby. It hit home when Dorsey found Fafa right in front of the net for a sliding right-footer at the 20th-minute mark to put us up 2:0, and despite an extremely physical game, there was some great back and forth action.  When Parker got taken down inside the box for a penalty, it was all but over. Darwin Quintero put the penalty shot home for his first goal of the year, and we were up 3:0.  FC Dallas wasn't done though and tried to make a comeback.  You can say we switched off, you could say it was the effect of playing 3 games in 7 days, you can also say we just hung on to a win despite 7 minutes of stoppage time (which actually ended up being about  10 according to my stopwatch). In the end, three points is three points, and while don't like Obrian constantly getting in behind our defense, we got the job done.

Tab has found a lineup.

Over the last three games, Tab has switched from his 4-3-3 (using essentially a #6, and two #8's), to a 4-2-3-1 using Darwin at the #10.  While an increased uptick in attacking efficiency and shot creation shouldn't surprise anyone, winning 7 points out of 9 should surprise everyone with the way this season has been going.  Darwin garners a ton of attention, and defenses are funneling to him in the middle of the field, which opens up our wings.  Griffin Dorsey and Fafa Picault have taken full advantage of this over the last two weeks, combining for 5 goals and 2 assists in the last three games alone. And while I am aware of how terrible Darwin has been at times, you could see him starting to gain traction after the All-Star break.  Both Tab and Glenn Davis have said recently that the problem with Quintero all year long has been fitness, and being that MLS basically gives you nothing in terms of injury or illness reports, and no one has just come out and said what the issue has been all year long, it seems like there's more to the story than Tab simply deciding not to play him. That lineup will have to change a bit with Adam Lundkvist apparently going down for the season with a dislocated knee, which is a shame because Lundi has been playing really, really well for the last month.

Nelson should keep the job for the rest of this year.

He's earned it.  He's been every bit as good as Marco Maric at tending the net, and his distribution is infinitely better.  He's beginning to lead out there as well, you can see him barking orders to Parker and Hadebe in runs of play.  Other than the fact we've looked better in his 5 starts, and finally started winning some games, it should be his job to keep for the rest of the year.  If he performs, we can maybe pick up some help at RB or an international slot back in the offseason for Maric.  I'd love to see a Katy native and former draft pick grab hold of this job and run with it. I'd love even more to see us succeed with him there.  So far, he's been really solid.

The Dynamo won a penalty in every FC Dallas match this year.

Corona's header finding a pinky inside the box in the first game.  Fafa won a penalty in the box in the second, and Tim Parker won one last night.  The Dynamo managed to pull points in each of these matchups and the penalties were the difference.

Why I chose this title and final thoughts.

I don't know if it was the shared bucket before the game, or going up 3:0 and knowing we were going to win, but last night felt good.  When I got home (after celebratory Waffle House.....don't judge.  You know YOU love Waffle House), I jumped on Dynamo Reddit to see if there was any news on Lundi's leg injury. What I saw there was expected, but it's also fairly disheartening.  I didn't find anything about Lundi's leg, but I did find a large number of posts of people angry that we're actually winning.  Like.....seriously?  What are we going for, the #1 pick in the MLS Super Draft?  This team is starting to show something we've been looking for two years now....progression.  That's a good thing.  There are people out there still cheering for us to lose so we can tear down a roster we literally just built and fire a coach who spent his first year dealing with losing his best player without a backup plan and having 15 new players in the squad this year.  This was never going to be an immediate results team.  I said it last year, I said it at the beginning of this year, and I'm saying it again now.  This is a squad you can build off of though, and Tab is a coach you can build with.   It's pretty amazing, that anything posted with any positivity about the Dynamo gets met with immediate push-back.  If we win, I get maybe 100 hits on my post.  If we lose or I post something critical of the team, I get almost 1,000.  Negativity has infiltrated us, and it's time for us to let it go.

We have a new owner.  You guys demanding that won.  We got rid of Matt Jordan.  We turned over basically 1/2 the roster in the last 8 months.  We added new pieces at the Transfer Window.  This team has done almost everything the fan base has demanded, and yet......barely anyone shows up and fans still can't let it go.  

We threaten to beat up our own supporter's groups, and fans.  We actually beat up other team's supporters and steal part of their livelihood.  We showed up wearing bags over our heads, and the #FireMattJordan call (and now #FireTabRamos) was louder than the support we give our guys.  We hijack any positive post online with nothing but vitriol and negativity.  It's time to let it go.  At some point, we have to decide to jump back on board and back into the stadium.  There are good things happening there.  I wanted to also take the time to say how proud and appreciative I am of those who stepped up to help the young man from Austin.  That's what this city is about.  This city is about resilience.  We've been through countless floods, hurricanes, disasters, and infighting and have ALWAYS come out on top.  We've always shown up in droves to help each other out, and have each other's backs.  It's time for us to start doing that for our #ForeverOrange crew.  Very few people in this city actually care about the Dynamo, and it's time for the few of us that do to start to have their back.  That includes Ted Segal, that includes Tab, and that includes every person who is currently wearing that uniform.  It's been a long season, it's been a frustrating and disappointing one, but lets soak in this good and go out and cheer our hearts out.  Let's start packing this stadium and letting OUR voice be heard.  After the last two years, this team deserves it.

I know it's been a long time since the glory days of Robertson Stadium and posting 2 stars above our crest, I know the road's been frustrating.  Honestly, I've never really known the Dynamo to be good.  Outside of our run in 2017, they've been bad pretty much the entire time I've followed them.  I think we've found a track, and we need to see this one out.  To all the ones who disagree with me:  You be you, but also let us be us.  To all the ones out there excited about this team:  Keep being excited.  This team doesn't have enough of you, and it deserves more.  When this team finally turns it around, you'll be the firsts in line. Oh, and let's all agree to remember to say a prayer up for Lundi.

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

What team is this? Houston Dynamo 3:0 Austin FC

 

I've forgotten what that feels like.

:57 seconds is all it took.  :57 seconds for Griffen Dorsey to chase down a loose ball and bang it in the back of the net.  In a sequence that both jumped on you and seemed to take forever, the Dynamo outworked, outplayed and "out-wanted" Austin's Verde for the entire first half of the game.  Both of the opening goals for La Naranja were about effort and desire.  On this night, Houston just wanted to win. They wanted it worse than Austin did.  While many of the things we saw weren't that much different than what we've seen all year, on this night things actually worked out.  We can give credit to a Darwin Quintero start, we can attribute it to a new formation, but in reality, it just came down to putting the ball on target for once.  Desperate for a win, Tab pulled out some new tricks and the guys on the pitch rewarded him for it.  Whether this is a flash in the pan, luck, or a result from putting the right guys together, hopefully, we see more of this down the stretch.

The game opened with the Dynamo in possession.  It didn't take long to notice that Tab had them in a 4-2-3-1 with Quintero in the #10.  It also didn't long for Tab's side to go right after Austin FC:

• :10 seconds in - Adam Lundqvist turns the corner on the left flank and draws a foul.
• :36 seconds in - after a quick switch by Teenage Hadebe, Lundqvist goes directly at Pochettino again, winning a throw-in in the final third.
• :40 seconds in - Lundqvist finds Darwin Quintero in the middle of the box, Quintero wriggles in between two Austin FC defenders, fires a shot on target, Brad Stuver makes a tremendous save. Quintero nutmegged 2 AFC defenders on the play in an unbelievable effort in tight space.

:57 seconds in - Griffen Dorsey outruns the entire Austin FC defense, and despite being in the worse position to get the second ball, not only wins it but blasts one on target.  Stuver gets in position to save it, but instead knocks it into the corner netting.

It was a simply awesome start to the game.  We've seen this before (Coco Carasquilla vs. Minnesota), but with Austin FC's struggling attack you had to believe there was a real chance we could finish this game off.  Austin FC fired a warning shot in the 13th minute, which was from about 25 yards out and off to the left, but it was the first threatening possession Verde had.  Lundqvist immediately went back to work, completely turning Pochetino around before getting taken down hard and drawing a Yellow on the run.  Lundqvist was directly going after Austin's right flank early in this game, which was opening up Fafa and Quintero in the middle.  That's when things really opened up.  With Austin FC trying to build an attack and pushing numbers forward, Joe Corona managed to just knock a ball loose at midfield.  Teenage Hadebe one-touch blasted it deep downfield directly in between defenders Hector Jimenez and Julio Cascante.  Fafa Picault took off, and while his speed is what led to the goal, it was really just his effort.  Cascante took a lazy path to the ball, and instead of getting there and blasting it away, he tried to control it.  Cascante took a horrible touch and Fafa raced past him and took it directly off his foot.  It was really nice to see Fafa calmly split the two defenders and just punch it past a diving Stuver as many times this year he's been in this situation and tried to take extra touches or do too much with it.  It was simple, poised execution after a great effort play and it put the Dynamo up 2:0 twenty-four minutes into the game.

Austin spent much of the rest of the half holding possession, occasionally finding ways through, and every time they did they ran into Teenage Hadebe.  Hadebe made several sliding tackles inside the box that shut down Austin attacks.  The Dynamo were playing extremely compact, extremely organized, and weren't letting anything come easy for Austin.  Every time Austin seemed to find space for a shot, there was an Orange shirt in front of it.  4 of the 6 shots Verde had in the first half were blocked by Dynamo defenders, and Michael Nelson went into the half protecting a clean sheet without even making a save.  The backline did exactly what it's needed to do all season: Keep Nelson clean.  The second goal had also allowed the Dynamo to relax and pack in on defense.  In almost every game this year the Dynamo have had to chase a second goal.  Pressing high and chasing balls all over the field for most of the first half, combined with the ridiculous heat and humidity inside BBVA has usually lead to us being worn out by half-time.  The second goal let us back off and pack in early in the game, and save legs for the second half.  

The second half saw a continuation of this theme: The Dynamo packing in and allowing Austin to hold the ball with their backline.  With Austin trying to build attacks and find cracks in the midfield, but the defense was particularly stingy in this game. Making 2 substitutions coming out for the second half to freshen up the midfield, Josh Wolff's team opened the second half with possession.  The Dynamo extended their defense just enough to not let Austin FC play between lines and force them to place accurate deep balls down the sideline. No matter where Austin passed the Dynamo defense was set and waiting. After a couple of dangerous AFC crosses into the box that found no one on the other end, Austin FC seemed to catch a break as Jimenez punched one downfield and found a streaking Cecilio Dominguez one v. one with Teenage.  Teenage not only chase him down and made a tremendous diving tackle with his back heel, he then popped the ball up to himself and fired a left-footed pass 35 yards downfield on the money to Joe Corona.  Corona corralled it, turned, and fired an excellent weighted ball to Fafa streaking down the left flank.  Fafa took one big touch, cut back inside, and fired a shot to the back post that Stuver barely got his fingertips on.  At the 52nd minute mark, Austin FC fired their first shot on target of the game.  Wade was sitting next to me screaming to pick up the man in the middle of the pitch just as they found him.  Alexander Ring, who had been very quiet up to this point, fired a perfect shot to the back post upper ninety that found a stretched-out Nelson's right hand.  The ensuing corner found a wide-open Pochetino at the back post, who slipped and had the ball bounce off his face out of bounds for a goal kick.  It seemed to be a sure-fire goal, and the Dynamo were extremely fortunate.  The game somewhat bogged down for the next ten minutes as the teams traded punches at midfield.  After Griffen Dorsey found Memo on a really nice chip pass into the teeth of Austin's backline (on a shot that went wide), Sebastian Berhalter blasted a pass downfield to a streaking Rodney Redes. Redes raced past Lundqvist and placed a perfect low cross into Dominguez who had Tim Parker beat and Michael Nelson dead to rights.  Nelson managed to knock it away, and after a deflection off the crossbar, Hadebe chased it down inside the six-yard box, turned, and fired a 40 pass downfield to Fafa.  Fafa held off his defender, let it bounce past both of them, then turned and it was off to the races.  With a numbers advantage and Urruti (middle of the field) and Memo (back post) making runs, there was a multitude of options available. Urruti looped to the outside, Fafa cut back inside, and got the ball on his right foot.  He placed it perfectly in the back-post corner and the Dynamo went up 3:0.  The fact that a team with 33% possession managed to put up 17 shots (7 on target) while holding the other team to only two shots on target the entire game was a testament to how efficient we were last night.

BBVA exploded, and so did the guys on the field.  Hadebe sprinted to the sideline just to give Tab a bear hug soo big he picked him about 3 feet up off the ground.  Hadebe was hugging everyone like we'd just won MLS cup, and you knew at that point the game was over.  If stats from WhoScored.com are right, it was our first counterattacking goal of the season and it was a beauty.  The three points were much needed.  The fanbase has been soo down, soo frustrated, and soo cantankerous that I've gotten off of Dynamo Social Media.  This game gave us a brief glimpse of what this team could do, and gave us a week of relief before we take on Frisco next Saturday.  

Darwin's first start made a difference:

I'll be one of the first to say that Darwin has been disappointing this year.  He's still one of the most accurate shooters we have, and the only person on the squad capable of making dangerous passes into the final third with any sort of regularity.  Despite his struggles this year, his 5.74 shot creating actions/90 minutes greatly outpaces anyone else on the team and would be good for fourth in MLS.  While he has yet to register a goal or assist this year (he's only played 298 minutes), he's made a noticeable difference in the Dynamo attack when he's stepped on the field, especially over the last 3 weeks.  

Darwin has only managed 9 shots the entire season, and 3 of those came last night (all of them were on target).  He looked less frantic and much more relaxed and poised than we've seen him all year, and I'm hoping he can retain this spot for the rest of the year.  Tab and Brad Davis have both said recently that the problem with Darwin all year has been fitness, and it makes me wonder what's the issue's been.  Regardless, it was nice to see him play well last night.

For the Teenage haters out there, what are you watching?

If you wonder how good Teenage Hadebe is, just watch the games, please.  Watch him turn away attackers, watch him shut down dribbles, passing lanes, and areal balls.  Watch him fire left-footed bombs on a dime, and watch him stone an attacker only to turn and fire a laser between the lines. No, we haven't been winning, and no, it's not his fault.   He was ridiculous last night and has been almost all year.  He's been worth every single penny, he's 25, and we have him for 3 more years.  That's a good thing.

Urruti's struggles continue:

Urruti hasn't registered a goal or assist in his last 10 appearances (842 minutes) and has one goal in his last 12 appearances (1,042 minutes).  He hasn't put a shot on target in the last two games (10 shots in total) and four of his last five starts.  He had three really good opportunities last night, and only one of them was particularly close.  His breakaway in the 35th minute after another great Hadebe pass downfield found him one v. one with Nick Lima, he went right-footed, left post, and it went just wide. He's been outscored by Mattias Vera (3 goals) over this span, a player who entered the year with 0 career goals.  While people are constantly saying our defense is a failure, this season would be a different story if Urruti was finding the back of the net or even putting the ball on target with more regularity. His shots/90 (3.54) is the highest mark of his career, while his Efficiency rating (37.3%) is just above his career average and a significant drop off from his mark last year (54.5%).  Urruti had a good run in May and June, scoring 5 goals in 7 games, but has yet to find the back of the net since June 26th. Not only is he not scoring, but he's also not finding teammates either.  His 1 assist in 1700 minutes is also far off his mark as a regular starter.  Urruti has worked really hard this year, he's not afraid to press or trackback, and in no way can anyone question his effort.  He just needs to be much more efficient and composed on the ball.  

We are undefeated when:

Darwin starts, there are remnants of an NCAA game left on the field, it's low 80's at kickoff, and Fafa scores a brace.  If we can just make these things happen all year, we win out (sarcasm, relax Dynamo grumps.)

Final Thoughts:

There was a lot to take away from last night.  I found it weird that it seemed soo packed getting into the game, and the concourse seemed soo busy, yet it was a mostly empty stadium.  It was also somewhat embarrassing that Austin seemed to bring more fans than we did and their supporters section drowned out our entire crowd, even when they were down 3:0.  It honestly makes me a little jealous that we don't have a following like that in our own city.  Austin is a new club and has already built a fanbase that greatly surpasses ours.  I know how hard things have been here lately, but either we support this team or we don't.  We need more people to jump on the bus. With all the negativity on Dynamo Social media, our Supporters groups threatening each other on Twitter, the Jordan out crew, and the bag over their head wearers, at some point we just have to get together and actually support this team and this city. I know I'm a different kind of guy, but I'll show up and cheer regardless of who owns this team, who sits in the GM chair, or how good/bad they are on the field.  They're my team, they'll always be my team, and I could care less about every other team in all of the American continents and all except one in Europe.  Ted Segal's greatest challenge is building an actual fanbase. There were good crowds right after he bought the team that just disappeared. I'm hoping this city comes through.

There were some nice touches again last night.  I loved turning the field orange, that was pretty great.  Hopefully, we show out for FC Frisco this weekend.  There'll be plenty of Frisco Fakes in the stadium again, and it'd be nice to have a derby feel, and maybe the guys have put something in motion here.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange
Brian

Suit Game: Impeccable -> Tie Game: On Point!

 

There's no recap here.  You want a recap?  The Dynamo can't score.  They defend like madmen for 89.9 minutes (plus 11 minutes of stoppage time) only to see the game slip away by a total defensive blunder. There's the game.  That's it in a nutshell. That's EVERY game in a nutshell.  That's the SEASON in a nutshell. And look.......I get it.  It's frustrating to watch.  It's easy to throw the blame at Tab, or Matt Jordan, or (insert midfielder or fullback here), but the honest truth is: THIS TEAM IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH.  This won't be a recap, this will be a rant. 

It's a scary state, really, when your entire attack hinges on a 26-year-old left-footed Canadian who was a solid USL player for two years.  It's even scarier when the attack isn't even that effective when he's on the field.  Don't get me wrong, Tyler Pasher was a really nice signing.  He's been effective (when he's actually been in the lineup), he's our best wing player by a landslide, and he didn't cost all that much.  Last night was a night that reflected how absolutely mediocre this attack is.  It's a shame, because the defense has been massively upgraded this offseason. Tim Parker is as good as advertised, so is Teenage Hadebe.  Joe Corona and Derrick Jones have been really solid signings this year, and they fly all over the field and scoop up balls.  They occasionally make really nice plays with the ball at their feet, it's just not often enough.  Sam Junqua has made huge strides this year at LB, he's still got a ways to go.  The Dynamo just went three halves without allowing a shot on goal.  No matter who you are playing, that's quite a feat. They haven't allowed the other team to score in five of their last six halves. They hold shape well, they scramble and recover, and their work rate is tremendous.  It's just not going to be good enough.  

I began asking this question in the offseason: Where are the goals going to come from? The Dynamo are currently on pace to record their worst goal output season.....are you ready for this?........ever.  Their current average of 1.13 goals per game is the lowest in the franchise's history.  It's slightly behind 2016's and 2014's pace of 1.15.  What's most frustrating is against San Jose, the opportunities were there.  Corona hits Memo with a beautiful pass on the run after the high press gets the Dynamo possession and some combo play.  Memo times it up perfectly, and then hits the ball right to the keeper.  Fafa makes a great run down the wing, hits Memo with a perfect pass in the perfect spot with space and time.......and Memo blasts it off Griffen Dorsey's face.  He rushed it, he hit it horribly, and despite how open he was that ball had absolutely no chance of going in or allowing Dorsey to make a play.  Dorsey hit Urruti with a nice little chip pass 7 yards from the box.  Maxi can't get a good foot on it and just floats far to the back post.  Despite all the nice runs, terrific passes, and give-and-go action that led to players with the ball in dangerous positions, it took a wonder-strike from Mattias Vera to snatch a point. Tabs squad has scored 1 goal after the 56th minute the entire year, which coincidentally is when the only player wearing #ForeverOrange that has the ability to be a playmaking midfielder steps on the field.  It's frustrating, its infuriating, it's.........just soo mediocre. 

Not to keep rubbing it in, but I called that too in the pre-season. So, lets take a quick look at the attack and what is going wrong.  It's easy to blame it on Tab (and please don't take this is me giving him a pass), but that's not the focus here.  

Maxi Urruti:

It's hard for me to be critical of this guy.  I love his work ethic, he plays hard, and he plays 90+ minutes almost every game.  But, when your attack is hinging on a 30-year-old, journeyman center-forward who has never scored more than 12 goals in an MLS season......this is what you get.  Maxi is a hard worker.  He is one of the best pressing Center-Forwards in MLS.  He's just not particularly skilled with the ball at his feet.  Maxi basically has three problems: 

1. He can't turn:  When Urruti has gotten the ball in the slot, with his back to the goal, he can't simply turn and find (a) the goal; (b) a teammate.  Often he spends soo much time fighting for position he loses the ball.  He's not going to have that much time here.  Defenses are keying on him, because he's the only real goal-scoring threat we have.  By the time he tries to back away the defender, two more are on top of him.  Because of his slight frame, often all that work results in him gaining no ground and having the ball knocked away.  He's got to be able to find a teammate behind him and spin and run to space, or simply turn quickly.  
2. He has bad first touch:   When Urruti gets the ball in space, he often tries to take a first touch to quiet the ball down before he strikes it.  More often than not, that ball is knocked too far away for him to comfortably do anything with it.  This results in either him rushing something, or giving the ball away.  
3. He takes too many touches: Even when he takes a good first touch, Urruti is hesitant to simply shoot the ball.  He's got to be quicker, more direct, and simply put his laces on the ball.  Maxi gets himself (and the ball) in good positions inside the box and quite frequently never even gets a shot off. Hes' got 224 touches in the attacking third this year, and 62 inside the box. A perfect example came in the 40th minute against San Jose, after a nice shot by Fafa, the rebound came directly to Maxi.  He had the ball just inside the 18, with a defender at his back and the ball in the air.  Instead of simply waiting for it and hitting it on the way down, he tried to punch it up behind him, spun around the defender, took it over his shoulder again......and lost the ball.

Despite all the griping, Urruti is averaging 3.62 shots per game (9th in the league) and of the people in the top 10 in shots per 90, he has the highest On Target percentage of any of them (40.8%).  He's scored 6 goals this year, which is double what Mauro Manotas scored last year.  He's been an upgrade over Mauro from last year, but he can still be better for this club. His goals/shot, however(.12) is tied for 92nd in MLS.  Compare that with Pepi (.32) and Chicharito (.38). Last year he converted at .25 goals/shot. These stats also only account for the times he's touched or shot the ball.  He's yet to get on the end of some fairly crafty passes by Darwin Quintero.  Those two (much like Darwin and Manotas) are not on the same page at all.  With Pasher out, Maxi has to carry the load better.  He doesn't have to put the entire team on his back, he just needs to be more efficient when he has the ball.

Fafa Picault

There's not going to be a big write-up here.  I honestly didn't have large expectations from Fafa.  They were soo low in fact, that he's actually exceeded them already. Fafa works extremely hard.  He defends the entire sideline and tracks back like a maniac.  He's just not very good at what a winger should be good at.  Despite his speed, and his flashy ball skills, he's not very good with the ball at his feet. His left foot is actually extremely poor, especially on crosses. He occasionally goes by a defender and finds a wide-open teammate, but it rarely pays off.  He's not a very accurate shooter (Shot on Target % of 12.5%, which is 28% under his career average), and when he does find space to shoot it normally winds up in the stands.  In reality, Fafa is a stopgap for someone else.  He's 30 years old, is on the downside of his career, but is a major upgrade from the "Post Alberth Elis" guys we saw last year.  

Tyler Pasher

Tyler's actually been good and a pleasant surprise.  Of the signings, he was both the one I was most intrigued by and the one I had the least expectations for.  I thought it would take him a little time to get acclimated to MLS after spending the last few years in USL.  Your Friendly Neighborhood Canadian can actually play through.  Pasher actually needs to find a way to get more involved in the attack.  He's an extremely accurate shooter, and his SOT% of 57.1% is good for fourteenth in the league.  His conversion rate of 43% is second, and his .75 goals per shot is outstanding.  The problem is, he's only gotten off 7 shots in 531 minutes. That's less than a shot per appearance.  He's got to get more involved in the attack.  Pasher has 3 goals and 2 assists in 8 appearances (7 starts).  He's also the only guy on the squad that can effectively go past an opponent.  His success rate of 75% (15/20) is top 25 in the league, and only two players in MLS (Joe Gyau - FC Cincinatti 28/31; Andrew Brody - RSL - 17/24) with more than 20 attempts have a higher conversion rate than him.  The only gripe I have about Pasher (other than he's played in less than half the games so far) is that he completely disappears for stretches.  The Dynamo actually need to be running the attack through him down the wing as often as possible.  Pasher can play both sides, and the way he and Fafa switch sides throughout the game allows them to keep the defense honest and guessing.  Pasher has to insert himself more.

Memo Rodriguez

Think about this a second: Since the beginning of the 2020/2021 season, Memo Rodriguez is one of the least efficient goal scorers in the history of MLS.   His .086 goals per shot isn't just bad, it's historically awful.  He's taken the 22nd most shots in MLS (31), and his goals per shot (.06) ranks him 164th.  The problem isn't with his accuracy.  His 41.9 SOT% actually is pretty solid.  The problem Memo has is he either gets power or accuracy on the ball.  When he's on target, there's a lot of softballs directly to the keeper.  When he hits with power, it's never on target.  He had 2 great opportunities against San Jose, and failed to capitalize on either.  The aforementioned run off a great pass from Corona, and the time he got the ball in the slot off a low cross from Fafa.  The first was a soft, low shot directly to the keeper; the latter was a blast that was nowhere near a goalward trajectory.  I love to watch Memo play, I really do.  He has heart, he works hard, he's a good defender.  Memo just doesn't create goals, and he never has.  Memo doesn't score all that often, he doesn't create for others, and while he's getting better at being more direct he's just not a #10.  He's an #8 playing one though.  While I acknowledge that's not his fault, it's still ok to ask for better.

Final Thoughts:

There's plenty of other blame to go around.  I can (and will) spend the next two hours talking about how bad Darwin Quintero has been this year.  Quintero has been much better the last two games.  He's playing like he feels the pressure to make something happen every time he touches the ball, and he needs to be more composed.  The pass he had to Vera in the 83rd minute against San Jose on Saturday very well could have broken the game open.  Ariel Lassiter has provided virtually nothing to the attack with his minutes either.  Right now we are soo desperate to find something we are playing Lundkvist up top.  Joe Corona has a rare through ball here and there, but offers virtually nothing going forward either.  Remember, it's virtually impossible to make the playoffs averaging less than 1.3 goals/game.  We've got a way to go, and with Teenage/Parker in the back, it should allow the forwards to stay forward, and not have to desperately track back the whole game.  We need to open this offense up, and find some more goals.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown, and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Total waste of a clean sheet: Dynamo 0:0 - Recap

 

Can I just start by saying how insane it makes me that almost every game we just start by banging the ball forty yards downfield to and giving it to the other team?  Can't we at least fake like we are trying to build an attack?  It's not just us, it's literally every game I watch in MLS.  It's just a total wasted chance at possession and it's a mindset that's gotta go.  

Tab tried something somewhat new.  He lined up in some sort of 5-3-2/4-1-4-1 - ish formation (honestly, this formation played soo weird nobody could really figure out what they were actually trying to do) that saw Fafa playing high on the right and Urruti staying more central.  They tried to balance this out by pushing Sam Junqua up on the left.  The Dynamo should have broken through in the 5th minute. A quick throw-in from Fafa found Derrick Jones right outside the 18.  Jones slipped inside the box with a nice touch and slipped a nice outside footer to Maxi Urruti about 12 yards out.  Maxi should have blasted it, but instead tried to take a touch to slip past two defenders and lost the ball and had it cleared for a corner.

Vancouver was sitting back in numbers, Tab was only sending three or four guys forward at the most.  Joe Corona and Mattias Vera almost never saw the ball and we were trying to build down the sideline for most of the first 20 minutes.  The defending was solid, with Zarek Valentine making several key plays inside the box.  But, at times, we would try to hit Fafa down the sideline and he would be the only person across midfield.  Fafa's not beating anyone 1 vs. 6.  We even lucked out and got a handball in a killer position, Urruti just bonked one off the post.  Most of the first half was relatively harmless.  There were moments here and there, but with the way both teams were dug in made chances few and far between.  There was a total of 7 shots (4 for Vancouver, 3 for the Dynamo) in the first half, 0 were on target. 

The second half wasn't much better, and as much as I hate to call this a snooze-fest, it was a snooze fest.  The game only saw 16 total shots the entire game, 1 on goal (the Dynamo), and the White Caps barely even broke the ball into the penalty box the entire game. The White Caps tried to come out strong, as Cristián Dájome fired a pass across the back of the Dynamo defense that found nothing other than the far touchline.  There were no attacking actions from either team, as both teams seemed content sitting behind the ball and playing for a 0-0 draw.  The one change wasn't a big one.  Tab heard our cries to not play Memo on the wing and ended up playing a weird system that saw Junqua, Lundkvist, and Corona all moving up there at times.  The result wasn't good, even though the defense was pretty solid.  

Vera Almost broke through early in the 50th minute, after a great pass and heads up dumby play by Urruti left Vera all streaking inside the 6-yard box.  Vera took a really bad first touch and the ball wound up being a corner.  This was the second time the Dynamo had great looks, and really bad touches lead to them being unable to even get a shot off. Urruti had a decent chance in the 54th minute after Lundkvist won a ball at midfield and hit Urruti on the run, but Urruti couldn't get the ball inside on his right foot and just blasted one into the second deck.  Lundkvist followed with a nice run down the left side and fired a nice low cross in behind The White Caps backline, but no one was really trying to get on the end of it.  A foul in the 55th minute allowed Vancouver almost the exact same chance at a free-kick as Urruti had earlier in the game, and Cristián Gutiérrez had the exact same goal post deny him.  

Tab tried to jumpstart the attack by throwing Memo and Darwin Quintero on the field for Derrick Jones and Adam Lundkvist at the 57th minute.  Tab has notoriously subbed late and not subbed at all at times this year.  It immediately saw Quintero find Memo with a nice look right outside the 6-yard box and Memo just flubbed it.  Darwin had another nice ball to Urruti (65th minute) after Junqua found him on a cross from the deep corner.  Darwin probably should have taken the shot, but wound up one-touching a ball that landed about 6" too far away from Maxi.  Quintero tried to find Maxi again at the 75-minute mark, only to hit it further than Maxi could run.  Darwin hasn't been great this year (that's an understatement) but at least he takes chances with the ball. They haven't paid off, and he's put the Dynamo in bad positions at times by giving the ball back to the other team in terrible spots, but at least he is trying to create going forward.  He was literally the only guy in the midfield that gave it a go on Tuesday night.  Eddie Robinson said he thought it had to do with lack of playing time, and not knowing the movements of Fafa, Maxi and Memo....and there's probably some truth to that, but we are over a 1/3rd of the way through the season.  I feel like he's pressing....just trying to make something happen every time he touches the ball.  Sometimes he just needs to make the simplest play that's available.  He's a vet, he needs to figure it out.  I still like him in an Attacking Midfielder role more than I like anyone else on the team, and hopefully, with Hadebe behind him there is incentive towards attacking play, but we'll see.  

This game was best summed up in the 87th minute when Glenn Davis asked "Do you feel one team wants to win this more than the other?"  Eddie Robinson's reply was simple and perfect: "No". Not only was there a total lack of urgency from both teams, but there was also a lack of any kind of execution from both.  It was lazy attacking soccer.  Hit the ball down the wing, lob a cross that has no chance of connecting, hope for a corner.  That was it.  The final score described the game perfectly.  I'm sure there have been exciting 0-0 draws in the world of soccer, but this was one of the 99%.  The Dynamo did what they do best over the last two years.....tie.....and made Matthew Doyle right again

It's scary how reliant this team is on Tyler Pasher.  Pasher actually gives us a chance every time he steps on the field and without him, it seems like we have nobody capable of creating shots.  We need another creative player, and hopefully one that can create behind Urruti, not one at the expense of our wings.  We need a backup wing capable of doing......uhhhh......anything. WIth Pasher and Lassiter out for the next couple of weeks in Gold Cup action, maybe it's time to see Bajamich make his first start of the year.....it seriously can't be worse.  Maybe it's time to move Junqua up and play him on the wing with Lundkvist behind him.  It seriously can't be worse.

Teenage Hadebe's Debut:

Teenage was solid, but not spectacular in his debut.  There was nothing flashy or eye-popping, but he was always right where he needed to be.  When your CB has a night where you don't really notice him, that's normally a good thing.  It's an encouraging performance actually, given the play we've had a CB opposite Tim Parker all year.  His stat line was pretty basic; 5 interceptions, 6 clearances, 3/3 on areal duels won, 7/14 on deep balls played.  Hadebe is long and rangy but also has really good footwork and technique. He kept guys in front of him and never got beat deep. I'm really excited to see what these two do back there this year.

The regression of the Dynamo Attack:

While most people are in agreement that the Dynamo defense has been much improved this year, Tab's attack isn't generating anywhere near the shots or attacking play it did last year.  Shots/90 have dropped by almost four shots per game (10.79 in 2021 vs 14.09 in 2020), they have dropped from fifth highest xG in MLS to fourth worst. Shots on Target/90 has gone from fourth-best (4.91 in 2020) to fifth-worst (3.36).  It's hard for me to put my finger on the exact cause as to why.  The attacking players (in my opinion) are much better than what was on the pitch at BBVA last year (after Elis left).  It's not translating into goals, and it's not even translating into opportunities.  Tab has to find a way to generate chances.  Of our midfielders, three of them are awful at creating shots.  Mattias Vera (2.03), Joe Corona (1.92) and Derrick Jones (0.92) combined create less Shot Creating Actions/90 than Darwin Quintero alone (5.14).  Memo Rodriguez is basically at the same level as last year (3.52 in 2021, 3.44 in 2020), and Tyler pasher has been solid but not spectacular (3.22).  This team has to find a way to create in a larger variety of ways other than lob it deep to Fafa Picault and hope for the best.  Playing passes that break lines to Urruti in the middle of the field is one way, but Urruti is spending soo much time tracking back and defending lately that option isn't available.  It's time for Tab and the staff to put pen to paper and figure out a better way.  The addition of Hadebe will hopefully require less of our forwards tracking back, and more of them playing....well...forward.

Next Up:

San Jose @ San Jose - Saturday, July 24th @ 9:00.

Thanks again for reading

#HoldItDown and say #ForeverOrange

Brian

International Break:Teenage Hadebe, and roster drama; The Dynamo need this week off.

 

After an up and down first 8 games to the season in which the Dynamo have played a fairly difficult schedule, they finally get a much-needed break.  There were some really good performances, a couple of really bad performances, and a few that made us go......"meh".  Tim Parker, Fafa Picault, Maxi Urruti, Joe Corona, and Tyler Pasher have proven to be good additions to the squad, we've seen some experimentation that has helped (Boniek at Central Defense) and some that didn't (the 3-4-3 against Colorado, Memo playing large chunks at the wing), and some moves that have us scratching our heads (the constant appearances by Lassiter, the disappearance of Darwin Quintero, There are a few items of business that Tab and his crew need to take care of over the break, we'll take a look at those and Teenage Hadebe in this week's blog post.

Teenage Hadebe (Rumor) could give us a dynamic backline.

Depending on which report you read, Hadebe is between 5'11 and 6'1'.  He's long, he's rangy, he has good feet, and is a tuff & aggressive defender.  He plays balls in the air well, and he does a really good job playing angles.  He could help at both CB and LB, and has been battle-tested against some really good clubs.  He started in the 3-0 win over Fenerbahce, started at LB versus Galatasary in a 0-1 loss, started at CB vs. Besiktas in a 0-1 loss, and started again against Galatasary in a 1-3 loss.  Yeni Malatyspor isn't a Turkish League powerhouse, their a lower table team in a decent league.  But those three teams are quality teams and he went the full 90 against Champions League and Europa League qualifiers.  He's a left-footed left Center Back, which we could definitely use.  The only one we currently have is Maynor Figueroa, and he's 38.  We'll see what happens when the transfer window opens there, while I'm interested in how this develops, we've been down this road before.  The transfer is reported to be about 1.8 Million, which makes me highly doubt the move will actually happen.

The most intriguing part about this rumor (and I'm not giving it any serious consideration until I see it happen) is that it tells me they've already decided Ethan Bartlow can't play.  Why make this move is Ethan Bartlow was the guy they think he is?  Hadebe is only 25, it's not like he'd be a stopgap.  So if this move actually happens it would likely mean we missed on a high draft pick and have no plans to develop him here.  I think we all know that Alejandro Fuenmayor isn't in any future plans and we need to find a way to move him.  This could all be wrong and just a transfer rumor, but we aren't involved in these very often and so I have to speculate we at least made a call to see what it would take to get him. 

The Dynamo really need Tyler Pasher to get healthy:

Pasher adds depth and a dimension to the attack which just can't be replicated without him.  Memo doesn't have the speed or playmaking ability, and Ariel Lassiter doesn't have the skill.  Pasher helps get the ball forward, whether he's the one doing it or not.  Tyler can actually take defenders on and get past them, something that Memo really struggles with (only 20 attempts in 8 games, with a team-low 40% success rate) and something Lassiter seems incapable of (0/3 on 81 touches).  Fafa has really improved in this area over the last few games, but the guys playing on the other wing are adding nothing.  The only way Tab has been able to get production out of both wings in the last few games is to switch Fafa sides.  Bajamich has actually done really well in his limited minutes (and I believe needs more time), but to keep teams honest Pasher is our best option.  He's an important cog in this machine.  The Dynamo have the 5th most attempts at taking defenders on in the league (141) and the 5th lowest success rate (54.6%).  Derrick Jones is actually fairly solid at this (68.8%), and of the midfield, he's by far the best (Joe Corona - 47%, Matias Vera only has 8 attempts in 7 games, at 50% success) but we need a wing player that can stretch the defense and open gaps up the middle.  Tyler (opposite Fafa) is the best option we have.  He's not going to post enormous stats, but he makes plays and does his job. There's no secret to that.

Dear Parker, Maric, Fafa, and Urruti don't get off the couch.

They've played a ton of heavy minutes, Tab basically has no options off the bench at these positions, and we need them to be as healthy as possible.  Wrap yourself in bubble wrap, prop your feet up, and crank out some binge-watching on Netflix.  Hit the cryo chamber and take a few ice baths.  Freshen those legs up and get ready for the next stretch.  I actually think that Parker should have replaced Aaron Long for the Nation's League roster.  I'd take him over Tim Ream or Mark McKenzie at this point, but I'm also glad that he's able to keep those legs fresh and possibly hang out with Woody a little bit. I don't really like Maynor and Boniek playing in these games, but of the two I'm glad Boniek wasn't in the starting 11 (selfishly) against USMNT.  While we actually have some depth in the midfield, the front and back lines are currently paper thin and as we can see with Pasher going down one injury can throw large kinks in our lineup.  Parker has been extremely reliable on the backline, he's helped transform this defense and is constantly in the right place at the right time.  While Boniek has done an admirable job back there this year, Parker doesn't have a reliable partner much less a backup.  He's completely irreplaceable.  Fafa has been the biggest threat going forward almost all year, and with Pasher out the only threat we have at the counter-attack.  Not only that, the work rate of both he and Urruti has led to the positive showings in the early going.  Fafa and Urruti are covering the entire field.  It's fairly regularly you see Fafa knocking away crosses into Maric's area, or Urruti tracking back to chase down oposing attacks.  Not only is their ability to press high vital towards Tab's tactics, but their willingness to work in the defending third helped secure points in all three games they've won.  That work comes at a cost, especially with the brutal Houston summer coming up.  Every chance we get to rest, we need to take it.

We have a fairly brutal & compressed schedule after the break:

June 19th - @ LAFC

June 23rd - Home vs. Portland Timbers

June 26th - @ Real Salt Lake

July 3rd - Home vs. FC Cincinnati

July 7th - @ Seattle Sounders.

Picking up 8 or more points from this stretch is hugely important to hold our current position in the table, and we'll need every healthy body we have to do it.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian