Get out of the Kitchen: Houston Dynamo 4:1 San Jose Earthquakes

 
Dear Houston,

You need to check this out.  Your Houston Dynamo are currently on a masterful run of form.  For the first time in a really long time, they are on a wi(shhhhhhhhhhhh, don't jinx)eak of 4 straight games, thoroughly dominating the opposition along the way to the tune of 13-2.  Winners in 4 of 6, they have navigated the Texas heatwave through June to climb up the table into 4th place in the conference.  They just thrashed the leaders, LAFC, both home and away, and just got done completely dominating San Jose to switch places with them in the standings.  Not only are they dominating, they are doing it because they have gotten better every single week.  They have depth, young exciting players, stars, and a couple of dudes that will be.  Neither rain nor 2-hour lightning delays, nor the blistering Texas heat can deter them from crushing their opponents.  It's time to get behind this team.

Shout out to our SG's

I can't tell you how happy seeing this makes me, and sad that I'm not there with them.  It's not the first time our SG's threw a party during a lightning delay, and it won't be the last.  Our supporters' are as resilient as our team, and this was a beautiful sight.

Little weather day ain't stop the @HoustonDynamo supporters' from partying. 🎉

(via @damian4924)pic.twitter.com/KbxBrbIhfw

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 22, 2023

This game was over in 5 minutes:

 The play was simple.  Bassi had been reading this pass from early on in the game, and it must have been something that was picked up on film.  You could see Bassi cheating the pass between CB's just 20 seconds into the game.  San Jose was too flat, and the triangles between CB's and CM Judson far too acute.  

Bassi recognized it before the pass was even made, and positioned himself where only two steps were needed to snatch this pass.  He took one controlling touch and placed a left footer around keeper Daniel to break this game open after just 2:02 had accumulated on the clock.

The Dynamo press was killing San Jose from the get-go, and Luchi Gonzalez's side was sloppy, disorganized, and now down 1-0.  Bassi's goal celebration of an archer was appropriate because like Robin Hood he stole this and gave the fans a reason to believe.  It was on the next Dynamo possession that they scored again in a beautifully crafted goal built from the back.  Started by a tremendously weighted pass from Bassi to Baby Face Nelson on a full sprint, the goal was a wonderful team goal on many layers.

(1) Quiñones' left-footed cross was pinpoint and well timed.

(2) Baird actually broke off his original near post run when he saw Aliyu making the same run, and got back post.

(3) Aliyu's run took both CB's with him, leaving no one at the back post to cover Baird

(4) Credit to Biard for one-timing this into the back of the net.

It's what you get when you get unselfish and intelligent teamwork.  This goal was the result of everyone doing their job, doing it together, and doing it properly.  Each part, from Steres finding Bassi in the pocket until ending with Baird's finish was done exactly how it was needed to be done, no more and no less, and these types of goals are coming with a much higher amount of regularity than we've seen since we moved from the Rob.

The Dynamo weren't even done.  Despite a few meager attempts to get back into the game by San Jose, #ForeverOrange rocked the entirety of the first 45 minutes.  Erik Svaitchenko nearly got a third with his headed attempt (31st minute) which also was nearly banged home by Micael.  The Dynamo never let down, and even after Charles Akapo's goal to cut it 2-1, there was never really any question that #HellInTheShell was in full force.  Ibrahim Aliyu broke loose only moments after Akapo's goal, and just narrowly missed a left footer after a tremendous downfield pass by Daniel Steres.  At the half, not only were the Dynamo leading 2-1, but they were dominating the game in almost ever statistical category and San Jose was looking gassed. 

The second 45? We put the throttle down.

The second half began with the same as the first half.  As they broke for half, you could see Steve Clark rallying the guys.  I don't know what he said, but I know he was pointing at the crest and getting after it :)  Ben Olsen had his team sitting in a mid-block defending with 2 lines of 4.  Disrupting the midfield and forcing San Jose to attack down the wings, the Dynamo were looking to allow the Earthquake to hold possession in the back line and react quick off turnovers.  This was not a team content with two goals and looking to park the bus. 

There had to be concern, however, when the lightning delay hit in the 62nd minute.  Never knowing how this could disrupt things or rejuvenate a team that was down a goal.  With the stadium emptying out as fans didn't know when the action would return, coming in after a two hour delay with no fans in the stands and up only a goal was worrisome.  But those worries were quickly tossed aside as the Dynamo came directly after San Jose.  Bassi's attempt 66' in was as well crafted as the second goal of the game, with runs, one-touch passing, and a nearly perfect first-touch strike that would up in Daniel's lap.  

Thor: Endgame

A good photo from the game. Somebody With photoshop abilities better than mine should put Thor there in the stands with his hands up grabbing the bolt. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/NFl7eTZJhy

— Web 🕸 Tilton ☮️ (@webtilton) June 22, 2023

I mean, who doesn't love a good Thor reference?  Thor's first goal (a left footed, far post curler) put the game out of reach.  His second one was for show in more ways then one.  With the three points, the Dynamo have now jumped to 4th in the standings, with a game in hand over Seattle (who the Dynamo play July 1st). They're two points off of second and could achieve that on Saturday.  This weekend's game against Green Tree F.C. is one of the biggest games for the Dynamo in years, and could mean an end to the curses of summer that we've seen for the better part of a decade.

Next Up 

Despite all the chest-thumping by the weirdo's in Austin, the Dynamo have won two games against Austin this year pretty convincingly.  The Dynamo should make this a third.

Until then,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Completely U.G.L.Y. - Dynamo 1 - Earthquake 2

 

U

G

L

Y

You Aint got no alibi

You Uglyyyyyyyyy....what what what.......you uglyyyyyyyyyy.

This Dynamo team, 5 games in, still has soo many questions that are nowhere near being answered.  Is it a team good enough to sneak into the playoffs?  What is going on with Sebastian Ferreira?  What formation are they even playing?  Can you win in this league without a #10, or a DP striker?  What does Ivan Franco put in his hair to make is so stinking amazing?  One thing that is absolutely certain though: they are going to play ugly.  It's turning many of us into absolute hypocrites (calm down, I'm mostly talking about myself) who love to win ugly but hate to lose that way.  This team threatens their opponent's goal about as much as my 7 lb pomeranian threatens everyone who dares to walk past my house.  They're aware that she's there, but no one is scared of her.  "NOBODY'S SCARED OF YOU BELLA" Is one of my most uttered phrases during the day.  And nobody is scared of our attack either.  When you decide who will start in your forward positions based on who can defend the best, there aren't going to be many goals scored.  This is a clock management, don't make mistakes, and hope your opponent doesn't score type of team.  They made that switch when they decided to start 3 CBs and a #9 who can press the way you want.  When it works, it's ugly and you pull points.  When it doesn't work, it's just ugly.  Either way, Ben Olsen has this team well-organized in defense and playing hard defensively.  What's missing is absolutely anything in the final third other than drawing a penalty. It's easy to point at the #9, but in reality, it's all three of them up top doing nothing to generate goals through the first five games.  It's easy to put the blame on Coco and HH as well, but in reality, they are playing the ball to guys who do nothing with it. When the ball leaves the feet of our two star midfielders, it usually goes into an albatross of turnovers.  Ben Olsen needs to find the right combination of players that can actually find the back of the net DURING the run of play.

This was a tough, physical game from the start.

It was ugly literally from the start.  Cade Cowells beautiful run and low cross nearly broke the game open before the clock even struck 2:00, but from the start, both teams were set on muddying up the opposition.  From the get-go, there were shoulders, grabs, heel kicks, slide tackles, and some good ol'fashioned shin guard checks.

Just look at the highlights of the first 20 minutes, they are all either tragic or fouls.

• Carrasquilla's foul 3:56 into the game.  He just grabbed Moreno by the head for no real reason at all. 
• Hadebe's Handball
• San Jose's double takedown of Raines (8:43) just outside the box.
• Espinosa's run in the box 14:10 (Hadebe's near pen #2)
• Mensah's foul 16:55
• Espinosa's cross that ended up 200 feet from where he wanted it @ 18:10.  

The only exciting plays in the first 30 minutes of the half came from San Jose, and the only thing the Dynamo could do to hold possession was to pass the ball between the back three.  The Dynamo could barely get the ball across midfield with any idea what to do with it, and when they did break the midfield line they could never break down San Jose's press.  The Earthquakes press was giving our back line a ton of problems, and if it wasn't for some tremendous play by Artur to just muscle the ball away from Espinosa and Ebobise inside the box, San Jose  might have broken through several times.  It wasn't until the 25 minute mark that HH began sitting between the lines of press and getting the ball at his feet that the Dynamo began to break through.  But time and time again, despite some nice back heels and through balls, Luchi González's defense was always there.

This game was physical.  31 combined fouls, 5 combined yellows, 3 PKs, 2 of which were for bad tackles in the box. Akapo's shoulder to Schmitt was an example (31st minute), and his yellow for taunting was a sign of what it meant to San Jose.  The Dynamo lost possession 134 times, a season high.  Led by Corey Baird's 16 on only 41 touches, the Dynamo simply could not end possessions with shots.  Too often they tried to do to much, get too cute, be too patient, when simply they needed to play direct and take guys on.  In the first half Ben Olsen's side managed just 2 shots from the run of play (0 on target).  

While we weren't helped by the final decision of a penalty (and the lack of Coco getting one at the end of the first half), the game should never come down for that.  The Dynamo never owned the moment, the attack lacked purpose and passion.  The runs up top never got in behind, when we put together a nice combo play the person in space was always looking for something that wasn't there instead of just taking someone on and beating his man.  This attack actually took a step back last night, and that's almost impossible to do.  Olsen has to find a way to jumpstart this attack before next Saturday, or there is a chance that the Dynamo are going to be over their head before May. Let's take a look at a few of the keys from last night's game.

The Striker Position

Baird was pesky.  He drew the penalty and applied pressure to San Jose's back line at times.  Offensively however Baird was terrible.  I understand that Baird runs hard and defends from the front, but his runs almost never end up with him being onside and behind the defense.  Baird's hold-up play is spotty, and he rarely wins position on deep balls allowing him to hold possession.  Baird does occasionally occupy a CB on some of his runs, allowing Coco and HH to occupy the space in behind, but the biggest problem with Baird is what happens when the ball actually touches his feet.  Currently, he's a poacher who can't poach.  He doesn't create or generate anything offensively, his runs are currently all meaningless, and when he finds the ball in front of an open net he can't put one home.  Last night Sebas checked on and did absolutely nothing.  You could see him gesturing in frustration the second he checked on.  His pressing was terrible, his energy was bad, and his runs were nonexistant.  His hold-up play was OK and he did complete 4/5 passes, but never posed a threat at all and didn't change the game for the better when he checked on.  This position is a void on the offensive side of the ball, but it isn't the only void going forward.

Bassi, Franco, Quinones, and Raines and Schmitt.

This isn't a 4-3-3, and it's not a true 4-4-2.  While they are defending with 2 lines of four, the shift to a 3 man back line going forward is getting 6 guys in the box with regularity. It may be controversial to throw Bassi in here since he's scored 3 goals, however he hasn't done anything to generate a goal yet this year.  He didn't even draw the penalties (Biard, HH and Bartlow's header did), he simply scored them.  The formation switch has him tucking inside and playing centrally while Tate Schmitt gets down the wing.  Last night when Franco Escobar subbed on, they actually flipped the tactics and Bassi played more on the edge. Bassi only has 3 key passes on the year, and his Shot-Creating Actions/90 (2.02) is less than half of what we'd seen from him at Barnsley and Metz. (5.05 and 5.87).  On top of that, he's only taken 2 shots all year during open run.  He needs to be more assertive.  It's not that he's not being clinical, it's that he's not forcing action.  He needs to be one of the key offensive contributors in the attack and do something with the ball at his feet.

Raines looked lost for the most part on the wing last night.  Had one play early in the game where you saw the potential (when he got taken down, got up, ripped the ball away from a defender and kept going until the dragged him down just outside the box @ 8:43 in the game), but often had trouble just getting on the ball.  Cut inside once and missed HH on a perfect run to the outside, instead passing it directly to Michael Baldisimo.  He often had trouble simply getting the ball.  Franco looked no better upon checking on, giving the ball away roughly half (7/16) of the times he touched it.  Nelson Quinones has done nothing to show he can actually help this team in any way, and as much as I like Tate Schmitt his final play needs to be crisper.  His crosses are often just a tad misplaced, and his dribbles in the box often don't beat his man.  To be fair, there needs to be a better tip of the spear for any of these guys to succeed with the final ball.

Too much is being asked of the midfield.

HH, Coco, and Artur are doing their part.  While all three could be better, their job is to control the center of the field and play it up to guys who make plays.  Coco currently ranks 9th in the league in creating shots/90 (4.78), and HH is setting just behind him at 4.40.  Those actions are leading to actual shots or goals though, and that's not necessarily all their fault.  These two guys are box-box players, they aren't Thiago Almeda who stay forward, get forward, and use space around a striker to create for themselves.  They defend, get the ball at their feet, and progress it up to the forwards.  Because our forwards are struggling to do anything offensively, it's putting additional pressure on them to do create goals.  There's no doubt that HH and Coco can do more, but Bassi, Franco, Baird, Sebas, Quinones et all need to really step up.  

Next Up:

Until Then:

Thanks once again for reading.

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian.

Houston Dynamo 2:1 San Jose Earthquakes - The Good, the bad, & the Ugly

Let's take a little time and just let this set in.  After a 2:1 victory on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes, we have a few days to sit back, evaluate, and breathe.  Dynamo fans have been lighting up social media with depression over the team's current state, pleas for help, and anxiety over what will happen during this Transfer Window.  While all those feelings are warranted, let's just take a moment to enjoy a glimpse of success.  After going just 1-5-1 over the previous 7 games, it's nice to have a come-from-behind win on the road to enjoy.  The win showed both key plays from struggling players and stretches of play that were extremely poor.  Here's a breakdown of the key takeaways: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. 

The Good:

While it wasn't the prettiest, it was a good team performance:

There's a lot of 7's on there.....

Fafa Picault:  

With full awareness that I might get eviscerated for putting his name in here, Fafa had a decent game and made the play that led to the first goal.  His streaking interception to win the ball back in the opponent's box and assist to Sebas all alone in front of the net was the key play that changed the tide.  While many (including myself) have wanted to see the Dynamo move on from Fafa this year, it was nice to see him make that play and simply do what was needed to be done.  

Fafa was applying good pressure from the opening kick, and was extremely active on both wings. Fafa had several opportunities early on to break the game open.  He (as he often does) did too much with them and couldn't put the ball in the net.  However, he was a constant threat in behind the San Jose defense the entire game.  Also had a nice cross to Thor, but Thor wasn't looking for it.

Sebas:  

Easy one.  Came on in the 68th minute and immediately changed the game.  Scored the first goal, and attacked the ball twice to help win it back deep in San Jose's half which led to the second goal.  Sebas had actually been fairly steady before going goal-less in his last 4 appearances, and not even making it off the bench on Tuesday.  Paulo Nagamura had a.....well.....interesting quote about Sebas before the game.

Performance, fitness and adaptation to @MLS cited as reasons for @sebasferreira11 on the bench in @HoustonDynamo visit to @SJEarthquakes, per @GlennDavisSoc.@TheStrikerNews #HoldItDown

📺 @ATTSportsNetSW pic.twitter.com/sZNH0u40F0

— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) July 18, 2022

Maybe Paulo was right and Sebas just needed a break........maybe he was dinged up, maybe there was something else. I don't know and honestly, I don't really care. What I do know is that there should never be a time where Sebas doesn't make it into a game especially against Austin F.C. after he was pulled early the game before. Even with the dry spell, he's got 7 goals and 3 assists in his last 12 appearances, which is nothing to be ashamed of. He needs to hold that form with the schedule we've got the rest of the way.

Tim Parker:

Came up with the biggest save of the night, at the biggest moment of the night.  Hector Herrera owes him and Mr. Woodson a steak dinner. Tim had a fairly solid game before that, with 2 tackles, a couple of interceptions, and 6 clearances.  He had a fairly poor yellow, given that Benjamin Kikanovic had no real chance to get to the ball, but I'll even take that.  Tim's our enforcer, sometimes an enforcer has to do enforcer things.   It wasn't the best use of a Yellow, but it's really my only complaint about him on the night and it wasn't a huge one.

Parker helped hold Jeremy Ebobisse to only two touches inside the penalty area, and neutralized his only dangerous touch of the game.  Ebobisse, tied for 3rd in the league with 11 goals, never got a clean look at goal with the exception of the 1 Paker went full Super Hero mode on.  Parker and Hadebe combined to hold Ebobisse to only 20 touches the entire game.  This was probably Parker's best game of the year, even without even taking the brilliant shot stoppage (74th minute) into account. Parker's save was even bigger when you realize what happened next.

“Comeback City” call from @GlennDavisSoc and @eddie_robinson2 as Thor Ulfarsson scored the game winner in @HoustonDynamo visit to @SJEarthquakes.@TheStrikerNews #HoldItDown

📺 @ATTSportsNetSW pic.twitter.com/7ZrXnZpBFZ

— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) July 18, 2022

The Bad:

The first half:

The first 45 left much to be desired.  Both teams seemed content to get through he first half and move on to the 2nd.  Outside of Coco Carrasquilla, and a couple of good runs from Fafa, there wasn't much going on for either side. Of the 9 combined shots in the first half (5 for San Jose, 4 for the Dynamo) 7 where either off target or blocked.  Only Christian Espinoza (12:07, saved by Clark) really threatened for either team.  Especially after about the 30th minute, both teams kind of parked it and seemed resigned to go into the half 0-0.  The second half definitely picked up, but the first half was pretty slow and uneventful.

Hector Herrera:

Don't get me wrong, it's not that Hector Herrera was terrible in his starting debut.  It's weird to say this, but of his 66 touches in the game, the only one that is really remembered was the terrible mistake inside his own box.  You could point out his really nice left foot cross (15th minute) that accidentally hit Fafa and would up bouncing of Teenage's face when he whiffed on a scissor kick, but even that was about it.

The Ugly

Thor's defending the back post:

Thor completely misread the rebound and went flying towards the endline.  While he was flailing around trying to recover, Jackson Yuell never moved and the ball fell right in his lap.  

Whatever Sebas was doing with his shorts:

This doesn't really need commentary.  And if he keeps scoring goals, he should keep doing it.

Next Up:

Minnesota United: 2022

Run of Form:

The Loons are unbeaten n their last 5, outscoring their opponents 11-6 in that span. Fortunately, for the Dynamo, The Loons also have a friendly against Everton on Thursday.  Minnesota United is a top 10 defensive team once again this year, and are especially good defensively at home.

Houston Dynamo: 2022

Until Next time:

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

3 points are 3 Points: Dynamo 4:3 Earthquakes

 

What.....a.......game.  This game had a lot of everything.  It was action-packed, back and forth, had a lot of "firsts", and ended in 3 points.  It wasn't always pretty, it ended up being a nail-biter, but it got the job done.  15,414 people inside PNC got to see one of the more exciting games in a while. There is a lot to be excited about after this win, and a little to be concerned about as well.  Let's take a look at what happened, unpack a few things, and start looking forward to next Saturday vs. Portland.

The First 45 Minutes:

With San Jose pressing high in the midfield, the Dynamo spread out wide looking to build out of the back and make the San Jose front line run.  With a backline of Bartlow and Hadebe, Nagamura was utilizing two center backs who have good downfield vision and accuracy in order to break lines and put keep San Jose's backline honest.  Mattias Vera was spending time either dropping between the CB's or working his way upfield behind San Jose's forwards and midfield.  Starting Pasher, Quintero, and Picault gave the Dynamo enough speed and playmaking that if the ball got through, there was a great chance to capitalize.  San Jose pushed high in the midfield and dominated possession through the early parts, as in the first 15 minutes San Jose managed to take 7 possessions away from the Dynamo, many of which before the ball even crossed midfield. Vera fired the first warning shot (5 mins in), a deep ball left of middle that was just beyond a streaking Fafa Picault.  The Dynamo were winning the ball back early in their attacking third.  Lundkvist got a steal and found Tyler Pasher, which turned into a throw-in.  Coco intercepted a pass and got another throw-in.  On the throw-in, Dorsey hit a nice weighted pass to Pasher, who centered it to Fafa.  The ball was a little to far in front of Fafa and Paul Marie cut him off and knocked it out for a corner.  That's when the magic happened. 

The setup on the corner was nice.  Pasher, Fafa, and Bartlow all pushed hard to the near post.  Hadebe circled around to the back post, with Sebas filling in the gap directly behind Bartlow.  Darwin had set up just in front of the near post, bringing a defender with him. 

Lundkvist hit nice ball that was timed just right off the corner.  A low bouncing ball that laid up perfectly at Sebas' right foot.  Sebas timed it great and had a sliver of daylight to the near post between defenders.  He didn't hit it great, but he hit it just well enough.

The ball tucked in just past a diving J.T. Marcinkowski for Sebas' first goal of the year to put the Dynamo up 1-0.  It was Houston's 2nd set-piece goal of the season and looked like it came straight off the training ground.  Only seconds later, Sebas gobbled up a loose ball off a bad pass from Cade Cowell and fired it downfield to Fafa on the run again.  Fafa cut back inside and hit a shot with his right foot, but didn't get it clean and the ball was an easy one for Marcinkowski to pick up. The Earthquakes came right back, as Monteiro found Ebobise in a nice pocket.  Ebobise got a decent shot off that was blocked by Ethan Bartlow.  After the goal, San Jose pushed even higher, making it very difficult for the Dynamo to even complete a pass.  They were dominating possession (68% possession over the first 15 minutes of play), winning the ball back constantly around the midfield line, and building off runs and direct passes.  From minutes 10-25, San Jose completely dominated the run of play.  Bartlow, Hadebe, and Lundkvist were doing a solid job turning them away, but you could see San Jose was building.  San Jose would hold the ball for long stretches with their backline, swinging it side to side and looking to take advantage of gaps in the Dynamo midfield.  They almost hit the Dynamo on a counter (21st minute) when Jackson Yuell snatched up a bad ball from Sebas in the midfield and found Marcos Lopez on a run down the left side. Lopez tried to wrecking ball his way through two Orange defenders (Vera and Dorsey), went down in the box, and got a Yellow for simulation instead.  It didn't take much longer for the Earthquakes to equalize, as Cade Cowell found Jeremy Ebobise right in front of the net in a huge pocket.  The build-up was decent, but not unguardable.  Christian Espinoza had a nice switch across the field to Cowell who brought the ball deep inside the box down the left flank.  The back 4 set deep in front of the 6-yard box, the midfield didn't make it back, leaving a huge pocket for Ebobise to settle into.  Hadebe reacted a step late and Ebobise hit it in the top corner (25th minute).
For the next few minutes, the game resembled more "Pinball Wizard" than a soccer match, as the ball was bouncing back and forth in the middle third like guys were trying to hit bumpers to collect points. One of those balls found its way through, and Coco found the end of it.  He raced past the defense to track down a really nice pass from Quintero, took two good touches on it, and was in a position to get a good shot.  Marcinkowski and Francisco Calvo had done a good job walling him up and cutting off any angles, and Coco fired a left-footer right at the keeper.

There was no time to think about it, as Marcinkowski hopped up and fired one downfield and San Jose was pinging passes all over the place.  When the ball found Jan Gregus on the right side, Ebobise was set up in his favorite spot again.  The cross was decent, Hadebe gave Ebobise too much space and mistimed his jump, and Ebobise beat him to it and headed one just passed Steve Clark.  This is part Hadebe giving him too much space, and part poor teamwork by the backline as Ebobise broke through a sliver between them, but there were huge gaps in the back on the ball in.  Hadebe seemed to be caught in between two, reacted a second late to this one too, and got beat to the ball. 2:1 San Jose, and at this point, with the way San Jose was holding possession, I was extremely worried about snagging points.

The game didn't change course much for the rest of the first half, as San Jose played high and compressed and was tempting the Dynamo to beat them deep.  In my opinion, Matías Almeyda got greedy chasing a 3rd goal and near the end of the first half, it came back to bite him.  

• 39:30 - The Dynamo finally break through, Vera hits a pass that gets Pasher through, Pasher fires a right-footer into  The Texian Army
• 42:00 - Immediately after San Jose pushed bodies forward deep in Dynamo territory, holding possession and winning every second ball.  Darwin Quintero steps in front of a Cade Cowell pass and finds Vera.  Vera plays one back to Steve Clark.  Clark punches one deep that finds the chest of Calvo. Calvo's control was sloppy and Quintero raced in to scoop up the ball. Quintero hits a perfect ball to Pasher who is in a foot race with Marcos López.   López did just enough to knock Pasher off his path, Marcinkowski rushes out to knock the ball away.  The ball seemed to bounce for an eternity.  Quintero chased it down and snuck one into the lower right corner - 2:2.
• 45+1 - Bartlow fires a tremendous ball 60 yards to Quintero.  The ball holds up just a bit, and Quintero tries to lob it over Marcinkowski.  The San Jose Keeper doesn't bite, and the ball comes right to him. 

It took the Dynamo the better part of 40 minutes to really start hitting on these, but they had found cracks and were really threatening.  

The Second 45 Minutes:

San Jose came out hellbent on getting that third goal.  With the frontline stretched, San Jose was finding huge gaps in the midfield in the early parts of the second half. Christian Espinosa (twice) and Jan Gregus managed to find openings and fire off fairly dangerous shots in the first 6 minutes of the half.  Houston found its way back on the counter after Teenage tracked down a bad pass at midfield.  After braking hard on a soft pass, Teenage collected the ball and hit Quintero on the run.  Quintero weighted a pass to Sebas who tried to touch it past the defender, but the touch was a little too aggressive and Marcinkowski managed to get out and get wide.  The shot deflected back off Sebas for a goal kick.  As fatigue started to set in from the frantic pace, the game got pretty sloppy.  Glenn Davis and Eddie Robinson both described the game as "pinball".  Both teams were having problems getting it out of the middle third, with the occasional run. Finally, in the 55th minute, Coco corralled a pass and fired one 40 yards on a rope to Fafa on the run, Fafa slowed slightly to control the ball, and the shot was deflected out for a corner. Lundy put a good foot on it, it found Fafa's head but deflected back inside the box.  Hadebe hit the rebound back into the goal, 3:2 good guys.

With Pasher and Fafa now sitting higher to look to counter, Hadebe and Bartlow had to be a lot more active to keep The frontline of San Jose from breaking through.  Finally, in the 67th minute. They hit again. Dorsey intercepted a pass and immediately fired one to Fafa on the run.  Fafa took it, cut back inside, and found Sebas about 12 yards out.  Sebas had plenty of time, set it, and blasted one that Marcinkowski managed to deflect but it went past him into the goal 4:2. Paulo tried to settle the game down at this point, bringing on fresh legs (Memo and Thor), but you could tell that Coco and Vera were wearing down. Ebobise's 75th minute chance from 8 yards out came after Eric Remedi roasted Coco to the touchline. Seconds later, Tommy Thompson found the back of the net after the ball wound up in his lap after a corner deflection.  Nobody marked Thompson, and although Memo tried to rotate over he was late.  That was the end of the scoring, but nowhere near the end of the drama.  San Jose owned the final 15 minutes of play. Baird came on (76th) for Pasher, freshening up the frontline even more, but San Jose was overwhelming Forever Orange for the final stretch.   San Jose managed 8 shots over the last 15 minutes (plus added time), 3 of which were on target.  Ebobise's 84th-minute header was just soft enough that Clark was able to snag it on a dive.  His 87th-minute shot came after he took on the entire backline by himself.  Clark had one more save up his sleeve to secure the win after Gregus' free-kick found its way through the wall and was bouncing to the near post.  You had to hold your breath for the last 20 minutes of play, but in the end in earned 3 points.

Game Notes

Coco Carrasquilla

It's hard to be critical of a guy that made a lot of really good plays, but Coco was up and down all night.  He had some tremendous downfield passes and made several plays with the ball at his feet to keep possessions alive.  He had an excellent run early in the game that led to him being in a good goal-scoring position.  He picked up 6 tackles + interceptions, had 5 recoveries, and was extremely active in the midfield.  But he also gave the ball away several times in horrible positions a lot.  He (4) and Vera (4) accounted for half of the Dynamo passes that were intercepted.  He wasn't great in the short passing game (71%), and was part of the reason the Dynamo couldn't get the ball across midfield for much of the game.

The Possession Game

The Dynamo possession game wasn't on point Saturday night.  Part of that was because of the pressure being applied by Monteiro, Gregus, and Yueill, and part of that was because San Jose was doing a good job playing possession with their backline.  The Dynamo rarely found ways through and were relegated to rely on deep downfield passes most of the night.  San Jose leads MLS in possession % by a pretty good margin, and their 67.4% possession (WhoScored.com) on Saturday only padded that stat.

Griffen Dorsey

Dorsey was all over the place.  He picked up 14 loose balls, had 3 tackles, 3 interceptions, and was up and down the right line all night.  Dorsey and Lundkvist seemed entrenched at the backs, and outside of a squad rotation here and there I don't see either coming out of the lineup much.

Next Up

Saturday 4/16/2022 vs Portland Timbers

Last 6: Portland owns the series recently, got 4-0-2 over the last 6 and outscoring the Dynamo 13-5 over that span.

Hope to see you there.

Until then, remember to #HoldItDown and 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