Early Results are in, what have we learned about the Dynamo so far.

The results have been slightly disappointing.  Going 1-1-1 over the first three weeks of play, we saw an encouraging 2-1 win over San Jose, a disappointing 1-2 loss to Portland Timbers, and a confusing and frustrating 1-1 tie to LAFC.  We played two of the better sides in MLS and took both to the wire.  While we have to fight and grind for everything we get, we are also winning a lot of battles in the midfield and have flashed really nice combination plays.  While there are definite signs of improvement over last year's dreadful squad, there are also still signs with lots of work to do.

Statistically, this team isn't much different than last year through the first three games.  Goals per game (1.3 in 2021 - 1.25 last year), Shots-per game (13 - 14.2), and shot on Target percentage (33.3 - 34.2) are roughly the same.  Their distance per shot is slightly improved (17 yards vs 18.9 a year ago) but they have dropped in expected goals from 5th best in MLS last year to 6th worst. However, the style of play has been much different and the defense has been much improved.  Joe Corona and Mattias Vera have been difference-makers in the defensive midfield, and the additions of Tyler Pasher and Fafa Picault have been good ones.  Although some of thin

While the storyline will continue to build, here's a look at ten early returns on the young season.

(1) There are decent playmakers on the wing, we are lacking up the middle.

While the two have been fairly inconsistent, Fafa Picault and Tyler Pasher have added a decent amount of playmaking from the wings.  Pasher has flashed the ability to take it to defenders in chunks of games, only to back it up with chunks of disappointing play.  His find of Urruti in Week 1 against San Jose was equal parts run, breaking down the defense and timely passing.  Picault has been a constant threat with his speed, and he did find Pasher on a button to get the equalizer against LAFC, and he has found space several times in front of the net but has yet to put one home.  Urruti however, has been a different story.  It's not that he's playing badly with the ball at his feet, it's that he's having trouble getting the ball at his feet. Maxi only has 42 touches in the final third over 3 games.  That's 22 less than Adam Lundkvist and 111th in the league.  His 9 touches in the penalty area rank 60th.  He has to find better space and we need to find ways to get him the ball in order to balance the offense out.  While Urruti leads the league in Pressures in the Attacking third (42) and is a big part of the revamped defense, he has to find ways to get open and put the ball in the back of the net.

Vs. Portland Timbers

Vs. LAFC

Notice in the last two games the gaping hole in the middle of the field. In week 1 Urruti and Memo Rodriguez really used pockets of space in the middle to produce two goals.  While Memo's was based on guts and tenacity, Urruti's was about timing and space. The following two match days, Urruti was bottlenecked and Memo had trouble making plays behind him.  Darwin Quintero came on and looked better in the playmaking role, but in the Portland game he came on for Urruti, and versus LAFC he was playing behind Ariel Lassiter.  Memo is averaging 4.7 Shot Creating Actions per game which places him 24th in the league among those with enough minutes to qualify.  Memo has taken more than twice the amount of shots as anyone on the team (10, tied for 7th most in the league) and only 2 have been on target.  His average distance per shot is 20.2 yards, and there are several takeaways from that: (1) He's not utilizing his dribble to beat defenders; (2) He's not forcing action up the middle (3) He's not capable of doing either.  Memo's shot on Target % ranks him 131st in the league, and although he's been solid leading the defense from the #10 position he needs to be more efficient in attack. 

(2) Fafa Picault and Tyler Pasher are an upgrade from what we saw at the end of the year last year, but not a big enough upgrade to vault us into playoff contention.

Both of the new wings have been dangerous at times, and both have made key plays that secured points.  Pasher's pass to Urruti against Portland secured three points.  Picault is the one that found Pasher on his first MLS goal to help snag a point against LAFC.  Picault had a nice run in the first half of the LAFC game that was rewarded with a foul and a Yellow.  Both have also been extremely disappointing and almost non-existent at in attack.  Pasher is second on the team in Shot Creating Actions (11) and is the only player on the roster that has bagged a goal and an assist.  He leads the team in Crosses and has been good at getting the ball into spaces to guys on the move.  Pasher has made some excellent runs to get behind the defense as well.  On the flip side, he's also had several opportunities to make big plays and came out on the wrong end of it.  

Picault also has shown flashes, as with his cross to Pasher against LAFC.  He has been a constant pest, and while he has given the ball away at terrible times, he's also made the occasional run to draw a foul in a dangerous position.  Fafa has blazing speed and good feet, and maybe he's knocking some rust off after not playing much last year in Dallas, but let's hope that he can continue to balance things out across from Pasher.

(3) Corona and Vera are workhorses. Vera has played 90 minutes in all three games and is going just as strong in minute 90 as minute 1.  Corona has played 230/270 minutes and has been a defensive anchor.  Vera is one of the best passing midfielders in MLS, in both the short and long passing games.  The two have also combined for 11 interceptions and 14 blocks, and 11 tackles and were one of the main reasons for the points drawn against both LAFC and San Jose.  They've done a good job winning balls not only in the middle third but also in the attacking third.   It seems like they can still gell a little more, and I'm really excited to see where this duo can go as the season progresses.

(4) Memo's progression seems to have plateaued. I don't have a lot of data to back this up, but it seems like Memo is the same player today he was 3 years ago.  He doesn't have great vision or playmaking ability, and he's not very accurate with his shooting.  While he plays hard and I love the guy, I also really wish he could take it to the next level.

(5) The organization and combination play is massively upgraded over what we saw at the end of last year, but we still have to work too hard for goals.  I think we all agree, this team is simply more fun to watch despite the inconsistent results.   They press higher and harder, they move the ball quicker and more precise, and the combination of ball movement and body movement is.....well.... why they call this the beautiful game.  If they can continue to progress and throw Darwin Quintero more into the mix they could be really fun to watch.

(6) Marco Maric's distribution: oof.  Maric at times has been unbelievably terrible trying to get the ball downfield.  There are too many balls in the stands.  Some of those are on goal kicks, some are simply trying to get the ball out.  There are times where not only isn't there an orange shirt in the area.....there isn't any shirt in the area.  This is going to come back and get us multiple times in the season this year.   It's that much of a problem.

(7) We need to find Tim Parker a partner: Honestly, I've loved watching Boniek fly around in the defensive third.  He plays hard, he's a smart veteran, and he has made some really key plays through the first five games.  He also pushes too high and leaves Tim Parker exposed at times.  Garcia attacks the ball in the midfield like his hair is on fire.  WhoScored.com actually has Boniek rated slightly higher than Time Parker this year, although it's by a narrow margin.  Boni has connected on over 90% of his passes (including 16/17 deep balls), and he's been generally solid.  He's been a good short-term fix to this point and I actually feel he's a good yin to Tim Parker's yang. However, we need to find someone who is more solid in the backline, and we have to keep an eye on this position for the future. I'm dying to know what Ethan Bartlow can do back there, and would also like to see them utilize Derrick Jones back there as well.  Jones is a long, rangy 6 and his left footedness should slide in next to Parker well.  

(8) Their best players so far are all new acquisitions:  This shouldn't be a surprise, considering how bad we were last year and the amount of roster turnover that took place.  But Corona, Picault, Pasher, and Parker have been far and away the best players in La Naranja this season.  It's not even close.  Memo has had his moments, and Boniek has been a pleasant surprise, but the aforementioned quartet have been solid on both sides of the ball, and while Picault and Pasher are mixed bags of dynamic play and fumbling turnovers, they have created an edge to the blade.  Corona has been quietly spectacular at solidifying the midfield.   Parker is been both exactly what we expected and needed.  He's a big, aggressive, and extremely solid defender.  He's all the things Kiki Struna isn't.  Kiki had the build but definitely didn't have the mentality that Parker has.

(9) Tim Parker needs a nickname:  I like "The Kraken".  That way, when someone lobs a ball deep down the middle of the pitch, or when Tim is freight-training his way directly at an opponent's center forward, we can all yell: "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!".  I think it's great.  

(10) A Solid DP would push us into a playoff-caliber team, but we might be there with the one we've got:  If Matt Jordan can somehow get ahold of a solid goal scorer at the #9, this team could really be a force to reckon with.  I'm not talking about a Josef Martinez, Zlatan level goal scorer, I'm just talking about a solid #9 that can net 12-15 goals this year and hold up play we'd be better.  Urruti would be better with a playmaker behind him.  While Memo has been OK so far, I honestly think Quintero would be a better fit there.  Quintero can't create the front-loaded defensive pressure that Tab is looking for, but he's much better with the ball at his feet and making plays for others.   Urruti was really solid in the opening game, but the last two matchups have seen him be almost a total non-factor. It's not that Urruti is messing up chances, it's that we can't get him the ball.  Quintero is ranked #7 in all of MLS in shot-creating actions per 90, and he's usually playing with the B squad.  We have to find a way to get him more time as a focal point in the attack.  We already have a DP to utilize, just need to play him.

Thanks again for reading

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

Fatal fists of fury: A frustrating loss to the Portland Timbers.

 

It started, when to my chagrin, as I was driving home late from Dallas trying to find a way to listen to the game online.  Oh...wait....I know!  I've got the ESPN app, I'll just listen to the telecast.  Pull into QT (which is a good luck charm) Load up on Coffee and junk food, and I'm on my way.  Little did I know, however, that I couldn't watch this game in English for whatever reason, and I couldn't find a stream of the game in English.  Now, I actually like listening to games in foreign languages, especially when I'm watching. I just happen to be one of the few Texans that didn't take Spanish in High School, mostly because when time came to register for classes in the Summer of 1991, Spanish had a really long line and French had 10 really pretty girls standing there.  So, Je l'etude francais, and have never used it since lol.  My German is good enough to follow along but....listening to a game in Spanish?  It might as well be in brail.  So, I decided to try and slog my way through it.  I'm rewatching the Spanish Replay on ESPN+ as I write this.  If I miss a few things, my apologies.  

Also, seeing this sign got me off on a bad foot.  No, you can't have Zarek back.  If you guys wanted him soo bad, you shouldn't have left him unprotected in the MLS expansion draft.  We saved him from having to play in Nashville.  We gave up Big Joe for him, and people here love him.  You can drink a few Macha teas and relax. Anyway, on to the game.

Portland came better prepared than we did.

"Wait....what????  This game just started and we gave up that goal?"

Portland killed us in the early going. It took only 14 seconds for the Timbers to find their way through our defense and fire the first shot of the game. The long ball, played by Bill Tuiloma found the head of Dairon Asprilla who connected with Yimmi Chará inside the 18-yard box for a soft left-footer that Marco Meric easily handled.  It came way too easy, especially in the opening seconds of the game.  It almost seemed to catch Zarek off guard and is a ball he should have won. Parker was caught too high, and while the Dynamo staved it off they were lucky to do so. The Dynamo gave the ball back 4 times over the next minute, and never got the ball across midfield. They seemingly couldn't string 3 passes together and the combination play we saw against San Jose was non-existent for the first 5 minutes of play.  Vera and Corona were playing soft, and Portland easily found open guys in the gaps. Portland found their second shot at the 3:31 mark, got their third on the ensuing corner, which was followed with an awful left-footed clearance by Boniek Garcia. Their 4th shot came off second in a string of corners and sailed about 30 feet high of the target.  Houston immediately gave the ball back as Lundkvist (under very little pressure) fired a ball downfield to the Timber's awaiting backline. After Boniek knocked a ball away from a hard-charging Marvin Loría, Portland finally found a way to breakthrough.


It was nothing special, a simple FT, from the touchline parallel to the 18-yard box.  Lundkvist got roasted, Tim Parker had a rare misstep on a ball he should have had, Asprilla beat Valentine to the ball at the back post, and we were down 1-0.  As I'm driving, funneling coffee and Red-Bull down my throat as I rage eat my fill of sour gummy worms, I wanted to throw my phone out the window as the announcer screamed "GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLL-OL OL OL OL OLLLLLLLLL."  Normally, I love this call, but when it's against us I want to punch something.  The Portland fans reacted, but you can take your stupid drums and your jank, renovated baseball stadium and get out of here. Go ahead.....fire up that chainsaw and cut that log that nobody cares about......whatever. (Disclaimer:  I tend to hate every team in MLS other than the Dynamo, so I also hate all of their traditions and their supporter songs.  No offense, you just aren't my team.)

Houston seemed to immediately regroup.  We began to see the combinations take over.  Shortly after the goal we finally crossed midfield and Memo fired a cross into the box that just missed a streaking Tyler Pasher. Houston finally started creating some pressure with Pasher, Urruti, Memo, and Picault.  The game turned into a fairly fast-paced, back-and-forth game for the remainder of the first half with each team chipping away and creating chances.  Fafa Picault had the Dynamo's first decent chance after he found a deflection just outside the box.  His left-footed strike went wide right, but the Dynamo were finally knocking.  Houston finally broke through when Tyler Pasher's cross off a quick corner found Cristhian Paredes' head for an own goal in the 28th minute.  The game had turned very even, and we were playing toe to toe with Portland from minutes 5-45.

Portland was really circulating the ball well and giving the Dynamo no chance to counter.  Yimmi was distributing, and the movement of both ball and bodies began to wear us down.  And while the second half turned into a very even affair, Portland ended up on top.  The Timbers created twice the amount of chances the Dynamo were able to, and we didn't get a single Counter-Attacking opportunity. When Portland finally capitalized in the 73rd minute, I felt like the game was over.  Maxi Urruti had just fired off his only chance of the game (a right-footed strike from just outside the box), and Jeff Attinella was right there on top of things. Portland came right back, building from the goalkeeper and connecting on a deep ball to Felipe Mora who got his head on it and found Paredes for the game winner.  You could tell it took the wind out of our sails.

The effort wasn't bad. The guys battled back from a horrible start and I hate to overreact from a 1 point loss on the road to a really good Portland team but this game showed what I've been saying since the preseason.  We aren't good enough in key positions to get the job done against quality opponents.  Portland's midfielders were hands-down better than the Dynamo's on Saturday night, and their fullback pairing might be the most complete in the league.  Add to that Asparilla's ability to wreak havoc on the left flank and they just have too much talent for us to contend with.  We didn't lose this game because we simply messed it up, we lost it because they were better than us.  Their backline completely bottled up Maxi Urruti, and both Pasher and Picault couldn't break through Portland's backline.  The Timbers really held shape, and only allowed 3 shots on target the entire game. Against a team built like the Timbers, you have to create up the middle.  We couldn't find gaps and gave the ball to Loria and Charra far too many times.  We didn't win balls, we got beat to loose balls, and we didn't look as aggressive defensively as we did against San Jose, especially early.  I'm still hoping we can find another defender to pair with Tim Paker.  Boniek has done an admirable job back there the first two games, but he tends to push too high, and we can't afford that with Lundkvist playing on the outside of him.  

Game Notes:

Portland's Mid-field is well balanced and tuff to handle:  Yimmi Charra was an enormous threat in the first 20 minutes, and his speed and explosiveness is tuff for defenders to deal with.  Diego Chará and Cristhian Paredes are tuff, hard-nosed defenders and play the ball forward well.  They do an excellent job both finding and utilizing space in between defenders.  Bring in Diego Valeri off the bench and this is a top 5 mid-field in MLS.

Portland's backline won the game:  The two center backs had Urruti wrapped up tight, and they made Fafa Picault appear almost non-existent.  Portland has a really good spine, and we have to get better at creating chances through the middle.  Our combo play was really hurt by them, especially in the first 10 minutes.

Mattias Vera: I don't share the same views as everyone on him in this game.  He had a really difficult task to accomplish Saturday night and turned out a fairly steady performance.  He got beat by Yimmi Charra once, but when Charra has open space in front of him not many people in MLS are keeping up with him.  Vera hit all 6 of his deep passes and won several balls in the midfield.  He had 65 touches and only had 1 Unsuccessful touch. Vera was never dispossessed the entire game, he drew 3 fouls and connected on 89% of his passes, he also hit Pasher on a really nice through ball that set up a run down the right-wing that ended in a Pasher cross across the front of the net. I would have like to see him connect play better to Memo and Maxi, but it was a solid performance from Vera.

Memo Rodriguez: His passes were horribly off in the early going.  He was trying to play quick, one-touch football and was nowhere close to his targets. Urruti was drawing tons of attention, and Memo failed miserably at utilizing the space behind him (something he did really well vs. San Jose).  He was dispossessed 3 times, all in the attacking third.  He was 0/8 on crosses, had 0 key passes, 0 through balls, and didn't manage to fire off a single shot the entire game.  He and Urruti combined for 1 shot in for the entire game.  Honestly, Quintero looked more of a threat in his limited time and I didn't think he played all that well either. Memo had spots, but overall this wasn't a very good game for him.  He looked outclassed by Diego Charra and Portland's backline.

Fafa Picault: Couldn't get anything going really.  Found a gift and didn't capitalize.  Almost seemed like he wasn't on the field for long stretches, and couldn't get past Bravo when we found him.

Tyler Pasher: I've been read the reviews of Pasher on this game, and I'm going to disagree somewhat.  He didn't get on the end of a couple of crosses early, and his first touch of the game was inside the 18-yard box and he gave it directly to Larrys Mabiala.  Portland was soo unconcerned about him in the early going, Urruti was playing 1 vs 4 most of the first half. While I don't give Pasher all the blame, he had several crosses into 4 green shirts.  While he was able to get by Claudio Bravo several times, he had nothing to really show for it.  Bravo also shut Pasher down from cutting back inside for most of the first half, and Pasher couldn't win space going to his strong foot.  He began to chip away and had a decent stretch from minutes 25-45, and while I don't expect Super Star play from Pasher he has to do more with his touches and help draw more attention from Maxi.  Had a really disappointing run at the end of the first half when he had the entire defense beat and a 1v1 opportunity with the keeper. Had another disappointing end to a run after a nice steal and push forward by Lundkvist in the 57th minute. Disappeared for most of the second half. He looked much better on the right-wing than the left.

Adam Lundkvist: Got beat badly on the first goal, and beat several times throughout the game.  Lundkvist has had a target on his back in the first two games, and teams are routinely going after him.  Add to that the fact he fired balls to the other team or out of bounds repeatedly and this has been a bad start to the season for him.  He got the ball taken away on several dribbles down the sideline. He just needs to be consistent and steady.  He constantly holds onto the ball one touch too many. He doesn't have to make spectacular plays, just needs to make the simple ones.

Ariel Lassiter: Plain and simple, I'm hoping the return of Darwin means we see less of him. Had a header slot left off a great pass from Darwin in the 82nd minute, and should have capitalized on the equalizer at the 84th minute.  After a great through ball by Quintero found Pasher, Lassiter was all alone to get the rebound.  It seemed to surprise him and he blasted it off the side of the net. While he was able to create more shots than anyone else in a Dynamo jersey, none of them were very convincing.  I'm ready to see what Bajamich can do. I am also wondering if Pasher takes over this role when Darwin returns to full strength.

Yellow Card Watch: Houston has racked up 5 yellows through the first two games. Nobody has more than one, but the accumulation is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Next Up: Another tuff test with LAFC.  We all know what they can do and what we need to bring.  Come ready, come loud, let's blow the doors off BBVA.  See you there, come say hi.

Thanks Again for Reading.
Brian

Dynamo 2:1 San Jose - Reaction

Anyway, on to the game. The atmosphere before the game was pretty live, considering the limited capacity that was allowed.  The lines were full, the mood was good.  People were walking with a little bounce in their step on the way to their seats.  IT'S OPENING DAY.  New season, new players, new hopes...right?  Despite the dreary night and the rain coming down, the game started off with a bang and ended with three points.  We were clearly the better team for the majority of the game and it was a convincing 2-1 win.  

While Memo Rodriguez was named man of the match, Boniek Garcia's work as an impromptu center-back can't be overlooked.  Boniek was everywhere and shut down San Jose's attack from minute 1-90.  The pairing of he and Tim Parker was really intriguing, and they seemed to communicate and play off each other much better than what we saw from Sam Junqua in the preseason.  I don't think there's any question we're still looking for that second central defender, it'll probably be by committee. But Boniek definitely made a case to make the job his on Friday night and without question earned that captain's band on his arm.  His tackle at midfield at the 43:00 mark on Cade Cowell stopped a sure breakaway right before the half.  He sacrificed a yellow to stop a break after a terrible turnover by Adam Lundkvist.  It was a head's up, tuff, veteran play that stopped a chance before it was ever created.  I don't know how many balls he won or chased down at midfield, but he shot down a ton of long balls all game long.  Hist tackle inside the box at the 53:00 mark was beautiful. It was a leader's effort, and I loved seeing it from him.

The first half showed a combination of really nice combination play and defending.  We'll get to that,

but it also showed some warning flags for down the road.  Adam Lundqvist was shaky.  He was out of position often, he gave the ball away easily at times, and was just not as sharp as he normally is. Even though it's hard to complain about a guy that led us in tackles, his passing, ball handling, and decision-making were off.  Especially for someone as steady as Lundkvist normally is.  Maybe he had too much of our bad coffee (shout out to Soccer City Podcast) before the game. Marco Meric was solid in goal, but his distribution in the first half was terrible at times.  He has to make better/faster decisions and be more accurate downfield with the ball.  The defense in front of him kept him mostly clean, but the few times he needed to start the attack there wasn't an orange shirt in the area of his pass.  A couple of times the ball found nothing but the video board on the sideline. There's not a lot of large complaints here, there was more good than bad, but once again we failed to capitalize off far too many chances and our finishing has to get better.  We defended aggressively from the front, we built attacks, and our combo play was nice.  The weather wasn't all that helpful, and you could tell that the ball was playing quick on the grass.  Footing was tricky, and you saw several players on both sides slipping as they were trying to cut back. 

Houston was the more aggressive team from the start.  We came out pressing with purpose, and Pasher, Urruti, and Picault were creating problems in the attacking third from the getgo.  Corona, Memo, and Vera were really creating havoc in the midfield, and to put it plainly, simply outworked San Jose. At the 2:20 mark, Corona intercepted a pass and fired downfield to a racing Picault.  The ball just skipped out of Picaults reach to the goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski, but the warning shot began to show the tone of this game:  We were here to win. Only a minute later (after a nice combo by Mattias Vera off a throw-in) Fafa Picault raced paced two defenders and nearly found Tyler Pasher for a header on the back post.  It was only inches off, but the Dynamo were hyper-aggressive offensively and defensively in the opening minutes.  Even after a long pause due to Tommy Thompson's shoulder injury, the Dynamo were right back at it. La Naranja looked like a swarm of angry bees, and the second we went back to play, a Joe Corona steal led to a quick break, excellent hold-up play by Maxi Urruti, who found Memo on the run between two defenders with an excellent bender.  Memo's pass to a streaking Tyler Pasher just nipped a defender's heel and was picked up by Marcinkowski, but we were on the front foot and coming strong.

-8:30, another turnover and great movement finds Memo wide open just outside the box.  His shot just finds a defender's foot.

-9:40 - a streaking Picault has the ball just skip off his head to the keeper.

-10:00 - the Dynamo threaten again off good hold-up play from Urruti, a nice run from Pasher, and Memo is just turned away.

-10:30 - Boniek wins a header at midfield, that finds Corona, Corona hits Memo who punches a nice through ball to Tyler Pasher.  Pasher's cross hits a sliding Picault who puts the ball in the back of the net.  Pasher was offsides by a forearm, and the goal is taken away.

How San Jose survived this flurry of punches without conceding a goal was more luck than skill.  But they came away clean and began to fight back.  The Dynamo flurry was brought on by the aggression of Vera and Corona in the midfield, and the steady play of Parker and Garcia in the back.  They were winning every ball and turning them into quick offense.

At the 12:00 mark, San Jose threatened for the first time, as Javier Lopez's shot front 20 yards out was no problem for Marco Maric.  It was a soft jab after a flurry of counterpunches and stinging jabs that just missed the mark, but San Jose began to calm the game down.  The game started to turn a little sloppy, and a lot more physical. With heavy rainfall pouring down on BBVA, fouls became prevalent.  San Jose was having trouble dealing with the pressure and were seeking to split #ForeverOrange open with a deep ball down the middle. Their possession play was based mainly in the backline, as Vera and Corona were dominating the midfield. For the next 10 minutes of play, San Jose dominated possession, but created almost nothing.  At the 22 minute mark, a great run started by Fafa found quick-hitting action between Picault, Memo, and Vera.  Vera's left-footed chance was tipped just wide, but the Dynamo started to break through again.  The ensuing corner found Picault wide open at the back post.  After a good effort to control it, he rushed the shot and lasted it into The Surge.  On the ensuing goal kick, Boniek headed the ball to a waiting Urruti who then found Tyler Pasher cutting back to his heavy left foot.  Pasher blasted one but Florian Jungwirth was there to turn it away (and amazingly enough, Boniek won this ball back too.)

Finally, at the 38-minute mark, Memo Rodriguez cracked the game open. After some back and forth play, Boni stole a clearance at mid-field. He found Joe Corona with tons of space in between defenders who lobbed a perfect pass into Memo. Memo fought off Jungwirt for position, spun and outraced both the keeper and Oswaldo Alanís to the ball.  With Marcinkowski completely off his line, and hung out to dry like a pair of old work jeans, Memo sliced the ball past him beautifully for the game's first goal.  The build-up was nice and Corona's pass was perfectly laid, but Memo simply outworked everyone for that goal.  The Dynamo had finally notched ahead in a game they were clearly winning.  After a suspect Yellow on Mattias Vera, and another on the aforementioned Garcia, the Dynamo broke for half with a 1:0 lead.  Memo nearly made it 2:0 in added time, but after a tremendous run and a great pull back, his shot hit the woodwork and bounced back.

 

The second half had a different tone.  Houston was a little more content to sit back and allow San Jose to control possession.  Max Urruti finally widened the gap when Tyler Pasher found him right in the middle of the 18-yard box all by himself.  He slotted it nicely to the left side lower corner, and the Dynamo were now up 2:0 with just a little more than 30 minutes remaining on the clock. Tab's side dug in a little deeper, sat back a little more, and allowed San Jose to sit in their own half.  Minutes later Fafa sprung loose again on the counter and Marcinkowski just got a mit on it.  The ball ended up about 6" wide, but the Dynamo were knocking again.  Memo got another good chance right before the hour mark with a left-footed blast that missed by about a foot to the right.

With Chris Wondolowski now on, and Matias Almeyda bringing on fresh legs and throwing bodies forward, San Jose began to crack the Houston defense.  They weren't creating great chances, but they were testing and prodding.  Paul Marie scored an unbelievable goal from about 25 yards with a fantastic curler that found the right side.  It was a perfectly placed shot from deep and brought the game to one with 15 minutes remaining. 

It took until the 83-minute mark for San Jose to finally crack us open, and when they did they split us wide open.  Cristian Espinoza shot loose to track down a tremendous through-ball after a bad bounce on a Houston corner.  San Jose had numbers and position, as Darwin Ceren raced back to recover.  It was a 2v1 with Wondolowski racing down the left side. Espinoza's shot found Marco Meric's armpit, but the ball bounced right to Wondolowski about a foot from a wide-open net.  Wondolowski did that other thing he's famous for (Luckily for the Dynamo) and just completely blew the chance. 

It was the last bit of real excitement in the game.  Derrick Jones and Christian Ramirez came on shortly after, and the Dynamo held on to win a 2:1 nail bitter.  I feel like this is a game we wouldn't have won last year, but I'm also trying to be realistic about it.  We were clearly the best team on the pitch, but the goal-scoring chances translating to goals is still a problem.  The late-game defensive collapse once again almost bit us (and should have.  I still have no idea how Wondo missed that goal).  It feels good to win, but there's still serious concern to take away from this game.  Here's a look at a few individual players and some bright spots.  I'm not a "player rater" guy, so I'll just tell you what I saw.

Ariel Lassiter:  I was really critical of him last week, but he found Maxi right in front of the goal at the for a terrific chance right after coming on.  I'm not saying he was good.  He lost the ball twice in the box late in the game and gave the ball up too easily.  But he was better.  He helped create a couple of chances, but his defending and decision making still need to improve.

Tyler Pasher: It was a nice debut from Pasher.  I can see why Tab seems to like him soo much.  His work rate is really good, and he spearheads the defense.  He made some really nice passes in both the quick passing game and crossing as well, and he has good timing on his runs.  He's athletic enough to play at this level and should be a solid addition.  

Maxi Urruti: If he can play like this week in/week out we'll be alright.  His hold-up play was on point, he had several good chances, and he capitalized on his best one right in front of the goal.  He was putting a lot of pressure on the Quakes backline until he got a little banged up near the end of the first half.  He stayed down a couple of times grabbing his ankle, but lets hope he can stay healthy for the duration of the season.  He's a major upgrade over Christian Ramirez.

Vera and Corona: Simply put, dominated the midfield for the first 80 minutes of play.  They outworked, outfought, out everything'd San Jose for 88 of the 90 minutes, and they are a huge reason the Dynamo won.  They connected play really well, and just put in workman-like efforts.

Fafa Picault: Easily the most threatening player on the pitch.  He's lightning quick and caused a ton of problems.  San Jose couldn't match his speed or quickness and he's a major upgrade.

Tim Parker:  Tim Parker was just extremely solid.  He was always there, right were he needed to be.  He built from the back, he won every ball, and was soo good you almost didn't notice how good he was.

Marco Maric: While his distribution was really bad in the first half, his goalkeeping was outstanding. He was never out of position and it took a golazo to beat him.

Finally, of all the things I love about the game, the thing I loved the most was this:

It was great seeing you all out there last night.  Good night for a win.  Bang those drums, blow those horns, set off those flairs, and bounce like House of Pain.  We've earned it, and after last year, we definitely deserve it.

#HoldItDown and #StayForeverOrange.

Thanks for reading

Brian

For once in my life I hope I'm wrong: Approaching the season with pessimistic optimism.

 

Dude, what?  That doesn't even make sense.  Just wait......hear me out.  I want to be excited about this team.  I really do.  Despite my frustration with the front office, and my despise for many things this league does, I love this team.  I really want them to be good, I really want them to be better.   I'm pulling for Tab, and Matt Jordan, and the guys.  It's not for any reason other than.....they're part of the team.  They're Dynamo, so they're my guys.  I like the guys we added this offseason.  I hope we are better, more than that, I hope we are good. Not just "barely squeaked into the playoffs" good, but "solid playoff position and win a round or two" good.  That's what I'd like.......

BU-UT, there's these things called my eyes and my brain.  Do I like Pasher, Picault, Urruti, Jones and Corona?  Sure, they seem like decent guys to have in the locker room, and they play hard.  Do they help us get to the next level?  No.  Would they be OK with a dynamic #9?  They'd be great additions if we were putting them around 2018 Manotas, but that guy isn't here.  These guys are cogs, they aren't the wheel.  Urruti is a decent player.  He's going to drop 7-10 goals, he plays hard, and seems like a decent human.  It seems like he fits in well with the guys, and fits what Tab is trying to do. But he's not the guy we need. For one of the few times in my life, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm most likely not. 

It's mostly disappointing that we got a player of Tim Parker's caliber without using a DP slot to get him,

then left the other two slots vacant.  Having Parker as a non-DP basically should allow us to have 4 DP caliber-worthy players in #ForeverOrange and could have led to the quick turnaround we are looking for.  And before you guys start throwing the Tomas Martinez's out there as examples of how bad we are at picking DP's, remember Elis was a young DP. He was pretty good.  As much as I dislike things that have been done while Jordan was here (trading Quioto, selling Elis and Manotas for a bag of peanuts and some fertilizer) I don't necessarily blame him.  He offered Elis the biggest contract in Dynamo history, Elis turned him down.  That put our backs against the wall as he was bout to walk on a free. Quioto was a hothead who didn't really want to be here, and Manotas was the worst striker in MLS last year (and we still got a reported $4mil from him.)  and also about to walk for free.  Jordan brought in Quintero, and I'm convinced that Quintero, Elis and Monatas would have made a playoff push last year.

But, how does he go last year leaving a DP slot open, and this year leaving two open AFTER we just made $5 mil off Manotas and Elis?  Where's the James Harden money? This makes no sense.  What, are we saving it for a rainy day? While I'm trying to stay positive, I'm just as frustrated as many of you out there.  In this city, with this market, and the huge amount of soccer fans and players we have, the Dynamo should be bending over trying to field championship teams.  We all know the owners are absent and incompetent, which is why I somewhat cut Matt Jordan some slack.  We've all had a job with bad bosses who didn't care.  He can only do what they allow him to.  If we had unlimited funds and super aggressive owners, I'd be more critical of him.  I know those of you out there that disagree, and I respect it.  I just don't necessarily agree.

Welcome to the New Faces:

The list is long this year:

Joe Corona

Derek Jones

Ian Hoffman

Fafa Picault

Max Urruti

Tyler Pasher

Tim Parker

Ethan Bartlow

Kyle Morton

Juan Castillo

Welcome to the city of Houston.  We have the best restaurants and food in the U.S.  You have a starving and disgruntled fanbase.  There are those of us amongst us that will love you no matter what.  We just want your best.  We're here for you, and will even carry your bags to the airport for you.  We are as diverse as the city, ranging far in economic status and nationality.  It's part of being a Houstonian.  We love it as much as we love good Tacos and Southern Cooking.  We hope you help us build something special here, because we need it.  You have our support, and you'll need it.  

This City Deserves Better.

I was at Bayern vs. Real Madrid.  It was a beautiful experience.  Not just because of the product on the pitch, but also because of the 60,000 fans packed inside Reliant.  We need to recreate that at every home game.  I see you El Batalon and the Texian Army,  I see you The Surge, you're doing your part.  I see you season ticket holders.  It's not easy going out to BBVA every single Matchday just to wind up nauseous at the end of the year.  For us to have survived the combination of the Pandemic and the 2019/2020 Dynamo, we deserve medals.  Those of you reading this are the lifeblood of this organization because you care enough to read some Biology Teacher's thoughts.  You are the die-hards that are there even when nobody else is.  I see you, why don't they see you?

We have been pulled in eight million directions.  We need a star player, we need to develop local talent, we need a new GM, Tab's terrible.  We have been teased by the signings of Quintero and Parker, only to have nothing around them.  We have watched roster regression for years.  No matter the size of the signing, we need a squad of 15 quality players that can compete.  We have an aging roster, and we are going to depend on guys that are almost as old as I am.  I agree with two of the points above.  We need a star.  We need a goal scorer, AND we need to develop and harness young talent.  Young talent has developed here.  Elis and Monatas were both teenagers when we got them, and they developed into Dynamic talent here.  We need to publicize that.  We need to have a system where Christian Chappis is dying to come here, and not leave us for Frisco.  We don't need one thing to be better, we need the entire organization to be better.  We don't want a flash in the pan, we want a consistent dominant force.  We want it now.

Tomorrow night is just the beginning:

I'll most definitely overreact by whatever happens tomorrow night. If we win, I'll be on high hope island.  If we lose, I'll be on the "We aren't winning a single game" low.  I'm a fan, it's what we do.  I'm going to try and remain patient and see what this team does this year.  As I said, I'm hoping I'm wrong, and I hope for all of us.....I am. I hope to see you all there, and if you see me, come by and say hi.  

Thanks again for reading.

Brian

With the offseason over, what exactly did we learn?

Normally you would consider going 5-0-1 over the preseason and outscoring your opponents 10-4 over a 6 game span a pretty good stretch. Despite all of this, if Saturday's match against FC Dallas was any inclination about the upcoming season, The Dynamo are in trouble.  A step slow, a foot off, a half-second too late were common themes on Saturday, with few bright spots.  The final two games against Austin F.C. and F.C. Dallas left some to be desired.  

On another note, how great was it to hear El Batallon, the Surge, and the Texian Army all fired up for 90 minutes.  It's been too long since we've heard you guys own the North End of the Stadium, and it brought some chills down my spine just hearing you all walk into the park.  

Anyway, ON WITH IT.

The Good

Tim Parker 

He's the steal of the MLS offseason.  Not just for the Dynamo, but for the league. Let there be no doubt, Tim Parker is a tremendous defender.  He's the best defender we've had in some time, hands down. He has been in the right spot at the right time and is always on alert.  The big, strong CB with the athleticism to play with MLS's best is also competing on every single play.  His positioning, aggression, and timing have been great.  Being that the team didn't give up a goal until Saturday's matchup, it's hard to be too negative about the backline, but he was the lone bright spot in the back on Saturday afternoon.

Tyler Pasher

Don't get me wrong, Pasher hasn't been amazing.  But, he's had a solid showing so far.  He made several key runs on Saturday, although ended with nothing to show for it.  It's hard to see exactly how he fits in, other than a rotation player or a late-game sub at right-wing, but he looked good coming back inside to his left foot.  His blast in the first half was just too high and left, which was also the nearest thing the Dynamo had to a goal in the first 45 minutes of play.  He was attacking, holding up, and cutting inside when he needed to and made good decisions on the ball.  I don't know that he's a full-time MLS player right now, but he's shown enough to get minutes and could earn legitimate time at the right-wing.

Fafa Picault

Fafa scored a brace against Austin FC, and was generally on the front end of the attack over the last two games.  Although he couldn't really shake loose against Frisco, he was creating pressure both on the attack and by defending from the front.  Fafa is a professional, and a nice addition.  

The Bad

The System

I can't see how this group of players fits this system.  Vera, at times, was the only player capable of creating up the middle.  Vera isn't that type of player, and the offense was often stagnant because of it.  The full-backs were constantly pushing too high, especially on the backside, which opened them up to counterattacks.  Neither Lundkvist nor Zerek Valentine are the fleetest of foot, and the Dynamo are just one turnover in the mid-field (which happens far too often), from being in a one-on-one battle with only Marco Meric protecting the goal.  The good news is neither Darwin Quintero nor Memo Rodriguez were in the Starting 11, but the bad news is they don't have another goal creator on their team.  Fafa Picault could never get loose, Max Urruti was often covered up and couldn't find space as there was no other threat up the middle, and neither wing could penetrate anywhere near the middle of the field. Crosses were easily turned away, or there was no on the end of them.  Tab Ramos will need to find a way to get Darwin and Memo on the field together and yet still get the defensive cover he needs in order to have any sort of chance this year.

The Midfield

The midfield made some plays defensively, but constantly gave the ball back in bad positions and did little to create anything going forward.  This midfield is a hodge-podge of assembled parts, but the problem is there is no true stand out.  Mattias Vera is a nice player, but he needs someone in front of him who can make plays.  Honestly, I don't think these three will be playing together for bulk moments when the season starts, but they looked out of sorts and offered little to nothing going forward.  

The Ugly

Sam Junqua

Sam Junqua looked completely overmatched, and completely incapable of playing a central defender position.  The final goal of the game, Junqua completely misplayed a ball in the air with time and space to make a play.  Jesus Ferreira easily picked it up, turned Junqua soo badly he fell down twice, and easily beat Maric at the far side.  Junqua misplayed passes, he whiffed on headers, and pushed too high up and lost shape which once ended with him getting roasted for the second goal of the game by Ryan Hollingshead.  He looked out of position, and completely unreliable. He was in a position to make plays on both of the other goals, but made absolutely no attempt to make a play on the ball. The second goal of the game he watched a ball push about 6" to his right, and then watched Ryan Hollingshead beat the only defender who gave any effort (Tim Parker) and deposit it in the back of the net.  It was a nice pass by Andrés Ricaurte, but 4 Houston defenders watched it go through. 
Hopefully, Maynor Figueroa has enough left in the tank to fill this position, and Ethan Bartlow develops enough to earn minutes here. Is it too late to still make a run at Carlos Salcedo?

Ariel Lassiter

Not sure of a nice way to say this, because there's not one.  Ariel Lassiter was awful on Saturday.  It was one of the worst performances I've seen from a Dynamo wide player.....ever.  He seems to have a complete lack of awareness on the pitch, and couples that with a very low skill set.  He twice was in a 1 v 1 on the wing, and twice gave the ball away.  The first, a hard-charging run down the left flank that started with promise, turned into simply dribbling the ball directly into the defender, who took it away from him.  He had space, he was coming with pace, and he didn't even attempt to make a move to get past the defender.  The defender didn't even have to work to get the ball, Lassiter just gave it to him.  The second started as a nice run down the left flank and ended with a cross to absolutely no one.  I don't even know who he was trying to cross the ball to, as it simply found a central defender (who didn't have to move or rush to get the ball) who wasn't within 20 yards of an attacking player.  It was more of what we saw from him last year.  If we are ever in a position where we have to count on Lassiter for heavy minutes, we are in serious trouble.

The Verdict:

My stance hasn't changed.  This isn't a playoff-caliber team and will be in the lower tier of the league for most of the year.  There's not enough attack, and the defense is suspect.  They need another defender, and they have little depth despite all the offseason moves.  Despite the fact that I think this team will be better than last year's team, they don't have enough pieces to climb into a playoff position.  

On another note, can I ask why everyone is so sure that Tab Ramos will be gone after this season?  Does this front office actually care enough to fire him if we aren't competitive?  Is it even Tab's fault?  Asking Matt Jordan and Tab Ramos to win games with this current ownership group is like asking someone to make a gourmet meal only from the Clearance rack at Kroger's.  Sure, someone could do it, it'd be unusual, weird, and "trendy", but there wouldn't be Creme Brule at the end.  I get that we Dynamo fans are frustrated, but why would we hire a guy who has a reputation for developing young talent, stick him with a bunch of aging, mediocre players, and then put him on a short leash?  That makes no sense.  To do this right, it'll take 4-5 years for Tab to really have the time he needs to turn it around.  Can't we at least give him Wilmer Cabrera levels of patience? Just something to think about as we progress through this season.  

Thanks again for Reading.

Stay #ForeverOrange and #HoldItDown Houston.

Ten Americans in Europe that I'd love to see play for the Dynamo, but know it'll never happen

No, these aren't the biggest names in the world American Soccer.  I could sit here and name a bunch of guys we could never afford, and a bunch of guys who'd never come, but this isn't that type of list.This list includes guys that aren't highly priced or that Houston could get when they are out of contract, but I also know that it'll never happen (unless I'm playing FIFA 21).  I don't see some of them coming to MLS, I don't see any of these guys as players that the Dynamo would actually go for, and I'm also aware that MLS re-entry draft rules and Discovery Rights would make it nearly impossible.  But a guy can dream right? 

Please also note that this isn't my Dream 11, or a list of players from anywhere in the globe I'd love to see trampling the turf at BBVA, it's a specific list of a specific set of players. These guys are either young and on the up, or underutilized vets that could have enough left in the tank to help Tab Ramos' squad.  Many of them have played for Tab on the USMNT as youngsters and some are simply intriguing prospects, others would be welcome additions. So without further ado, the nominees go to:

1) Sebastien Soto 

Age - 20 - CF - Norwich - English League 2 - Current Market Value - $550k
Soto has had a tuff go getting to a first team in Europe.  Originally with Hannover '96 in the Bundesliga's second tier, he spent two years on Hannover's youth team despite scoring 17 goals in 24 games for Hannover's U-19 team. Soto moved to Norwich City in England's Championship this summer after his contract with Hannover ran out.  Unable to obtain a work permit, Sebastian went on a short term loan to Telstar in the Netherlands before he was recalled in January. 

Soto scores goals, plain and simple.  In 19 appearances for USMNT, he's scored 15 goals.  At Telstar, he had 7 goals in 12 games (8 starts).  "He's definitely a team-first type player and he's excellent around the box," Ramos told Goal last summer. "When he gets a chance, he puts it away. People just can't do that consistently. You have tons of great players who can't score goals and he can."  With the lack of a #9 of any significance here in Houston, he'd be an amazing fit. Being that Norwich city currently sits 7 points atop the table and look to move into the Premier league next year, it's doubtful Soto could be convinced to make the move, but he would be awesome here. He just signed a 3 year contract with Norwich City, but if the work permit is still on hold, why not put out a loan offer for him through this year?

2) Fabian Johnson

Age - 33 - LM/LB - Free Agent - Current Market Value=$1.1 mil.
Fabian Johnson would be a great addition here.  A solid vet who can still press and make plays.  He can legitimately play 6 positions (LB, RB, LM, RM, CM, CAM) and be an upgrade for us at all 6.  He's a free agent, and would be worth a DP slot.  He's aging, and there's injury concern with Fabian, but he could come here and have a DaMarcus Beasley type ending to his career.  There were rumors he was negotiating with several MLS teams last June, but his contract ran up and he's currently unsigned.  Surely we could use some of that James Harden money and go get him.

3) Timmy Chandler

Age -30- RM/RB - Eintracht Frankfurt - Bundesliga - Germany - Current Market Value=$1.65 mil
Timmy is one of my favorite players of all-time, and a big reason I latched on to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 30 year old has one year remaining on a deal that expires in 2022.  The former USMNT player would be a definite upgrade at RB, and still has plenty left in the tank. Currently a sub for Eintracht Frankfurt and having played only 96 minutes this year, Timmy can still get up and down the sideline, is a good defender, and is an extremely accurate passer both down the field and on crosses.  He's a fan favorite there, and would immediately command a new jersey sale purchased by me, about :37 seconds after he's announced.  He's played Wing Back in Eintracht's primary 3-4-1-2, Right Back and Right Mid in a both a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1, and he's still very good at applying pressure up the pitch and defending from the front.  He can turn defense into offense quickly and went on a brilliant run last year during the second half of the season scoring 6 goals over a five game stretch. Many fans in the U.S. are sour on him from his time on USMNT, but watching him for the last 6 years I have seen him turn in steady performances time and time again.  Being native to Frankfurt, it'd be hard to pry him away, but he doesn't command a big wage and would be a great addition to BBVA.  His contract is also up at the end of the year, so he could make a midseason move here for a playoff push.

4) Jonathan Amon 

Age - 22 - Left Wing - FC Nordsjælland - The Netherlands - Current Market Value=$440k
Jonathan Amon is FAST.  He's got top level speed, is a good ball handler, has a nice first touch and would reek havoc on MLS defenses.  Amon persistently blows by defenders and finds slivers of daylight to create goals.  He has good finishing accuracy going to his right, and will find open teammates in front of the net.  The South Carolina native's contract expires in 2022, and after missing last year with a knee injury he's working his way back into form (returning only a week ago).  He had a goal in his first game back (25 minutes as a substitute), and an assist in his appearance in the Danish Sydbank Pokalean (Sydbank Cup). He has DP level talent, and would be a difference maker with his speed, pressure, and passing.  He has a decent right foot when cutting back inside, but is not a big time goal scorer.  Would be an awesome addition here.

5) Christian Cappis 

Age -20 - Midfielder - Hobro IK - Danish Superliga - Denmark - Current Market Value=$330k
Just so we're clear, Chappis SHOULD BE a Dynamo already. He stiffed #ForeverOrange for FC Frisco, and then when MLS declared the Dynamo owned his discovery rights, he went on trial at Bayern Munich instead. Bayern apparently where interested but didn't have a roster spot so he ended up signing with Hobro IK in Denmark.  I don't know that Chappis would be a superstar, but he's a solid 6 and he's only 21 years old. The left footer would be a great compliment to Mattias Vera with his size (6'1") an defensive capabilities.  He played over 2,000 minutes on 24 starts last year for Hobro IF, and just got his first USMNT call up.  He just signed a 4 year deal with Brondby who sit at the top of the Superliga table, so the chances of him coming here anytime soon are nil. Although he somewhat burned us, I'd still love to see him in Tab Ramos's system.

6) Shaq Moore 

Age - 24 - RB - CD Tenerife - Segunda Division - Spain=Current Market Value - $660,000
Shaq Moore has over 10,000 minutes played as a professional.  His 4,235 minutes on  46 starts over the last two years for Tenerife have been marked with improvement every step of the way.  He's seen time in La Liga, he's started against Lionel Messi at The Bernabeu. He's currently behind a logjam at RB for the USMNT, but is a solid player with good speed and can definitely defend.  He's signed through 2024, but at that market value a transfer shouldn't be out of the question. Moore is young, he's explosive, he gets good reads on the ball, but his deep ball passing and crossing need improvement. Moore was a mainstay for Tab Ramos on the Under-20's, and in the 2015 CONACACAF U-20 Champion team Moore started and played the full 90 in 5 of the 6 games, and started 18 out of 20 games overall in that campaign.  His familiarity with Tab, his athleticism, I'd love to see this happen.

7) Luca de la Torre

Age - 22 - CM - Heracles Almelo (Loan From Fulham) - Eredivisie - Current Market Value - $770k

Luca has had a bear of a time breaking through to the first team at Fulham, managing on 64 minutes in the Championship over his 3 years with the club. One loan to Heracles Almelo, he's finally getting valuable playing time (24 starts, 1700+ minutes played). Posting a goal and two assists, he's really solidified himself on a team that sits square in the middle of the table. The thing that is jumping off the page at people is his ability to take the ball away from people (26 tackles won, 24 interceptions in 24 games), and his 22 fouls drawn. His 86.8% passing leads the team and is currently among the upper echelon of Eredivisie passers (21st overall, only 4 midfielders have a higher percentage). de la Torre was a force on Tab Ramos's U-20 side in the last U-20 World Cup, and it might jump start him to make the full time move here to play for Tab on the club side. His contract runs up next summer, so trying to get him on the end of his contract or on a loan deal until his contract runs out would be ideal.

8) Richy Ledezma 

Age - 20 - CM/CAM - PSV Eindhoven - Eredivisie - Current Market Value - $935k
Ramos believes that Ledezma is one of the best players from a U-20 group that included Josh Sargent, Tim Weah, Chris Richards, and others. Ledezma is a playmaking attacking midfielder who has loads of potential. He had just broken through PSV's first team in November 2020, making 3 appearances over 5 weeks when he tore his ACL 17 minutes into PSV's Europa League match against Omonia Nicosia during the group stage last December. His first Europa League minutes, and his first Europa league start, Ledezma was just finding some traction after a broken foot sidelined him in 2019 before he even made it to the Netherlands. Another person who has intimate knowledge of playing for Ramos, and another signed through 2022, I'd love to see him take over the reigns for Darwin Quintero when Darwin is ready to retire. His long term goal is to play at a Champions League level club in Europe, but I would love to see him in Darwin's role here in Houston.

9) Andrija Novakovich 

Age - 24 - CF - Frosinone Calcio - Italy - Current Market Value - $1.87 mil.
Novakovic is finally realizing potential that he saw as a member of the USMNT U-20's.  His time at Reeding FC was seen with loan deals for 3 straight years, and despite scoring 19 goals in 35 games at Telstar in the Netherland's second flight, he found his way on another loan and eventually to his current home of Frosinone in Italy's second tier.  He wanted to go to Italy, stating that the defense there would help take him to the next level.  He's been really good this year, banging home 7 goals in 1500+ minutes as Frosinone sits in the mid-table of Serie B.  He's big (6'3") is good around the box, and does a good job holding up play and finding teammates.  Also signed through 2022, he should be a player on our radar as we continue to search for a viable #9.

10) Isaiah Young

Age - 22 RW/LW/CF - Rot-Weiss Essen - Regionalliga West (Germany) Current Market Value=$165k
Young is an explosive athlete and an interesting prospect. He's never played higher than the second division, which he did in 2019/2020 for Belgium's Union SG. He only played just over 500 minutes the entire year there, but has had a re-emergence of sorts this year and is playing well for German 4th Division side Rot-Weiss Essen. That might not post wow-factor, but he put in good performances in the DFB Pokal against Fortuna Dusseldorf (2nd Division), Bayer Leverkusen (1st Division), and Holstein Kiel (Second Division). Young was in the starting 11 in all three games, and was a constant threat on the pitch and Rot Weiss Essen took down two much bigger clubs before finally succumbing to Kiel. He started off his career with a bang, scoring 3 goals in his first 8 starts for Werder Bremen' U-19 side in the U-19 Bundesliga, but his production has really fallen off over the last several years and he just hasn't been able to make the Jump. He had 2 goals and 7 assists in 1700+ Minutes in 17/18 for Werder Bremen's II side, and so far this year has a goal and 3 assists in just over 1000 minutes played. While his athleticism is intriguing, his work rate and skill level both need some improvement. He'd be a project and most likely wouldn't make an immediate impact in the squad, but the former stalwart on the US U-19's could be a low risk - high reward type investment.

Others worth noting:

Mason Judge - 18 - CB - Eintracht Frankfurt - Bundesliga - Current Market Value=Unranked.

Joe Scally - 18 - RB - Borussia Mönchengladbach - Bundesliga -Current Market Value=$2.2 mil

Alex Mendez - 20 - CM/CAM - Ajax - Eredivisie - Current Market Value=$550k

Julian Green - 25 - CM/CAM - SpVGG Greuther Furth - 2. Bundesliga - Current Market Value=$1.1 mil

*Editor's note, I could name about 20 more kids in the Bundesliga I'm excited about, but this is where I'll end my list.*

Thoughts?  Anyone you'd like to see on this list?  Feel free to comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Brian