Roller Coaster Ride: Wins against Minnesota and Austin, disaster vs. Vancouver.

 

This season is going to be taxing.  For all the work Ben Olsen has done to transform PNC into a true Hell in the Shell, this team is still absolutely abysmal on the road.  We had the highs with the thrashing of Minnesota United in the Lamar Hunt USOC, beating Austin FC at home, and experienced the lows after getting dismantled against Vancouver on the road Wednesday night. Is this a season of highs and lows?  Will it be a year-long roller coaster home vs. away? Or, is this the beginning of what has become our annual pitfall into the abyss.  There are some signs this team is built differently than the ones we've seen over the last half decade, but to keep asking the question: is it better?

What we see at home:

Simply put, the Dynamo are the best Defensive team in the league at home.  They've given up a league-low 2 goals in 9 games, have outscored their opponents 13-2, and are 7-1-1 in the friendly confines of Shell Energy Stadium. Playing primarily in a mid-low block, taking very few risks going forward, the team is simply grinding out games consistently in front of #ForeverOrange fandom. One of their losses came with only 9 men on the field (1-0 vs. Seattle). They've made Shell more than a fortress, they are making teams not want to come to play here.......and it's not really summer.  We haven't had much to be cautiously optimistic about for a while, but this trend is a positive one. Recently, putting up 4 on Minnesota's stingy defense AND beating Broccoli F.C. felt good! While I can't foresee this team being this good at home for the entire year with all this travel and short weeks, they will remain good enough to stay in the playoff hunt.

Rough Times Ahead:

They've got one of the ingredients for making the playoffs down, but the rest of it is nowhere near ready.  Unfortunately, there's an entire load road games on short rest coming up, as The Dynamo have some brutal stretches in June and July. Only four of their next ten matches are in Houston.  Their next 6 MLS games are a meat grinder, with St. Louis (3rd best in the league @ 1.92 points/match), then back-to-back with LAFC (best in the Western Conference @ 2.08 points/match) over a 4-day stretch, and especially after a short rest with Chicago smashed in prior to it on June 6th.  There are soo many short rest weeks in June and July, before having a month off to start August.  Road games, short weeks, summer heating up, and we are about to really find out what this team is made of.

Why we shouldn't give up.....yet.

(1) Ibrahim Aliyu is good.  He's changing this attack in a positive way with his runs, his first touch, and his pace.  Opponents not only have to worry about his speed, but he also knows how to do something with it in pockets of space dropping back to the ball.  He's not only creating shots for himself and being aggressive, but he's opening up gaps for Bassi, Baird and HH as well.

(2) Corey Baird is starting to score.  There were a lot of people poo-pooing his hat trick against Minnesota, but he came back and scored a nice one against Vancouver before the wheels fell off. 

(3) This game was part of a scheduling nightmare by MLS.  To go from Houston to Vancouver on a short week is extremely harsh.  Play Saturday night -> fly 2,000 miles, play one of the best home teams in MLS ->  Vancouver is really good at home, we played terribly and looked like we had just traveled 2,000 miles on short rest.

(4) Steve Clark (minus Wednesday night) had been playing extremely well since the first two games of the year when I questioned whether or not he had anything left.   He was

Why the sky is falling.

(1) Micael has been trending downward for a couple of weeks, and played terribly on Wednesday night.  I understand why Ben Olsen is trying to get him in the lineup, because with Escobar, Bartlow, Sviatchenko, and Steres, there's not a left-footer in the lineup.  Micael at CB was even showing cracks against Austin, but he was able to make plays when needed.  Playing both Steres and Escobar at FB severely limits what you can do forward, and Escobar is better on the right side.  Micael has been getting a lot of time since Teenage got hurt, but it might be time for Sviatchenko to step in.

(2) The card situation is getting completely out of hand. While the Dynamo are actually improving in the Yellow Card situation over a year ago, the red accumulation of 4 (and don't forget about the one in the Open Cup) not only lead the league but would have been good for 3rd most in the league last year......for the entire season.  While two of them (HH's second yellow vs. Seattle & Nelson's from Saturday) were extremely petty, it's something they have to get under control. (rant about this later)

(3) The team, who had been fighting for 90 minutes in every game, flat-out quit on Wednesday night.  Not only did they quit, but to give up a goal in under 18 seconds to start BOTH halves is flat-out embarrassing.

(4) This team is winless on the road and has lost 5 of 7.  Winning on the road has been something this team simply can't do for more than a decade, and Ben Olsen has to find a way to start pulling at least 1 point from these games.

Final Thoughts:

It's a long season, there are 20+ games left, and we haven't even gotten into the heat of summer yet.  This team is set up defensively really well, and they are attacking better of late.  I think we saw some of that in the first half before they gave up a goal 18 seconds in the second half and threw things out of the window.  Wednesday night was a chaotic game where Vancouver banged the ball deep and it paid off.  Bartlow, Artur, and Escobar have logged a ton of minutes lately and were on short rest. The best thing for us, and for the team to do, is burn the Vancouver tape and never watch it again.  Let's just get ready for St. Louis on Saturday and figure out how to pull points on the road.

Final Rant:

Major League Soccer is the softest officiated league on the planet, and there is enormous inconsistency in Yellows, Reds, and sometimes even fouls.  Not only the quantity of reds given in this league are ridiculous, but the standard by which reds are given is soo low that it makes the league hard to watch.  Add to that the fact that calls are soo inconsistently given you don't even know what is a card or not.  Take Wednesday night for example.  Cordova, sitting on a yellow, toe pokes Steve Clark who had just fell on the ball.  Not only is there no card given, there's nothing given at all except a yellow to Clark who asked where the call was.  I'm not a "The Refs hate us" guy, but I am a "ProReferees are embarrassing this league and the standard of officiating has to dramatically improve" guy.  The refereeing makes games choppy, it's creating a league where diving is encouraged because of the ease in which cards are given.  While I am holding back on how all of our sports leagues have gotten ridiculously soft over the years, MLS has global standards by which to compare themselves and compete in.  I both of these areas they are currently fighting a losing battle.

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Stick a fork in this team: They're done.

 

This loss was about mental lapses and execution.

This team doesn't know how to win.  In what has become a common theme with this group of players over the last two years, there were multiple opportunities to put this game away, and on both sides of the ball, the team failed to execute.  From one of the team's biggest stars to their role players failing to fulfill their role, this loss is an epitome of what is wrong with this team: the roster.  While some bad luck definitely aided to this loss, the poor execution and mental lapses that happened throughout the second half cost the Houston Dynamo 3 points and, in essence, ended their season.  The mental lapses happened in all phases of the game and reared their ugly head most at the worst possible time. 

This was (on paper) a matchup of two fairly evenly matched teams, both of whom are struggling to find wins.  Vancouver, down 7 men to start the game and playing without Lucas Cavellini in the starting 11, was the most dangerous team from the early goings. Julian Gressel was a constant threat on from the wing, getting the ball deep in the attacking third and firing in dangerous crosses. After the first goal, Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini changed up the defense, pressing the Dynamo back 4 when they were in possession.  While the Dynamo managed to dominate possession in the first half (63%), they did very little with it.  Managing only two shots on target, (both by Fafa Picault), the Dynamo were doing very little dangerously in the final third.  There were opportunities, Thor twice had the ball deep in the attacking third 1v1 with Tristan Blackmon, twice he was unable to do anything with it, and twice we came away with nothing. 

The Dynamo were in trouble despite the 1:0 scoreline.

The second half was a much different story.  Vancouver had us pinned back deep from the second-half kick.  Pressing our backline and man-marking our midfield, Vancouver was stifling any opportunities going forward.  The deep passes that were hitting in the first half weren't there in the second half, and for the first 5 minutes, the Dynamo managed only one touch on the opposition's half of the field. Vancouver dominated the run of play in the second half, creating most of the scoring opportunities (9 shots - 3) and big chances created (5-2).

At the 50th minute mark, the Dynamo got their first real chance.  It was an opportunity that should have been the game clincher, but instead, we got this:

These are plays that separate winning and losing.  These are the plays that separate playoff contenders from wooden spoons.  With a chance to go up 2-0 on the road, El Cientifico del Gol chooses a flying scissor kick a ball for no reason, whiffs at the chance, and cost his teammates a goal.  This isn't a rookie Thor we are talking about, it's a 34-year-old veteran in his 17th year as a professional.  These types of plays are inexcusable.  These types of plays HAVE to be made.  On top of that, this was Darwin's only shot opportunity of the entire game.  He has to capitalize.  

Thor also had a big chance (59:24) that just failed to go in.  While credit needs to go to Cody Copper for getting a touch on it, and credit to Thor for making a nice move in the box and putting a good shot on target, look at Fafa Picaut in the final frame.

This game should have been 2-0 at this point.  Fafa has to at least make a play on this ball. If you watch the body language by the guys on the field after this play, Fafa has his head down, Sebas turns around and is walking back, the only guy with any pep on screen is Thor.  The midfield (Hector Herrera especially) is jogging back.  And while the next possession turned into a cross that Tim Parker cleared, you could see frustration begin to take over this team.

This chance (note the time) turns into nothing:

The Downfall:

While I've seen criticism of Nagamura for his late-game substitutions in this game, I actually don't get it.  Up 1-0 in the 72nd minute, Paulo began to get all of his best defenders in squad into the game.  It was a conservative and smart tactic on the road.  

• 72nd minute: Griffen Dorsey and Coco -> Sebas and DQ
• 83rd minute: Ethan Bartlow and Zeca -> Thor and Zarek Valentine

Paulo parked the bus, sat deep, and packed it in in a 5-4-1 with his fastest and best defensive forward (Fafa) setting the high line. 

The lineup (Dorsey, Parker, Steres, Bartlow, Junqua on the back line, Zeca, Ceren, HH, Coco in the midfield) should have been able to lock down this game.  But they didn't.  While the first goal was a bit unfortunate, the second goal was a combination of mistakes and turned 3 points into 0. The first goal, given to Simon Becher an MLS veteran of 9 total minutes...(yes, you're reading that right), tapped one home in the 88th minute to make it 1-1. 

Here you go!!! @simon_becher101 nets the equalizer last night in his @MLS debut!!!@WhitecapsFC | #VWFC pic.twitter.com/hbcJUwrZpk

— Sarita Patel - 'Caps Club Reporter (@SaritaReports) August 6, 2022

While I say it was a bit unfortunate, it was also helped by a momentary lapse in concentration by Zeca, who lost his man (Ali Ahmed) and gave him a free run to the middle.  Tim Parkers deflection of Ahmed's pass wound up right at the foot of Becher, who managed to tap it home for the equalizer.  

Instead of grinding this game out for a draw, the Dynamo chased a second goal, opened themselves up, and gave up the winning goal less than 4 minutes later.   Lucas Cavellini's right-footed blast sealed the game.  Clark should have stopped it, didn't, and the Dynamo are no 3 points poorer because of a collective effort.

Despite the math, this team is done.

While playing the kids shouldn't be the goal at this point, moving on from guys that shouldn't be back should be.  There are a lot of players that are playing big roles that have yet to help us get over the line, and they need to stop seeing the field.   We need to figure out if guys like Bartlow can carry a week-in, week-out workload, so we can move on from more expensive options on the team (Steres, Parker).  We need to see if Beto Avila can help fill a role as part of the rotation next year.  It's time to give these guys extended looks.  And while I'm not a proponent of bringing the Dynamo Dos guys in, I'm not necessarily against it either.  Going to watch games at Aviva, and looking beyond the scoreline, I'm not sure how many of those guys help change results this year or next.  Other than Brooklyn Raines and possibly Xavier Valdez, I'm not sure any of those guys have a positive impact on the squad.  They're good, and much credit to them for what they've done this year, but I'm not throwing them in there just out of spite to guys that have been here.  They need to earn it.

Thanks again for reading, 

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Houston Dynamo - Vancouver White Caps.

 

Pregame Talk:

There was some buzz pregame when starting 11's were introduced.  Fans have been waiting to see Coco Carrasquilla and Darwin Quintero in the starting lineup, and after two scoreless games Paulo Nagamura made the switch.  And while there was buzz around this, Pat Onstad also dropped a bomb during the pregame show.  When asked by Glen Davis about the GAM brought in by the trading of Derrick Jones:  "Yeah, we're looking to spend that right away. We have somebody lined up, hopefully in the next week or so.....we'll be able to announce.....in an attacking position. We need to get some more players in here I think to help the group. But what we are excited about is the group we do have. I think they work really hard defensively.  We gave up 59 goals last year, so far we've only given up one.  So that's good but on the other side, you know, we haven't scored yet. So hopefully we can go bang in a few against Vancouver."  It's an exciting time to be a Dynamo fan, this group is being aggressive as far as getting new guys in here.  No idea who Pat is talking about, but hopefully it's a 10 or a right-winger to help with the attack."  

While this statement perked up my ears, what happened on the pitch over the opening 30 minutes perked up my eyes.  Coco and Quintero didn't disappoint and did more for the attack in the first five minutes than the midfield has done all season. Coco's ability to break lines with lights out passing and Quintero's ability to....well....be Darwin freaking Quintero was a much-needed sight for La Naranja and Paulo Nagamura.  The game started off fast, the Dynamo came out aggressive early, and even though they fell behind 1-0 managed to battle back and take control of the game.  In a game that featured a lot of firsts, the 3 points were much needed, and hopefully there's more to come.

The first 30 Minutes:

From the opening possession of the game, the Dynamo held firm on the back two lines forcing Vancouver to play over the top.  Setting up in a 4-3-3 that played more like a 4-2-3-1, with Quintero really pushing high and playing in space behind Vancouver's midfield, the Dynamo were looking to play long balls through the lines to Quintero, Baird, and Fafa.  It returned immediate dividends. On their first possession, building from the back, Griffen Dorsey fired one down the right touchline to Sebastian Ferreira who one-touched it to a trailing Corey Baird. Baird fired it to Darwin about 30 yards from goal in the middle of the field.  After some quick combos from Quintero and Sebas, Quintero tried to play a through ball that just missed a streaking Sebas, but found Corey Baird trailing behind.  Baird fired in a near-perfect cross that just missed Fafa's head at the back post.  Quintero chased the loose ball down and fired a right-footed bender that goalkeeper Thomas Hasel just managed to get a hand on and knock over the net.  It was 1:30 into the game, but the Dynamo had let their intentions be known. 

Not only were the Dynamo pushing the ball with tempo and purpose, but they were also defending and pressing much higher than in the previous two games.  The first ten minutes saw the Dynamo look increasingly threatening, and the White Caps were barely able to get the ball across midfield.

5:00 - Quintero tries to play Fafa through, the pass is just a hair too long.

5:30 - Sebas puts pressure on Hasel, who hits one directly to Baird.  Baird heads it to Quintero, Quintero plays it to Vera, who hits one just over the crossbar.

6:30 - Dorsey dribbles through the entire Vancouver team, fires in a cross that gets deflected by Dajome, and ends up in the lap of Hasel. High pressing wins them a Throw-in deep in the final third. 

7:55 - Sebas finally gets the ball in a dangerous position with space, fires a shot that's deflected, and earns a corner.

9:30 - High pressing forces Vancouver to play the ball long from deep in their own third, Parker heads it to Coco who earns a foul. 

11:00 - Pressure once again forces a bad pass from Vancouver, Parker plays it to Baird who earns a foul.

That's when disaster struck. In really their first possession in some time that went into the attacking third, off a throw-in and after some quick combo play, Ryan Gaud laid a perfectly weighted pass to Cristián Dajome who was streaking down the sideline after throwing the ball in.  Dajome hit a pinpoint cross on the first touch, Lucas Cavellini found his way behind Daniel Steres and blasted it past Steve Clark.  Steres got too wide of the posts, Parker didn't get over in time, and Cavallini found the space and side-footed it to the near post.  It was the only threat Vancouver had had in the opening 15 minutes, and they found a way to capitalize on it.  

Although Vancouver broke through, it really didn't seem to phase the Dynamo or alter their plan.  They just went right back to it.

17:30 - Ball played up to Fafa, Fafa takes on Tristan Blackmon and wins a corner.

18:00 - Quintero fires in a corner that just misses Fafa, Coco chases down the ball and fires in a dangerous cross, but a goal kick is given.

18:30 - Fafa steals the goal kick, races past everyone and fires a cross to Sebas that Hasal manages to steal away.

20:00 - Dynamo take the ball away again in the attacking third, and after some excellent quick touch combo plays, Darwin corrals the ball and fires a shot that is deflected out of bounds earning a corner.

20:30 - Dynamo short play the corner, Coco fires in another cross that just misses Sebas' head, earns another corner.

21:42 - Dynamo take away a clearance at midfield, play it up to Coco who earns another foul.  After the foul, Darwin fires a great ball into the box, which is knocked away by Hasel.  Coco takes the rebound and fires a blast that is deflected, which Baird chases down and fires one wide.

25:00 - High pressure sees Quintero take the ball away from Leonard Owusu.  Quintero takes the ball and lobs a dangerous pass to a racing Fafa, ball ends up in Hasel's lap.

29:46 - After building from the back and switching field a couple of times, the ball finds Darwin Quintero on the right flank who chips a lob to Sebas, but Hasel goes up and gets it in front of him.

30:49 - The high press gets Vancouver again, as Baird forces a bad pass by Florian Jungwirth. Coco tracks the ball down and one-touches it to Sebas.  Sebas has Fafa wide open on the left flank, but tries to do too much with it had has the ball taken away.

The first 30 minutes were dominated by the Dynamo, they were by far the better team in every way except the scoreline.  Most of it was spent in Vancouver's half of the field with the Dynamo looking extremely threatening on the end of almost every possession.  It was an exciting, but frustrating start.  Things would turn however, over the next 15 minutes.

The Next 15 minutes:

After Vera won a foul at the edge of the attacking third at the 31:00 minute mark, the Dynamo quickly found Coco who carried the ball left.  He found Fafa ducking inside about 30 yards out, and cut back inside to his right.  Fafa laid it back to him, and Coco lobbed an unbelievable pass over the top to Baird who had found his way behind Vancouver's back three.  While their entire backline lobbied for an offsides call, Baird tracked it down and just managed to hit Darwin right in front of the net to level the score.  It was a really good play by Baird, but the Dynamo were helped out by Vancouver just giving up on the play.  Vancouver, however, started to find cracks in the Dynamo defense.  Lundkvists huge block on Cavellini in the 34th minute was one of several huge plays by Dynamo defenders on the night and helped save 2 points.  Moments after, Baird found Quintero just outside the box who fired a left-footer on target, but Hasel just manages to knock it away.  The last 15 minutes of the first half was much more even, and a lot slower paced.  The Dynamo got into the dressing room tied 1:1, but had really been the most dangerous team without question. 

Total. Team. Goal.

That's lovely stuff, y'all 😍#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/CEBNunIjaU

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 13, 2022

The Next 15 Minutes:

The second half started much like the first half ended.  The opening 5 minutes was fairly slow-paced, back and forth and even.  When Lundkvist gobbled up a poor touch from Ryan Gauld in the 49th minute and fired it upfield to Coco, that turned quickly.  Coco took one good touch, and fired a laser to Sebas 30 yards downfield and just outside the box.  Sebas had two defenders on him and tried to cut back to his right with Florian Jungwirth charging hard. It's hard to tell if Sebas took a bad touch, fumbled under the pressure, or meant to pass the ball, but the ball wound up right at the feet of Darwin Quintero who scored a golazo from about 20 yards out.  The blast found the top right corner, clean past a diving Hasel.  

We'll be watching this one for weeks to come, @darwinJR3.

Time to put this one on repeat, H-Town 🔁🔁🔁🔁 pic.twitter.com/Q9xLhzxg6x

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 13, 2022

The next ten minutes was more back-and-forth action, as each team was really working the high press and spreading the field. Quintero just missed Sebas a couple of times.  And while both teams managed 1 more shot over this span (Dajome's 56th-minute scooter through a pack of players that went wide, and Vera's 60th-minute blast off a corner clearance that was blocked), neither team really managed anything of danger.

The Final 30 Minutes:

Minutes 70-90 belonged to Vancouver.  After Vanni Sartini subbed on Marcus Godinho and Deiber Caicedo in the 66th minute, the tide seemed to turn. From minutes 70-90, Vancouver managed 10 shots on goal, although only one was really close.  6 of those shots came in a 70th-minute flurry off back-to-back corners after Steres headed a Dajome cross out of bounds.  The first flurry saw a header hit the crossbar, and then Dorsey made a tremendous play going up and blocking Lucas Cavallini's header with his head from just inches away. Vancouver found the ball twice more, for two more shots inside the box that were both blocked by a wall of Dynamo defenders.  The second flurry had Caicedo miss-hit the corner (which was blocked by Parker) and Tristan Blackmon track that down and mishit one that Clark gobbled up.  Time and time again the White Caps threatened, and time and time again Dynamo defenders stepped in front of shots.  At the 75th minute, Paulo subbed on Memo, Thor, and Ceren for Quintero, Ferreira, and Carrasquilla, and the game settled back down a bit.  Thor had a great chance off an 82nd-minute set-piece that he just mis-hit into the ground, but it still managed to make Hasel dive to get the bouncer off the post. The Dynamo managed one more barrage of blasts in the 90th minute which saw Memo blast a free-kick off the crossbar that just missed the top left corner, which a defender tried to clear but it hit Darwin Ceren and deflected back in play.  The ball found it's way back to Thorinside the box, and he turned fired a left-footer that was saved by Hasal. 

Notables:

Coco Carrasquilla

Had an unbelievable night.  10 recoveries, 3 interceptions, 17 pressures, 236 Yards of progressive distance, 51/51 in targets received, 2 fouls drawn, 71 touches, 54/60 on passing, including 11/14 on deep balls, 1 key pass, and 4 through balls, and 6 passes completed into the attacking third.  He generated 5 shots and was part of both goals. He was all over the field and was instrumental in many of their chances and buildup play.  He and Quintero played off each other all night, and he got the ball to Baird, Fafa, and Sebas in areas where they could do something with it.  Was really nice to see this, and wish he would have been healthy from the get-go.

Darwin Quintero

Did what Darwin does.  63 touches (45 in the attacking third, and 5 inside the penalty box), his two goals don't tell the entire impact he had on the game.  He was breaking lines with the ball at his feet (4/5 in taking on defenders, 104 yards in progressive distance), he was dicing Vancouver up with passes (13 progressive passes completed, 2 key passes, and was trying to force-feed Sebas all night while still dominating the game), and he was actively defending in the attacking third (10 pressures in the attacking third, 5 recoveries.)  I know Darwin can't play 90 minutes a night 34 games a year, but here's to hoping he is making starts and playing 70+ minutes more often than not over the rest of the year.

Griffen Dorsey

Dorsey made a case for himself last night.  Defensively (9 recoveries, 2 tackles, 1 recovery, 2 blocks and an unbelievable goal-line clearance, 100% defending 1v1), Offensively (54/60 passing including 10/13 on deep balls, 4 passes into the attacking third, and 3 through balls completed) and in possession (173 yards covered with the ball at his feet, 43/43 in receiving targets), Dorsey played like a guy fighting for his job and didn't disappoint.  With Zeka still waiting to make his first start, Dorsey made a strong case to keep the job for now.

Sebas

The Dynamo were trying to force-feed Ferreira the ball last night, and the results were mostly disappointing. Not because he didn't score a goal, but because many times he was trying to do too much with it.  He got the ball taken away from him several times inside the box, he took too many touches often and missed open teammates.  He did (accidentally) notch the assist on Darwin's second goal, but he needs to relax and let the game come to him more.  He did manage 3 shots, but all were blocked.   

Corey Baird

It wasn't always pretty, but he got the job done.  Baird did a good job leading the defense, posting 2 tackles in the attacking third, both of which led to chances. He notched an assist on Quintero's goal and linked up with Quintero several times which led to a shot on goal. It wasn't always pretty, he gave the ball away too many times, but it was the most productive performance for Baird in a Dynamo uniform. 

Minor Notes:

• Teenage Hadebe looked terrible in the minutes he got down the stretch. He mistimed a header badly right before blocking the second shot.
• Adam Lundkvist also had a very quiet but highly productive night. Lundy had a big block in the first half and turned several Vancouver mistakes into counterattacks.  
• I love the supporters' sections totally firing up the Orange Smoke.  We need more of it.  PNC should be covered in Orange Fog when tipoff hits. I want 360° of Orange hell when our starting 11 walks on the field.
• The Dynamo now rank 1st in MLS in passing success rate (85.3%, slightly ahead of LAG) after ranking last for most of last season.
• The Dynamo held 58.7% possession last night and now rank 11th in MLS with 54% on the season.
• On the night of firsts: First Win, First Goal, Nagamura's first win as an MLS manager, First start for Quintero, First Start for Carrasquilla, the first appearance for Hadebe on the year, and first goal or assist for both Baird and Sebas in a Dynamo uniform. There's probably more, but those are just off the top of my head.

Next Up

Saturday, March 19th @ 7:30

PNC Stadium

Thanks again for reading, feel free to drop a comment.

Remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

One for the Road: One of Matt Jordan's final moves, and how it sums up Houston under him.

Summer Transfer Window: 2021

A tale of two players and two teams moving in different directions.  Two teams, both in need of a striker, two players changing teams and situations, with one scoring big and the other struggling through the year.  This move saw one team steadily advancing towards the playoff line, the other trying to climb out of the cellar.  Two strikers of almost the exact same age (25), size (5'10" - 163 vs 5'10" 170), there is little there to distinguish the two. One of the players is setting the league on fire on a weekly basis, the other has yet to make an impact.  One move at the Summer Transfer window transformed another team in the Western Conference's season and has catapulted them to playoff contention.  The move for your Houston Dynamo has had absolutely no impact, and one could easily argue was a "negative impact" move.  These misses are what have plagued the Dynamo for nearly a decade, and this move was a microcosm of what has been an Achilles heel here for quite some time. In one of his last moves, Matt Jordan missed a golden opportunity. Which two players am I talking about and what has their impact been?  Let's take a closer look. 

Corey Baird: 

On Friday, July 30th the Dynamo announced the signing of Corey Baird from LAFC for $750,000 in GAM allocated over two years.  The deal cost the Dynamo $68,000 this year, and another $681,000 next year.  Baird, a one-time MLS Rookie of the year had seen his career come to a crossroads.  Managing just 7 goals and 5 assists over his last 51 appearances (40 starts, over 3,600 minutes played) Baird had been moved to LAFC in January of 2021 for $500,000 in GAM spread over 2 years.   Posting 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 7 appearances, the speedy striker was having a fairly solid start to the season.  Baird had earned 750 minutes through the first part of the season, appearing in 13 games and making 9 starts before losing his spot making only 1 start over his last 8 games with the team after the arrival of Christian Arrango.   “We are thrilled to welcome Corey to the Houston Dynamo,” Dynamo senior vice president and general manager Matt Jordan said in a statement to MLS.com. “He can play a variety of positions in the attacking third while adding important league and national team experience to our group. When you look at his age, character, and skillset, he is the type of player and person we want to be a part of our club moving forward.”  Baird has been plagued by two things since arriving (1) Injuries (2) Lack of finishing. Baird never found his footing, suffering first a "Lower Body Injury" which kept him out for most of August, and then suffering a season-ending knee injury on October 3rd against Sporting K.C.

Baird often makes terrific runs and has the ability to get by opponents with the ball at his feet.  A good passer, Baird can find teammates on the move in dangerous positions as well.  Baird also has been putting the ball on target this year, with 13 of his 24 shots on target (54%: good for 8th in the league), and 5 of his 9 shots in #ForeverOrange.  Baird's problem, however, is getting the ball past the keeper.  His career mark of 0.39 Goals/Shot on Target is mediocre by professional standards, and he hasn't netted more than 5 goals in a season since 2019 (7 goals, 5 assists in his last 3,988 minutes before coming to Houston).  Baird had seen a steep decline in production since his Rookie of the Year campaign, netting 8 goals and 5 assists in 2018, 5 and 3 in 2019, 2 and 2 in 2020, and 3 and 2 this year, none as a Dynamo player.  Along with his lack of production, the Dynamo managed to go 1-4-2 in his 7 appearances, going scoreless in 4 of them.  Managing only 5 points in 7 games, with 0 goals and 0 assists from a guy you paid $750,000 for in the Summer Window hurts, especially for a team with playoff aspirations, especially with the team searching for production from the Striker position.  With Maxi Urruti also struggling through the entire summer, the job was there for Baird to take.  While the injuries derailed his time here, Baird never seemed like the #9 for this team.  He often was just missed on his runs, and of his 5 shots on target, 4 of them were direct to the keeper.  While Baird's guaranteed salary of $396,031 is about 1/2 what the team was paying Christian Ramirez, the move seems puzzling based on what we paid for a declining player.  Tab Ramos had worked with Baird for the U.S. U-20 team, and it's possible the Front Office thought Tab could pull something out of him.  The move backfired, and the Dynamo are still on the hook.  While this move could pull off long-term (Baird is still under contract until 2023), the 25-year-old needs a complete career overhaul in order for this to work. 

Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps)

White has been exactly what the White Caps needed, and they exactly what he needed.  Stuck in a logjam at NYRB, White was brought in for $400,000 in TAM (plus another $100,000 in performance incentives) on June 2nd, 2021. He had become the odd man out in a crowded Red Bulls front line, with Patryk Klimala, Fabio, and Caden Clark leading the attack.  White made an immediate impact, making a start and netting a 54th-minute goal in his first Whitecaps appearance.  Hitting the skids, White saw his production slip as he managed 0 goals and 1 assist over his next 10 appearances (8 starts, 650 minutes). White then caught absolute fire banging home 11 goals and dishing out 3 assists over his last 14 calls to action.  White is now the hottest striker in MLS and leads all American-born strikers in Goals scored.  Highlighted by a hat trick against San Jose on October 22nd, White's rise could come as a surprise.  If you look at his production over his complete body of work, however, it shouldn't. 

In just around 2,000 MLS minutes, White had posted 13 goals (7 appearances (27 starts).  White was by far the most productive and efficient NYRB attacker in the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, outpacing Daniel Royer, Kaku, and Tom Barlow in terms of Goals per Minute played, and he was their leading scorer (5 goals) in only 817 minutes played during 2020.  Hardly the first option, the scrappy White makes key runs and finds open space in front of the net with regularity, and manages to score the ball in a variety of ways.  Of his goals this year, 6 have come off his right foot, 2 off his left, and 4 off his head. He's scored 6 of his goals inside the 6 yard box, 6 inside the 18.  White is a dangerous player because he's smart and never gives up on a play.  Note his first goal against San Jose in the hat trick, White took the ball in front of a defender, one touched it perfectly to Ryan Gauld who fired a shot just to San Jose Keeper J.T. Marcinkowski's right.  Marcinkowski deflected it, and White was in the perfect position to tap it home for the goal.  

What's most frustrating about this move, is White cost far less ($400,000 - $750,000), has a much lower salary ($219,000), and has been much more productive.  The Whitecaps, after struggling initially after this move (going 0-3-2 in his first 5 appearances) and seeing a series of draws (5 straight from July 20- August 13), the Whitecaps have posted 9 wins in his last 14 appearances (9-2-3 over that span), 8 of those came with him in the starting lineup.  The Whitecaps jumped into playoff contention, and have a striker for the future.  This is a move that needs to be talked about here, when you look at what we paid/are paying for Maxi Urruti, what we paid/are paying for Corey Baird, these are complete misses from the most important position on the field.  What is mind-boggling about these moves, is White's came almost a month before Baird's, which should have set a market value for the position.  Having this kind of production from a non-DP level striker is the equivalent of having an NFL quarterback on a rookie contract.  Going forward, it's an enormous advantage.  Would it have vaulted the Dynamo into playoff contention this year?  Probably not, but it would have filled a much-needed hole going forward, and answered one roster question for next year.  In April, I wrote how Front Office creativity was a bigger problem than lack of funds.  This is an example of that.  Hopefully, Pat Onstat fixes this problem in a hurry.  I'm not part of that original fan-dom, I wasn't here when he played here and don't have that personal connection, but seeing the positive messages and a long-needed outpouring of hope and positivity from a struggling fanbase, I'm glad he's here.

Until Next Time,

Remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teenage Hadebe's Debut:

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

The regression of the Dynamo Attack:

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

Next Up:

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

Thanks again for reading

#HoldItDown and say #ForeverOrange

Brian