No surprises in Seattle: Punchless Dynamo fall 2:0.

Was this a surprise?  A team about to break the record for the longest unbeaten streak to begin this season in MLS history, playing at home against a team that has never beaten them there, and who has also yet to win a single road game this year.  Houston is 0-3-10 in Seattle all time and has been outscored a staggering 20-3 in 13 matchups.  Not only is Tab's squad abysmal on the road (and they have been for the better part of 4 years now), they are also notoriously bad on turf.  Add to that we are playing without a starting CB, his backup, and our best playmaker in the midfield against THIS team........and it's just a recipe for disaster.  

This year's version of Seattle has been exceptionally good defensively.  At 0.62 Goals Allowed/90, and with a save % of a staggering 86.8%, you had to almost assume that we would be lucky to sneak one in.  Seattle plays a deep 3-5-1-1-ish formation.  They are nearly impossible to counter, they rarely make mental mistakes, and they beat you to every ball.  Their back three lie in constant wait, and never push to high forward in transition.  It's a tuff formation to crack, but if you want to see how to do it you can watch any of the games my boys from Eintracht lost this year lol. Seattle never gets too far stretched enough to allow you to slip through, and rarely turns the ball over in a bad spot to get countered.  Their Wing Backs (Jimmy Medranda and Alex Roldan) rarely push too high and are great at setting back, and Seattle's three holding midfielders are rarely out of position.  Jao Paolo and Kelyn Rowe really make it click, as they fire the ball to streaking players and create numbers advantages in transition. They are extremely difficult to break down, mostly because they usually have six extremely defensive-minded players that are always in position, making it impossible to break them down through the middle and really difficult to hit them deep.  We did have chances, most of them were long and off target, but we managed to break through a couple of times to get quality looks.  Most of those wound-up right in the lap of goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland.  

This game was a microcosm of many things: (1) How much better they are than last year. (2) How short they are of actually being a serious playoff contender. (3) How they have to play absolutely perfect just to have a chance to compete.  There can be no Sam Junqua missing the header away, and then getting beat by his mark to the goal as a result of him whiffing on the header.  This whiff also caused Tim Parker to be a step slow to come over and help.  All of our backs (Lundkvist, Valentine, Junqua, and Bizama) are completely helpless against pace, and an entire section of our attack is missing because of it.  Overlapping play is tricky because it only takes a bad turnover to leave them helpless.  Our system is more about hiding their weaknesses than accentuating......whatever it is their strength is.  Lundkvist is a steady (but not great) defender who can occasionally play a nice ball downfield.  Valentine is a poor man's version of Lundkvist.  Junqua (playing at CB) has terrible anticipation and gets beat with regularity.  He's been on the wrong end of the last three goals we've given up, but also on the business end of the last goal we scored.  Our back play is less about who can help us win, and more about who is less likely to cost us a goal.  

There's no huge write-up or breakdown for this game. No fancy pictures or diagrams.  Just what this game deserves: bland and frustrating.  Seattle was better than us.  We fought hard, we played better than I expected, and it still wasn't enough.  For 60 minutes I actually thought we could pull out a draw, but long before the second goal went in I realized it wasn't going to happen.  We hopefully have made one more upgrade in Teenage Hadebe.  He needs to be quality, and he needs to play now.  What will Griffen Dorsey be?  Where will he play?  Will he play?  I have no idea.  He's played SEVEN MLS minutes. He played 22 games in USL League 1 with one goal and five assists. I'm hoping he is more Tyler Pasher than Nico Lemoine.  I'm hoping he's an upgrade at Right Back.  What this team will be?  Time will tell.

One Last Thing:

I decided to go back and look at all the games Memo has played on the wing this year.  The result?  It basically backs up what we are all saying.  6 games, 451 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 Shot creating actions a game.  He has a terrible pressure rate from the wing, he's a below average passer from there, and he's getting off 1.3 crosses per game.  He can cut back inside and fire off shots, but he doesn't do it often enough.  What's interesting is we are 2-2-2 with him there, and there's basically no difference in our offensive/defensive output whether he plays wing or not.  While I don't like it, it's also not hurting us.  

Thanks again for reading.

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Recap: Dynamo 1:1 Cincinatti. A disappointing point in a frustrating game.

 

What a weird night. After the lightning delay, the weather was actually really nice although a little muggy.  We sat right behind one of my favorite player's families, and watching them cheer for their Daddy was an awesome and fun experience. There were lots of moments that had me get out of my seat and yell "oh oh oh!", and soo many breaks in play the game was just choppy and sloppy. The atmosphere was hopping, the crowd was electric at times, and it felt like a HOME GAME.  

There were also soo many things from this game that I can't wrap my head around. Some aspects of the night got me really excited but had nothing to do with what I saw on the pitch and just a soul-crushing result that has me throwing my hands up in the air at this team. Seriously, I was shaking my fist in the air and crying out in pain during this game.  I can't figure out how we wound up with one measly point (again),  I really can't understand how we only managed one goal against FC Cincinnati, and I am completely bamboozled by what Sam Junqua was doing on his way to getting roasted by M.C. McFlopsAlot (A.K.A. The Silver Haired Sissy....) to let an otherwise really good defensive game go completely to waste.  I understand that this is who we are, but I don't accept it yet because I'm a hard-headed eternal optimist that tends to have too much faith/hope/belief in my team.  After a week away in the bliss of the Colorado Mountainside, it was a harsh return to reality.  Let's go back over the whole experience and just wrap our heads all the way around it.

Segal and Rootes are beginning to make their mark.

Don't get me wrong, I am a 100% "Results are the only thing that matters" guy.  But it was hard not to notice the steps that had been taken to increase fan engagement at BBVA on Match Day.  While I'm most excited about Teenage Hadebe coming and Tim Parker extending, it was nice to see that there were actually some changes that were....well.....kind of cool.  The band playing outside the stadium before the game was fun, the light shows during the game were nice, and having a decent crowd that got pretty rowdy was really fun.  It would have been a perfect night for three points, but alas....we can't have everything.  By the way, when did the lights going out and everyone shining their cell phone lights become a thing?  I didn't even know what was going on, and it seemed like I was the only one who didn't get the memo.  I'm hoping this wasn't just because of 7-1-3 night, or because we were the only game in town for the 4th of July, but that this can actually become a trend.  I'm still hopeful that this team can make a playoff push, and we all know that in the game of Soccer the crowd can be your 12th man.  Fingers crossed that this is a routine, and not a grand opening party.

Major euphoria, followed by immediate....what?

From the opening kick, the Dynamo went right after FC Cincinnati.  Tab's squad jumped right on Cinci pressing high in the first few minutes, and it only took 2 minutes for it to take effect.  After the orange and blue were caught offsides on their first possession, the Dynamo stung with a quick strike that resulted in one of the quickest goals I've ever seen in a Dynamo game.  Tim Parker smashed one deep through the middle to a wide-open Maxi Urruti just beyond the mid-field circle. Urruti circled back and had Fafa Picault streaking right down the teeth of the defense.  This run opened a gaping hole on the left, where Urruti found Sam Junqua all alone with tons of space.  With both Geoff Cameron and Gustavo Vallecilla keying on Picault, Junqua's low cross found the left foot of our Friendly Neighborhood Canadian Tyler Pasher.  Junqua hit a wonderful bender to Pasher who was ducking back inside to the space created by Fafa's run.  Pasher blasted it into the far corner, and the Dynamo were up 1-0 only 2:18 into the game. The crowd exploded, and it was as loud as I've heard it inside BBVA for quite some time.  That soon ended, however, as the man who just created a spectacular chance gave away another one.

How Geoff Cameron's ball found its way both Junqua and Maynor Figueroa to a wide-open, on-side  Álvaro Barreal is simply dumbfounding. How these two defenders managed to play this ball soo poorly is inexcusable.  Junqua got completely turned around, and either didn't see the ball coming or simply doesn't know how to turn and find the ball.  Figueroa was frozen by Brenner, who was circling back but let the ball go through.  Maric tried to cut down the angle, but Barreal slipped it past him to tie the score.  While it was far from the end of the action on the night, it was the end of the scoring, and 5 minutes in we had our final score.

The Dynamo won every statistical category and still couldn't push through.....

Time of Possession (52% - 48%), Shots (21 - 11), Corners taken (10-1), Tackles (23-19), Areals won (22-6), and Houston only allowed 17 touches inside their own Penalty box the entire game.  The Dynamo reeled off nine straight shots in nine minutes (minutes 18-27) and had nothing to show for it.  About the only thing Cincinnati was generating during this time period was nominations for Best Supporting Actor.  Seriously, the last time I saw medical teams so often and in such a big hurry was when I was watching a Vietnam Documentary two weeks ago.  Somehow, every single time, Barreal (who was the major culprit) ended up running up and down just fine about 20 seconds later.  It was a miracle since I believe he found himself being attended to 6 times during the game.  I believe it was both eyes, his forehead, his face on a free-kick, his right ankle, his right ankle again, and his left knee.  This was seconded only by Edgar Castillo, who found himself needing the MASH unit 3 times during the game.  I'm pretty sure Cinci's medical team logged more meters run than their midfield did.  It made the game choppy, and BBVA's 20,021 extremely grumpy.  

The Dynamo also reeled off 6 of the first 7 shots of the second half from minutes 45-60, none of which even found their way to Keeper Kenneth Vermeer.  Despite the disappointing result, there were some positives to be found.  The Dynamo looked better in holding possession, they created some good pressure at times with their press, and for 89:55 Sam Junqua was the best player on the field (Seriously, he was the highest-rated player in the game by WhoScored). Maric actually saved the game twice in the last 10 minutes of the first half.  The first off a left-footed blast by Brenner, and the second in the 45th minute one a tremendous save after the ball found Isaac Atanga right outside the 6 Yard Box with no one in front of him.  Joe Corona headed it away, but Maric stoned Atanga and saved what-should-have-been a goal.  

The second half was very back and forth, with both teams creating stomach in throat moments, but no actual goals.  Things slowed down as the Dynamo tried to hold possession and build attacks, but Tab Ramos simply has no midfielders that can actually break down a defense through the middle.  If we can't break away on a counter down the wings, we really can't create anything of quality.   As much as we need Teenage Hadebe to be the player he was in Turkey, we need a central midfielder that can take advantage of space and create 2 v 1 opportunities in tight spaces.  Tab is beginning to press in spots during the second half, as you can tell we are wearing down after minute 40.  Our passing starts to be less crisp and short, our attacking presents less and less runs and combo play, and Tab doesn't use his bench early or often.  Last night we left 3 subs unused and didn't make any subs until the 74th minute.  You can watch on a nightly basis Pasher, Urruti, Memo, and Fafa wearing down and sprinting less and less.

Darwin Quintero came on in the 75th minute for Tyler Pasher with lots of energy but little in terms of actual effectiveness.  He brought a spark but also gave the ball away far too many times in the attacking third.  You can tell that he's a little rusty, and he had some really nice passes that were just a half a step off in timing.  He had Urruti breaking with Fafa just to his left that would have created a nice 2 v 1 chance in the 77th minute, but his pass was just a step too far for Urruti and it gave Cameron a chance to slide and knock it away. There was the crazy nutmmeg and drop off to Maxi Urruti in the 86th minute. It was all Dynamo in the final fifteen minutes of the game, but they simply couldn't break through Jaap Stam's defense.  When the final whistle blew, you could sense a collective shoulder drop from a rather rowdy crowd. It's the 4th straight draw, and 4 points in 4 games is not the pace or trend we need to be setting.  Will Hadebe play Wednesday against Seattle?  Can he help us hold a clean sheet?  Will he play at all, or will he be like Bajamich and Quintero, just another guy we paid a decent price for, with a tag that says he is important, but he never actually sees the field? 

Game Notes:

After the game Tab talked about how Lassiter could have helped in the attack, and while this is true, so could Darwin and Bajamich.  Bajamich has only played 42 minutes this year and has generated more offense than Lassiter has in 199.  Bajamich doesn't have the straight-line speed that Lassiter has, but is much better with the ball at his feet, is a better passer, and is better at cutting inside and one-touch passing as well.  I don't know why Tab refuses to use him, but it seems like he could get a few more looks.  

The Dynamo will be without Lassiter, Ceren, Pasher, Boniek, and Maynor for the rest of July, so he better find some depth and quality somewhere in squad.  With 4 games over that span to Seattle (July 7th), Vancouver (July 20th), San Jose (24th), and Real Salt Lake (31st), we can't afford to drop 12 points in 4 games to teams that we are fighting for playoff positions.  The good news is Seattle will lose both Roldan brothers,  Vancouver will be without Lucas Cavellini and Maxime Crepeau, and San Jose will be without Jackson Yueill. Real Salt Lake doesn't have a player on any Gold Cup Rosters.

Sam Junqua is unquestioningly our best Full Back going forward, adds a layer to the attack, but can't have defensive lapses.

He is not only our best fullback going forward, he's one of our best players with the ball at his feet.  He's shown that over the last several games.  He was mostly solid in defense on Saturday night, and the goal that he got burned on jumps out.  There were many times he was quietly right where he was supposed to be, heading the ball away or running step for step with Barreal.  But the one big mistake cost us 2 points, and at this level is one you simply can't make.

Derrick Jones has now started 9 consecutive games.

I really like Derrick Jones.  He's super long and stretches his legs out like Plastic Man to just snatch balls away from attackers.  He's surprisingly fast, and shuts down any attempts at areal attacks through the middle.  He's extremely solid at defending corners and set pieces too.  He gives up on plays, he sometimes just shuts down if he makes a mistake, and he needs to be more professional in his demeanor, but he's really helped this team this year playing under Tab Ramos.

The Dynamo have held possession in 2 games this year, and haven't won either.

That's right, the only other game the Dynamo have had more than 50% possession this year was the 1-2 loss to Portland on April 24th.

This is the first time we've drawing 20,000+ at BBVA against a team other than the L.A. Galaxy since 2018.

A 4-0 win to Atlanta United was on 3-3-2-18 was the last time BBVA saw this many tickets sold and the Galaxy not gracing the pitch.  To sell this many tickets against Cincinnati says something, I'm not sure what it is, but it's something.  Also, I think it's fun that there were a lot of FC Cincinnati fans at the game.  I enjoy the rivalry that away fans bring in the stadium on game day.

Oh Yeah.....DeRo!

Happy 4th Everyone!  Hope you are staying happy and safe.

Thanks again for reading.

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

What could the Christian Ramirez move mean for the Dynamo Rotation? Hopefully more Bajamich.

 

Reports coming out of Scotland are that an agreement is already in place to move Dynamo Striker Christian Ramirez to Aberdeen.  Apparently, Ramirez and Aberdeen have already come to financial terms and the only current snag is the obtaining of a work permit from the Scottish Government.  Stephen Glass made a bid to buy Christian away from the Dynamo during his stint as interim manager at Atlanta but was rejected as the Dynamo were not yet ready to move away from him that late in the season.  With Urruti dominating time at the #9, and Rameriz unlikely to pry much of it away, the move should be a good one for both sides.  Ramirez's base salary of $775,000.00 is the Dynamo's 4th highest player, and just like their highest-paid player, and he is not in any real plans for Tab Ramos going forward.  

While the move removes a highly paid, underutilized player from the books, what could it do to the roster?  Ramirez had played 91 minutes on 6 appearances, mostly off the bench.  To be honest, I never really understood why the Dynamo brought a player of his payscale here anyway.  When we brought him here, Mauro Manotas was fully entrenched as the starter in front of him, and we paid him more than Manotas and Elis were making combined.  I'll never disparage the Dynamo front office from spending money, but it seemed like there could have easily been a better utilization of those funds over the last few years.  While I doubt there's a payday of any significance, and probably not enough for them to make a move that would actually strengthen the roster, what could this move do other than dump salary?

Honestly, this move concerns me from the standpoint we are losing a player capable of putting the ball in the back of the net with no proven player or plan to replace him.  My first guess would be Ariel Lassiter would take over this role.  Lassiter has consistently been the first number called by Ramos off the bench, and while I don't really get it I don't see it changing either.  There is one player I'd love to see in that role instead, but really I'm hoping this move opens up more time for Mateo Bajamich.

Bajamich....MORE BAJAMICH.

Honestly, in Bajamich's 42 minutes on the pitch this season, he's showed me just enough for me to say I'd like to see more.  His 2.14 goal-creating actions per 90 is three times higher than anyone else on the team. His 4.29 shot-creating actions per 90 is second on the team (behind Darwin Quintero).  He's shown good ball skills, good first touch, and moves well without the ball.  The Dynamo need someone who can give Urruti a break from time to time, and a player capable of filling in if Urruti happens to go down to injury (I'm viciously knocking on wood at the moment).  The summer months are here, and Urruti is playing a very demanding style.  Not only is he the tip of the spear, constantly trying to hold off multiple defenders while he holds up play, Tab's system also has him defending all over the pitch.  Urruti leads the team in Pressures by a long spell (163 to Fafa's 143) He's getting them in the attacking third (86), the middle third (66), and the defending third (11). His 163 pressures in 601 minutes played means he's spending a lot of time defending.  That's a pressure every 3.6 minutes.....from your center forward.  Bajamich's rate is close (9 pressures in 42 minutes, one every 4.6 minutes) but his success rate is much lower (Urruti - 28%, Bajamich - 11%). It's not Bajamich's defense that I'm interested in, however.  He's young and athletic enough to improve there, but his flash with the ball has been intriguing and I'd like to see more.

If given the option of Bajamich or Lassiter, I'll take Darwin Quintero.....er......uhm..... I mean Bajamich.  Mateo is only 21 years old and has shown good IQ, work rate, and skill.  He moves well without the ball and while he's only gotten 1 shot off on the year there's been enough there for him to see more minutes.  I want to be clear, I don't know that he can do what Christian Ramirez did here, and I don't know he's better than Lassiter.  I just know I want to see more of what he can do and I think he's earned it. He's the only player on the team with a +/- Expected goal that's a positive number (0.75) and his XG +/- on vs off is just behind Joe Corona for third on the team (1.41).  I understand for him to concrete himself in Tab's rotation, he needs to really improve on his defense, but in limited minutes he's made the most of his opportunities.  We know what Ariel Lassiter is, we know what he can do.  He's a better defender than in attack (4 goals, 1 assist in 1,700 MLS minutes), and he's not a reliable finisher.  I'd actually like to see if Bajamich can take Ramirez's role before we look outside the club for another player.  If Bajamich can fill this role, maybe we can upgrade a fullback or CB position in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

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

 

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

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

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

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

The Dynamo really need Tyler Pasher to get healthy:

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

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

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

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

June 19th - @ LAFC

June 23rd - Home vs. Portland Timbers

June 26th - @ Real Salt Lake

July 3rd - Home vs. FC Cincinnati

July 7th - @ Seattle Sounders.

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

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Dynamo fail big test on the road to Sporting KC

 

Ugh....

On a night where the Dynamo were matched up with rivals SKC in a packed Children's Mercy Park, they somehow clung to a 1-0 lead at the half.  That game shortly turned right after the break, when Peter Vermes' squad began to completely expose flaws in this Dynamo squad.  Yes, Gianluca Busio's strike was perfection on the free-kick, but the foul that led to it was indicative of the problems that the Dynamo were having in the defending third all night.  The cracks were apparent early.  Sporting found their way through on their very first possession of the game.  It took .22 seconds for Gadi Kinda to find a way through on the wing, and the Dynamo were lucky that Zarek Valentine drew a foul. Immediately you could see that Sporting KC's press was going to cause problems, and without a player capable of breaking them down through the middle on the pitch we had to hope that Tabs team could hold them off the scoreboard. At 2:55, Khiry Shelton blew by Boniek only to find the pass from Ille Sanchez a foot too long.  The Dynamo managed to connect one pass before Adam Lundkvist gave it back at midfield. KC was dominating possession and finding gaping wholes that led to a numbers advantage on literally every attack.  In the first 5 minutes of play, the Dynamo connected on a grand total of 4 passes, and never held the ball across midfield. 

It wasn't until the 10:47 minute mark when the Dynamo finally found their way across midfield and formulated some semblance of an attack.  When Fafa won the ball in the corner, and fired a ball that ended up to a streaking Mattias Vera (after a bad touch from Urruti) the Dynamo found their way in front 1-0.  The goal completely went against the run of play, because the Dynamo were really struggling at the time.  Vera made a great effort to get the ball and put his left foot on it.  It was the Dynamo's first real threat of the game, and Vera put a good finish on it for his first career MLS goal.  

Kansas City was completely unfazed, they simply went right back to work.  Sporting was methodical, they moved the ball, they found open space, and if they didn't get what they wanted from a possession they simply went and got the ball back.  The Dynamo didn't cross midfield again until the 22-minute mark, and that was off an errant pass by Sporting KC.  They didn't connect on a single pass across midfield until Tim Parker found Vera on a 30-yard strike at the 33-minute mark,(which Vera couldn't control and gave back). They didn't enter the attacking third until the 37-minute mark when Derrick Jones finally won a challenge just right of the box but that possession ended with Jones being stuck in the corner and giving it back after he crossed the touchline.  There was no attack in the attack.  The Dynamo didn't complete a pass in the final third again until the 41st minute, and in reality it was only their second completed pass in the final third for the entire half.

The second half began the same, with Sporting winning 3 straight corners in the 1st minute of the half.  On the third, Urruti played a deep ball to Fafa, but Graham Zusi chased it down with a wonderful sliding tackle.  Down 1-0, Sporting was in no hurry to change the game plan.  They were methodical, moving the ball and moving the Dynamo like a chess match.  That all culminated from minute 50-60.  KC didn't just win this 10 minutes, they had dominated the game in every way and were losing 1-0.  When Busio hit that amazing free-kick (and make no mistake, it as a tremendous strike), you knew we were in trouble.  On back-to-back plays: (1) Derrick Jones had gotten the ball taken away from him in a bad position leading to Salloi's run (2) The ensuing corner, Valentine had a terrible header into the middle of the field that led to Vera's foul. The Dynamo simply couldn't connect anything or get the ball across midfield.  They won their first corner at the 53rd minute. Tim Parker got a nice head on it, but Melia was in the right place to knock it away.  The Dynamo looked like they were going to break ahead off the counter at the 57-minute mark. Fafa had chased down a deflection by Vera and had a 2 on 1 with Urruti.  He played a really nice chipper over the defender leaving Urruti alone with the keeper.  Urruti took too many touches, got chased down from behind, and had the ball taken away from him by 2 KC defenders.  Soon after Pulido got the go-ahead instead on his penalty, then Kenda got free on the counter.  This was the first counter-attack goal the Dynamo have given up this year, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.  Lassiter came on for Memo shortly thereafter, and the combination of fresh legs and some speed opposite Fafa seemed to spark the team a little, but Lassiter immediately gave the ball away trying to take on Zusi and whiffed at a tremendous chance off a pinpoint cross from Fafa. Darwin Ceren helped hold down the midfield and was the best Dynamo player in the midfield at stringing passes together on the night.

The Dynamo attack looked better after Lassiter and Ceren came on, Bajamich came on at the 79-minute mark for Vera and gave a little spark.  He earned a corner on his very first touch and got his head on the ensuing corner.  He got the assist on Urruti's goal and really put some pressure on KC's backline both going forward and in the press.  Urruti got the late consolation goal, but it was too little too late.  The Dynamo are a terrible road team, and this year has done nothing to change that.  They are (and excuse me if I use the European style here) 0 (wins) 1 (draw) 3 (losses) on the year, after going 1-4-7 last year and 1-0-15 the year before.  In 2018 they went 2-5-11 on the road, making them 4-9-36 on the road over the last four years.  

It was worse than the final score, and your eyes said:

Sporting KC was better, faster, stronger, more physical, quicker on the ball, literally whatever you want to say, Sporting was it.  They dominated all the key stats: 69% Possession, 21 Shots (9 on target) to 10 by the Dynamo, 665 passes to 328, 20 interceptions and 23 tackles, and 11 corners to 4.  Sporting simply dominated this game, yet the Dynamo had a real chance to pick up points.  Urruti and Lassiter both had real chances to get goals.  Urruti took too many chances and let the defense catch up, and Lassiter swung and missed at a sure-fire goal after a great cross from Fafa. 

Marco Maric kept the Dynamo in it for a half:

His save on Roger Espinosa's attempt at the 39th minute was superb. His diving save on Khiry Shelton's header at the 41st minute was also tremendous. He got just enough on Daniel Salloi's 49th-minute attempt that Ludqinst was able to knock it away.  After a tremendous through ball by Gadi Kenda, Salloi was alone with Maric streaking down the right flank.  Maric just got his armpit on it and slowed it down just enough for Adam to get there.  He had another tremendous save on yet another free-kick strike from Busio in the 82nd minute keeping the Dynamo somewhat in the game.

He didn't even try to play the ball from Busio, but honestly, he had no chance if he had.  He guessed wrong on Pulido's penalty kick, but Pulido is a bona fide goal scorer with experience, not many keepers are stopping that.  His distribution was actually good, and you know that because you didn't notice it. Marco is showing consistently that he is a good keeper, but he needs more help in front of him.

Vera and Jones were surprisingly terrible in possession, and Corona disappeared:

Jones' soft lay down in the 48th minute was somewhat indicative of his game. He gave the ball away on the play that led to Salloi's attempt, he gave the ball away on the play that led to Kenda's goal.  What made the play worse is he pouted and trotted back while Vera was scrambling trying to set in between Parker and Boniek.  This compressed the defense and left Kenda all alone on the left flank.  Busio actually had 2 to chose from. Memo beat him back to the midfield, even Maxi Urruti beat him there.  After several weeks of glowing reviews, this outing as a major disappointment.  He had moments, but he wasn't there going forward.  He got frustrated and it looked like his frustrations got the better of him.

Vera's foul on Kenda was the spark that ignited the fire.  You can say what you want about the call, but it looked like an unquestionable foul to me.  It was Vera's second foul, and while I applaud his effort he was already sitting on a Yellow and was lucky he didn't get a second one.  He had uncharacteristically given the ball away several times in bad positions in the first half, and couldn't find open space in the midfield.  When he got the ball, Busio was on him like glue. Memo only attempted 19 passes through his 79 minutes of play, and while he was his usual accurate self (16/19), only one of them was a progressive pass (downfield of more than 10 or more yards).  He had a season-low 1 recovery.  He was second to the ball more often than usual, and it wasn't for lack of effort.  He didn't even get credit for trying to dribble past a single KC defender. While Vera strings things together nicely at times, he looked like he was fending off a swarm of angry bees for most of this match.  He also committed 5 fouls in the midfield altogether.  Just not a great night from Matias.

I don't even know where Corona was, the only times I noticed him, he was giving the ball away. 0 tackles, 1 interception, 18 pressures, and was owned by Busio for most of the night.  

Boniek was no match for KC's front line:

He was beaten early and often by everyone who matched up against him.  He was drawn up high on Khiry Shelton's header, leaving a wide-open space for the big man to run into.  His clearance right after halftime almost ended up as an own goal. Boniek was soo bad, if you took the foul that led to the penalty away, he still played a terrible game.  While the stats show that he was busy (4 interceptions, 6 clearances, 90% Passing Rate), he committed 4 fouls and was routinely beaten or out of position. Part of that stat accumulation is just simply because of how much Sporting had the ball in their attacking third. Sporting was targeting him, and the way they were creating movement on his side was putting him in really bad spots.  Khiry Shelton would drop deep, creating space for Espinosa to run in behind.  This was putting Ludkqvist in a bad spot, and creating a 2-1 between Espinosa, Pulido, and Garcia.  When the ball was opposite, Pulido would hold Garcia while Shelton ran into the space behind him in the box. This was what led to the penalty.  Pulido cut across in front of Boniek, who reached for the ball poorly.  You can't make this foul in the box.  It's a foul every single day, every single time, at every level.  A vet like Boniek should know better. He had another terrible foul on Johnny Russell in the 81st minute that led to a yellow card and Busio almost banged home another one. He got beat badly by Russell again in the 86th minute, trying to track down a ball and completely left Tim Parker hanging out to dry 1 v 3 with an entire half-pitch of grass at Sporting KC's disposal. That one took Maxi Urruti tracking all the way back to stop. This was by far Boniek's worst game of the year.  

Other notes:

• Where was Memo? In the first half, Memo had a total of 6 touches.  Of the touches he got, 5 were on the wrong side of midfield and resulted in a back pass or a turnover, and 1 touch was in the final third and resulted in a cross.  His first touch in the second half, he dribbled into a trap, tried to split it, and gave the ball back instead. On his second touch of the second half, he fell down and got a handball call.  He was subbed off in the 65th minute, but was nonexistent most of this game.
• Maxi Urruti was unbelievable tracking back.  He raced back to stop a goal in the 87th minute, and constantly throughout the game you saw him race back to take a midfield position after someone was caught too high.  It was nice to see him get the goal, but his defensive work was tremendous in this game. Also, Urruti now has more goals than Manotas had last year.
• Busio and Kenda combined for 62 pressures, 5 interceptions, 7 tackles, 4 blocks, and 117 passes completed.  Oh, and they also nabbed 2 goals and 1 assist.  
  
  
  

Yellow Card Watch:

Thanks again for reading, 

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange

Houston Dynamo FC 2:1 Vancouver Whitecaps - Recap

 

I love a rainy night.

I love a rainy night.

I love to hear the thunder, Watch the lightnin'...........when it lights up the ski-i-ies.

You know it makes me feel good.

I love a rainy night, It's such a beautiful sight.

I love to feel the rain on my face, Taste the rain on my lips,

In the moonlight shadow.

Showers wash all of my cares away. I wake up to a sunny day...

Dear Vancouver, welcome to our beautiful city.  Sometimes we have beautiful weather, just not when the Dynamo play at home this season.  When Naranja grace the pitch at BBVA, it rains like God is mad at us.  Saturday night it rained like we all needed to start gathering animals two by two.  The atmosphere however was poppin' before the game. There was good energy in the stadium despite the torrential downpour.  People were dressed up, dancing, and you could see a lot of smiling faces.  Dynamo Klaus was in full effect, and so was the supporters' section.  There was one small change in the starting lineup. Memo moved back to the midfield with Ariel Lassiter taking over at the wing.  With Tyler Pasher nursing a muscle injury and a wet field, Tab decided to go with the speedy Lassiter outside.  Mattias Vera gave way to Derek Jones, who made his third consecutive start. Four Dynamo players have started all seven games this year.  Memo, Marco Maric, Adam Lundkvist, and Tim Parker.  Only Parker and Maric have played every minute so far.  BBVA has been a safe haven for Tab Ramos and the fellas this year.  They were 2-1-0 at home coming into the game, even though the goal margins were slim.  Houston has been one of the better defensive teams in the league outside of the 3-1 loss to Colorado last weekend.  Glad this was a win for the good guys, since we won't see them back here for a month.

Before the game:

There was somewhat exciting news before the game. Multiple reports are stating that Todd Segal of EJS Group is set to buy the Dynamo.  While this could potentially be exactly what the soccer community of this city needs, it could also be much more of the same.  Segal is based in New York, and my fear is that he'll be just another disconnected owner.  I can't name a time I've actually seen Gabriel Brenner at a game.  I know Oscar De La Hoya has been to one, and James Harden before he even bought in.  Hopefully, he brings resources to the club and allows whoever the GM is to run this team like an actual club.  This team made some strides this offseason, but there is still a long way to go in running things like a professional organization around here.

Tab Ramos also had some interesting words on Memo Rodriguez in Thursday's edition of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m not going to hold back,” Ramos said. “I think Memo needs to do more because he can. I think he can be an elite player in MLS. Those elite players that play in those positions in between lines, they’re the ones that make plays — not just shots on goal, but get assists and all those things.  I think Memo is capable of that. So, I’m going to keep pushing him.”  While the numbers speak that Memo has been better at creating scoring opportunities this year, he still has a long way to go.  More on that later.

The Dynamo dominated the first 60 minutes of the game.

The Dynamo didn't just look like the better team, they looked like a legitimate quality team through the first 60 minutes of play.  They were defending, creating chances, and winning the majority of player matchups.  Derrick Jones has been a difference-maker.  He gobbles up balls in the midfield.  And when he snatched the ball away from Lucas Cavallini at the 7:44 mark and fired it 30 yards downfield to Fafa on a dime, the break was on.  Fafa found a streaking Maxi Urruti right in front of the net, and although he was squeezed by 3 White Caps defenders, and Goal Keeper Maxime Crépeau pushed it away, Memo never gave up on the ball. Memo hammered a left-footer square in the back of the net to put the good guys up 1-0.  You could see the pressure mounting, as the Dynamo had been attacking in waves from the get-go.  Lundkvist had lobed several deep balls downfield to Fafa, who was completely owning the left flank in the early going.  Jones, Memo, and Joe Corona were chasing down and winning every ball, and Lundkvist and Zarek Valentine were closing down the corners.  Urruti was running all over the field, and Lassiter was pushing on the right side. Vancouver couldn't stop the Dynamo from getting in behind, and Maxi Urruti had a great run off a terrific deep ball by Lundkvist that ended in a shot that was barely saved. The Dynamo lobbed three or four dangerous crosses in before Memo finally got on the end of one. We actually looked.....good. I'm trying to keep this in a proper frame of mind, as I really can't see what the White Caps are going to be this year, but they are a team that we should beat at home.  The Dynamo were prepared and exploiting gaps in Vancouver's defense and were shutting down everything they tried to do going forward.

This was especially highlighted by Zarek Valentines save (of a goal and the win) on a play that had gone horribly wrong.  Initially, the defense was solid.  After a nice through ball by Cristián Dajome found Deiber Caicedo on the run, Caicedo fired one across the goal.  Maric did a good job reacting to the ball, but he knocked the ball into a really bad position.  The ball found the big left foot of Lucas Cavallini, and with Maric scrambling to recover it seemed like a for sure goal.  How Zarek managed to slide, catch it with his backside, then clear it with his left foot while sitting is amazing.  The play didn't end there, however.   The rebound was chased own by Caio Alexandre, and his shot was blocked by the left foot of Memo.  Zarek turned the next one away and conceded a corner that turned into nothing.

Urruti broke the game open at the 41st minute with a right-footed volley off a corner to push the game to 2-0.  When Memo originally hit it, I honestly rolled my eyes because I thought it was horribly off.  At the last second, I saw Urruti stretch on the back post and thought......hold up. Wait a second.....and then Urruti beat Crepeau at the near post. I couldn't believe that the ball actually went in. After I watched it again on replay I still can't believe it went in. Maxi got a decent foot on the ball, but it just snuck by Crepeau.  Fafa had a chance at a breakaway right after but just couldn't control the ball.  The Dynamo went into the half up 2-0, and you had to genuinely feel that it could have been a four-goal half. Urruti had two other solid chances and Jones had a decent look as well.  The first fifteen minutes after the half were all Dynamo. Memo had a couple of decent chances, one of which was a free-kick that narrowly missed. Lassiter had a nice cut back inside and blasted a left-footer that went off the crossbar. The first 60 minutes the Dynamo simply outplayed Vancouver by a wide margin.

The next 20 were very even, but the last 10 went to Vancouver.

It would be obvious to say this simply because the Dynamo gave up a goal, but over the last 10 minutes of the game, the Dynamo didn't really seem to pose a threat.  Tyler Pasher came on for Lassiter, and although he was good couldn't get people to stay with him.  The tides had turned and we were showing tired legs.  I have to ask again........why didn't we use our last two subs?  Corona and Jones were both sitting on yellows, and Darwin Ceren was warming up on the sidelines.  We held on, but what should have been a convincing win got way too hairy.  The entirety of section 203 was calling for the ref to blow the whistle, and about 10 of us had our timers out.  I'm thankful for the win, but we could really use some depth late in games.  Corona and Jones where outstanding, but fresh legs are fresh legs.

Notes:

Derrick Jones will be tough to take minutes from:  

First off, he's huge.  He's long, rangy, and surprising quick.  He has a good burst in short spaces and just beats people to the ball.  It's being seen with regularity his long legs stretch out and just snatch balls intended for other people.  When we are going forward, it seems that everyone on the team knows that you can simply toss the ball somewhere in the midfield and Jones will go get it.  He's not only a dangerous defender, he's a safety net. He is really spraying the ball around the pitch too. He allows Corona, Vera and Memo to push higher and be more direct.  He covers up teammates' mistakes, and he forces them on the other end.  He's looking like a steal this offseason.

Ariel Lassiter played a solid game:

I'm hard on Ariel, he's made a lot of mistakes and had some brutal play.  He has to be better taking on defenders, he's too straightforward and lacks deception and ball handling.  However, he played solidly against Vancouver.  He was really aggressive and had didn't hurt us.  I still haven't figured him out, but maybe he's starting to put things together.

Lundkvist and Valentine put out another solid outing:

I actually thought they both put together really good games.  Lundkvist (4 blocks, 3 interceptions, 10 pressures) defended well, and hit Fafa on several deep balls in the first half.  Valentine was also solid defensively outside of his goal-saving block. Valentine (2 blocks, 2 tackles) hit on 8 passes of 30 yards or longer and was routinely where he was supposed to be.  When these two play with a defense-first mentality and hit on deep balls like they did last night, the Dynamo are a tuff egg to crack.

We have to avoid disastrous giveaways in the defensive third:

It happened again last night and seems to happen every single game. While Boniek was the one responsible for it, Lundkvist made a pass that put him in a really bad situation.  It cost us a goal, even though it turned out to be a harmless one.  This is professional soccer, and giving the ball away like that is fatal.  There's no recovering and you are relying on miracles at that point.  Just bang it deep, kick it out of bounds, do something that lets the defense recover and set.  

Thoughts on Memo:

While Memo (1 goal, 1 assist) was named man of the match and this game was a good one for him, it also showed how much work he has left to do.  It's not that I dislike Memo or his game, but Tab's comments about him before the game are about him becoming that guy.  Memo is a good player, but he has flaws.  He's one of the worst in the league at taking on defenders (35%) and the Dynamo are the worst in the league at taking on defenders (50.8%).  Memo is a "guts and glory" type of player.  The goal he scored last night was an effort play, not a skill or technique play.  And while I love his effort, he still has to be better on the ball.  Through seven games, Memo doesn't have an assist in open play yet, and often times his passing in the final third finds the wrong color jersey.  While his shooting percentage is steadily rising, his goal per Shot on Target % (0.29) ranks 105th in MLS.  I wrote several weeks ago that Memo seems to have plateaued, and I stand by it.  He's not a creative playmaker.  In his career, spanning both USL and MLS, Memo produces 1 assist every 10 games.  At the MLS level, he's never created more than 2 in a season. I'm not saying he has to go, and I'm not saying he needs to be benched.  The Dynamo need Memo to step up, or we need to find that creative playmaker who can step in.  I hope Tab is right, because I love watching Memo play, but I'm afraid those are shoes that Memo can't fill.

Yellow Card Watch:

Next Up:

Away @ Sporting KC, Next Saturday.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Houston, we have a problem: The Darwin Debacle Continues

 

He was the face of our franchise.  El Científico del Gol is a chance creator, a wizard with the ball, and a dynamic offensive player.  He has a skill set no one else on the team possesses and yet......he can't see the field.  It's left me with so many questions, many of which I don't know if they'll be answered.  Last year, Quintero was the lone bright spot in the Houston attack after the departure of Alberth Elis. He lead the team in goals and assists.  His 7 assists placed second in the league in 2019/2020, and he was passing to a bunch of guys who couldn't finish.  He was 5th on the team in minutes, made 20/22 starts, and played the full 90 eighteen times.  This year, he's managed 52 minutes in 6 games (3 appearances). How did he go from shining star to.....well....playing 52 more minutes than me?  How has he played fewer minutes than Nico Lemoine and Ariel Lassiter?  I've read reports about how his age is holding him back, but that can't be the case.  Boniek is 35, and Maynor is 38.  Both have played 5x the minutes he's played.  Think about this again.....Nico Lemoine made 1 appearance........and has played more minutes than our only designated player.  What's more concerning to me is you don't hear anyone in the organization talking about it.  Even more so, I don't hear anyone asking Tab about it.

A quick Google search netted zero results, dating all the way back to the beginning of the season.  There are some speculative reports from the preseason, but I don't see anyone directly asking Tab Ramos why the team's most influential offensive talent isn't playing.  While a lot of attention was paid to the midfield this offseason (Joe Corona and Derek Jones have been quality additions soo far) it was hard to think either of them would supplant Quintero as a starter, much less as a focal point.  Matias Vera is a nice player.  He plays hard, is a decent defender, and a smart passer but he offers little going forward.  Memo is Memo.  Memo has guts and grit and plays well.  But when he makes a play it's more from determination than skill (see his week 1 goal as example).  Rodriguez is a willing defender, but is his defending up top more valuable than what Quintero can create offensively?  I think we are at the point in the season where this question has to be asked.  I'm not going to deep dive into Memo on this one, but I do want to deep dive into Quintero's usefulness and how I think Tab is missing an opportunity.

Is Darwin as bad defensively as we think?

When the season first started, I had two trains of thought. (1) Darwin is just being held out of preseason games to keep his legs fresh.  (2) Darwin has to have some nagging injury we don't know about.  Now, things have switched to (Positive thought) We are just keeping his legs fresh for the summer and for the second half of the season. (Negative thought) He's done here and we are looking to get rid of him.  It's no secret, Tab wants to press high and defend from the front.  He wants teams to earn every inch of the pitch against his team. I've read where Quintero doesn't fit into this, but last year he had more attempted tackles (31) than Memo (26), and a higher pressure success rate (28.6% - 26.3%)  In 52 minutes this year, he has more tackles (4)  than Tyler Pasher (2) Maxi Urruti (1) and Ariel Lassiter (1). He's outperforming Pasher (28), Lassiter (30) and Christian Ramirez in the number of pressures (30) and his success rate is only slightly behind Derek Jones (30.2%) even with Lassiter (30%) and higher than Fafa Picault (28%).  I'm fully aware that Darwin isn't a defensive stalworth, but he's outperforming guys in this area who can't come close to what he brings offensively.  Darwin isn't great at getting his foot on the ball, he's not great at chasing down balls and getting recoveries, but he's also (historically) on par with others that are playing in front of him.  So truthfully, the answer is we lose some defensively if we switch him out with Memo. We lose a lot if he takes minutes from Corona, Vera, or Jones.  

How effective is Quintero offensively?

Do we really need stats to back this up?  The answer is, at creating goal-scoring chances: extremely. If you look at the top five players creating goal-scoring chances from last year, he was #1 by a pretty decent margin. His goal-scoring actions off of Live Passes was #2 in the league (80) and only 8 behind leader Alejandro Pozuelo and 20 more than third-place Christian Espinoza. His number this year is actually higher than last year despite his limited playing time.  End of the day, he's the best shot creator in MLS.  Not only do our eyes back it up, the data does too.

Last Year's Team - Comparable Statistics. 

2021 Possession and Goal/Shot Creation Stats.

Even though Memo has really improved in that area this year, and the addition of Tyler Pasher has added another layer, neither can produce these actions at the level of Darwin Quintero.  The Dynamo are actually down 4 shot-creating (23 in 2020 vs 19 in 2021) actions per game with Darwin out of the lineup, and with an offense as anemic as they have had this year they could use those extra chances. The Dynamo have gone from ranking 5th in Shots/90 in 2020 to 20th this year.  Without Quintero's creative playmaking ability, the Dynamo offense is at times stagnant.  Tabs system is a timing-based, ball movement and people movement attack.  It requires crisp passing and well-timed/executed runs.  As some guys (Vera, Corona, Memo) are logging heavy minutes, that movement and crispness have fallen off at times.  It's hard to run to open space AND defend the length of the pitch for 90 minutes every game.  Quintero can help take the pressure off of this by simply utilizing space, finding his way through the defense, and allowing tired legs to get through.  

Many times this year we've seen Fafa or Pasher streaking the flank with the ball, only to  yell "Somebody get with him!" It's my buddy Wade's rallying cry during games.  While Quintero doesn't help with this, he gives a second layer to that attack.  He helps open up the pull-back pass.  He helps to create up the middle through the teeth of the defense where your only option isn't hoping that Fafa can just outrun everybody.  He helps balance out the "lob it into 5'8 Memo or 5'6" Vera" attack we see at times. He gives the attack another dimension.

How bad has it gotten?

There was one interview where this was topic was brought up recently.  It was an interview that Darwin did with Jorge Clará from Deporte Total USA.  Not sure how many of you saw it, and if you're a Spanish speaker click the link and tell me if I got this wrong. Now, admittedly, I speak zero Spanish and I'm relying on translations, but things seem unlikely to turn around in terms of playing time.  Darwin said that he understands he doesn't fit what Tab is trying to do from the wing.  His size and two-way ability are lacking compared to the others on the team.  He said the locker room is good, and he has a good relationship with Tab, but that if he isn't playing as a starter or as a sub that he would have to sit down with the team at the next transfer window.  There were also reports that he had told Tab that if he wasn't in the plans for Saturday against Colorado, he'd rather not make the trip.  These aren't good circumstances, and while I understand that Tab is trying to win through building up the defense, leaving your most efficient creator on the bench is creating a bad situation.  I know that Darwin is 33, but using him as a situational starter, or flipping roles with Memo needs to be considered.

Why is this important?

Don't let the "He's the only DP" language distract you.  Yes, that's important.  But Urruti and Parker make DP money, they just don't have the tag.  Christian Ramirez almost makes DP money too, and Fafa makes more than Elis did (who was labeled a young DP).  Personally, I think the DP tag is stupid and needs to be gotten rid of, but that's a whole other topic.  However, if you're treating your only Designated player this way, why would anyone else want to come here under that label?  You're running the risk of running guys away before they even sign, and then you have to look for "Potential DP's" (i.e. Alberth Elis and Mauro Monatas).  We are pretty much down that road already.  But......this is professional sports.  Word gets around, and while we have made a habit of signing guys who are from small leagues in South America on frees, is that really how we want to continue in perpetuity?

I'm a coach myself, and by no means am I suggesting that you play a guy simply because of a label.  I believe in playing guys that give you the best chance to win regardless of reputation or label.  We know that some players don't fit certain systems, and being that Darwin is on the wrong side of 30, and is severely undersized, this could be a bad fit for him.  However, he's still the best option you've got at creating something out of nothing.  He's still one of the best the league has, and you have to find a role for him somewhere on this team.  

It matters organizationally long term.  If we ever want another player of his caliber, we have to treat him with the respect that he's due.

Summary:

I find it shockingly absurd that the Dynamo played 3 games in 8 days against solid opponents and Darwin managed to not make the rotation.  I don't understand how, in a desperate need to rotate the squad, (with Tyler Pasher out of action for the entire swing) Darwin DNP'd in two games and managed only 7 minutes as a sub in the first game.  I don't understand how Pasher goes down to injury, and Darwin gets less playing time.  I completely don't understand why Ariel Lassiter is the first man off the bench in many games. And even though they play different positions, how do Jose Bizama, Darwin Ceren, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Christian Ramirez, and Nico Limoine all have more minutes than Quintero?  This team could use an offensive spark.  They don't have to look for the summer transfer window to get it.  They don't have to look for Free Agents hanging around after this season is over in Europe (even though they need to dig through that junk drawer).  They have that spark on the bench and just need to figure out how to utilize it.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian