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
