Dear Pat Onstad: Please bring us the change we deserve (Part II)

This is not a repost, it's a revival.  I wrote this originally on Jan. 2nd, and I'm re-aasking Pat to do the same thing I asked before the season even started.  There were some changes made to the roster, but they aren't good enough.  There are some things that are still the same, and some things that still need to change.  We are in a transfer window, and some small changes could occur, but it seems like The Dynamo as a whole are content with where we are.  I'm going to leave parts of this original post intact because it still rings true.  Now (8 months after the original posting), I'm going to expand on this concept.

On August 30th, 2021 new owner Ted Segal made the decision to move his new shiny toy on a new path with the firing of long-time GM Matt Jordan.  On November 1st, 2021, Pat Onstad was named the new Houston GM.  The message boards and Twitterverse since then have been been a mixed bag of hope, excitement, skepticism, and vitriol.  Both Segal and Onstad have brought a ton of excitement, hopefulness, and interest in the club, but the one thing we were all hoping they'd bring has been lacking: change.  Let's go back and look at the timeline on Pat, what was said, what's been done, and where we are currently at.

What Segal said:

“I don’t want to give away all of the elements of our search,” Segal said. “What I will say is that we certainly will be looking at candidates with MLS experience. MLS experience, given the unique rules of MLS and the unique style of play, certainly is an important thing and a factor we’re going to consider.” 

Segal seemed open to changing the front office structure of the club, stating: “It (creating both a GM and a Technical Director role) is certainly going to be a consideration. We’re making our evaluations right now. We’re in the early days of our search. We’re going to see what kind of candidates we’re able to field, and who expresses interest to be here. I do think it’s an appealing location and an appealing opportunity, both with respect to the quality city and the successful history of Houston. And hopefully some folks who are encouraged by new ownership.” 

I highlighted the second phrase because I think it was part of why Pat got the job.  Pat definitely wanted it, past players and even Glenn Davis seemed to be in favor of Pat, and even the fan base jumped on board.   Pat seemed to be a perfect fit: a Dynamo legend who won plenty of hardware on the pitch, had success as both an assistant coach, and helped oversee a quick turnaround and transition as the Technical Director of the Columbus Crew.  

What does Segal want his club to be?

While Segal has never come out and said it, he's come out and said it.

  "I'm not going to get into the specifics of our partnership agreement. What I will say is I'm the ultimate deciding authority and I will further add, the league wants to have one deciding authority and so you're talking to him." (The Striker)

• "The picture in my mind was 22,000 seats filled with screaming fans, cheering on champions for both the Dynamo and the Dash, so that's what I picture and that's what I hope can happen for us and in the relatively near future." (The Striker)
• "I think you can take pieces or best practices from from a variety of clubs across the league. I think the community enthusiasm in a place like Atlanta, when they can sell out a building as large as it is in a relatively new soccer city, is very impressive. I think if you read across the league, I think there's a lot of praise for the player development that's occurred in Philadelphia. I think if you look towards Portland, you have community events rallied both for the Timbers and the Thorns – which is great for somebody in my position who's now the new owner of the Dynamo and the Dash. You look at what Sporting KC has done in their evolution over time, both in terms of creating that fan enthusiasm, creating winning sides and how they develop players. So there's a lot of examples across the league and best practices where you can take pieces from from all those and hopefully synthesize into what we're trying to achieve." (The Striker)
• “In addition (to shaving a proven track record and knowing MLS), success is a proven track record of developing the youth system, both from a perspective of channeling those players into the first team and potentially cultivating players that can perform for you or that you can sell on as well. So those are a few metrics." (MLS.com)
• "Of course, we need people who have a deep-rooted passion for the game," Segal commented on future hires. "What I will say is it would be very nice to add additional Houstonians to our organization and in particular, what I'd like to highlight, and you, Glenn, as somebody who has been involved with the sport in this city since 1984, I'd like to welcome back a lot more of our players from the glory days." (MLS.com)
• "I think, again, if we go back to your prior question, if we develop the right talent and we succeed on the field, we're going to have full stands and a talent development sporting element of our club that is the envy of the league." (The Striker).
• “What we have in the Dynamo is a sleeping giant,” Segal said. “A club that has experienced success in the past. And with the adequate resources, which is what I’m here to do … we can reawaken that sleeping giant.” (The Houston Chronicle)

First and foremost, Segal says he wants to win.  Segal has talked all about fan involvement, developing youth, and increasing spending.  In almost every interview he's talked about how success on the pitch will lead to 22,000 screaming fans inside PNC (still seems weird).  He wants the club to be full of past greats, connecting us to our glory days. He wants us to have a passionate fanbase and community connection to Atlanta and Portland, and develop players and win like Sportin K.C.  All of those things sound amazing on paper, but to awaken this Sleeping Giant, and overcome a cynical fanbase, is a lot more work than I think anyone is willing to admit.

I feel that Segal has put his money where his mouth is.  He's ponied up the biggest transfers in the history of this franchise.  Hector Herrera, Sebastian Ferreira, and even Coco Carrasquilla weren't cheap.  While we can argue over whether they were the RIGHT moves is a different story, and doesn't fall on Segal's lap.  There have been changes all around P.N.C. Stadium as well.  Not just the new mesh seats, but there have been other subtle changes that have made the games a fun place to be.  The pre-game scene around P.N.C. is fun, the concerts and vendors, and even Ted showing up to tailgate with the SG's is great.  I know, I know, to all the disgruntled fans who don't care about this:  I'll get to the other part.  Ted has lived up to his word, now he needs start holding others accountable to theirs. 

Pat Onstad states the obvious:

On Glenn Davis' "Soccer Matters" (July 26th) Pat said the same thing several times: 

• "Well, we're not where we want to be.....that's for sure" (opening quote)
• "The thing is.....I would look in the mirror.....and first and foremost, we're to blame. We are what we are."
• "We're not a playoff team at this point in time."
• "Our record, I think, speaks volumes about where we are as a club and we've got a lot of work to do."

Thanks Pat, I appreciate it.  How about some signs of life over there in the front office.  We solve this by loaning in an 18-year-old Columbian who...according to you.....is not ready to help our team right now?  Thanks man.  Good talk!  Pat, you have a small, but very loyal fanbase that has it's patience wearing thin.  We have a roster full of USL players, and we are in a transfer window.  While we are in no way a playoff team, we are only 6 points off and actually could compete for the final spot with some help.  I'm not asking you to go full bore Jimmy Johnson with the 1989 Cowboys, but you've got to do something.  We could, with the contracts expiring, have a nice little offseason.  We can, with some extremely smart and gutsy moves, have a transformative one.  It's time for this team to be gutsy.

The process:

When I originally wrote this, it was about the process to hire Pat Onstad.  This time it will be about the process to turn this lackluster franchise into a winner.

Anybody who thought we were going to be a playoff team this year was setting themselves up for disappointment.  This year, despite bringing in some big-money players, was never about making the playoffs.  If it was, we wouldn't have hired Paulo Nagamura.  We would have gone and gotten a more seasoned coach that could right the ship.  Paulo wasn't a win-now hire.  Neither (by the way) was the guy before him.  There's a reason for it, and like it or not, if we fired Paulo tomorrow we would be stuck with a different version of Tab Ramos and Paulo Nagamura.  That's what they want here.  A guy that can build a system and develop a roster.  

That being said, Pat has done some things to help this roster, but he needs to do more and he needs to do so quickly.  There should be 5 players safe on this roster: Sebas, Coco, Thor, Hector Herrera, and Teenage. Even with those 4, if a good offer comes up, take it.  Literally every other player on this roster has had their chance to show they are up to the task, and none of them has truly succeeded.  Sure, there are a few decent players in the rest of the bunch.  Zeca?  An exciting player at times, but not good enough.  Lundy?  Solid LB, love the guy, his work ethic and his attitude, but he's not good enough.  Vera, Memo, Fafa, DQ?  All had their chance to shine and turn this thing around, and all of them failed.  Any one of them could be a good piece on a decent team, but the collective of them has led to "hot pile of garbage" status.  The entire rest of the squad?  Couldn't even break through on THIS team.  Thank you for your service, may Inter Miami or the USL serve you well.  

The Dynamo have a chance to clear some good money this offseason.  There are guys we HAVE to move on from.  If Pat stops with the guys coming out of contract or picks up several of the options that are available, we will be in the same situation next year.  We have to pick up at least 4 new starters next year, and need roughly 6. With the way Clark is fading down the stretch, I should probably make that 7.  Pat has to have the impact offseason this winter the fanbase dreamed of last winter.  He's got to make the right moves to get key guys in place around the 4 I mentioned, and he has to do it now.  That, and Paulo has to make a jump.

The Head Coach:

Glenn Davis first said it right after Tab Ramos and the Houston Dynamo parted ways: "The new head coach will come with a huge question mark......" and he was spot on. Bob Bradley, or anyone like him, was never coming here.  Not only do those guys probably not want to come here for a multitude of reasons, but it's also not what the Dynamo are looking for.  The list of candidates was notably underwhelming to say the list.  Not to say anything else about the other guys that were mentioned, but most of the potential candidates' lists were pretty much on par with the way we've done business here for the last decade.  When Jessie Marsch was let go, I thought we should go do whatever it takes to get him here, but it doesn't take long to realize that this team isn't interested in anyone on that level. 

Onstad has repeatedly stated that he wants a "collaborator".  What does this mean?  He wants someone to work with him.  "It's certainly difficult for us to have someone come in and say 'hey, I have nine staff members that need to come...'. That's certainly not the club that I want to lead. The club I want to lead is you still have people that work for the club." (Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis). "......those are the guys (Paul Rogers, Paul Caffrey, etc) that put the club first and foremost, and those are the guys that you need working for the club."  He stated (and I'm paraphrasing here) that he doesn't want the team to be sectional, that he doesn't want to be a guy that just gets players, and the coaches just coach.  He wants to rely on the coach's expertise and input but also wants a coach that relies on his.  He wants coaches and technical staff that are just as involved in recruiting players they want as he is.  "I'd like to say now I've been in this league since 2003, I have a pretty good idea what works in this league. So I also think my expertise to be isolated would be a waste...."  He's not looking for Bruce Arena or a Gregg Berhalter situation where they are both coach and sporting director/GM. Pat has his ideas on how to build this team, what he wants his team to look like, and what he wants his coach to be. That's a good thing because no high-level coach will ever come here if he can't pick his own assistants.

Pat thinks they have that man in Paulo.  That's the #1 reason why Paulo will be back next year.  While Paulo has actually done some good things this year, he also does things that are mind-numbingly irritating to the fanbase.  The constant shuffling of the starting 11, the complete inability to field a starting 11 with his best 11 players, his undying devotion to the 4-3-3 when we don't have the guys to play it, subbing in CB's when the Dynamo are losing (twice).  I was absolutely fired up watching Paulo in the post locker room conferences early in the year when we were winning.  I was thinking: "This is my kind of guy".  But teams have us figured out, and Paulo is CONSTANTLY fielding starting 11's without at least two of his best 11.  Other than simply putting his best 11 on the field to start a game (and for the record, that's: Clark, Hadebe, Parker, Zeca, Lundy, Vera, Coco, HH, Fafa, Sebas, and DQ.) he has yet to show any creativity in getting those players on the field together with tactical or formation switches.  There have been slight changes like dropping Sebas deeper, pushing DQ higher, etc.  But the overall scheme is relatively rigid.  Paulo is a young coach, he's also learning this new role.  But he needs to take a jump this year.  He's got to get better. I don't think it's all bad, there are times we are in a position to make a play, and simply won't or can't make them.  How many times have we seen guys simply not shoot the ball in position to shoot?  How many 1v1's have we seen from Fafa, Thor, and Pasher on the wings, only to come away with nothing? How many times has DQ turned the ball over in the attacking third when teammates are wide open? How many crosses have you seen sail to nobody outside of the box?  Those aren't tactical problems, those are personnel/skillset problems.  

This team is boring to watch.  We occasionally have nice combo play, and we occasionally hit a counter, but the majority of the game is spent passing sideways and backward and not posing much of a threat.  The Dynamo rank 20th in goals/90, and 17th in xG despite being in the top 1/2 of the league in shots and shots on target.  We have spent a good part of the season without DQ, Sebas, or Fafa in the starting 11 (Sometimes 2/3). The tactic of attacking wide with Zeca, only to have him cross a ball into 1 guy with nobody covering the back post doesn't work.  Our spacing is bad, guys cover each other up, there's poor communication in the front line and the back, and the midfield has no chemistry.  Paulo has to fix these things and find a tactical style that fits what we have. Next year, no one is going to want to hear that we don't have the guys to play this style.  Adjust or get out.  If Paulo can't take the step up, Pat needs to stay committed to "leaving no stone unturned" to improve this roster.

The Roster:  

This section will be short and sweet.  We actually need to make any change we can, now.  I'm not deep diving into this, but with teams looking to make a playoff push, much like in MLB, any player that can be offloaded now needs the trigger pulled.  A USL team calls and makes us an offer that we're going to take a bath on?  Make it happen.  We need to set ourselves up for this offseason, and if we can find any relief now we need to do so.  

Credit to Pat for owning up and being transparent on Thiago, but no more Thiago's.  Nelson Quinones is our Summer signing, and he needs to be able to help this roster.  We need wings, he's a wing, he needs to be a hit.

Closing thoughts:

While this is clearly not the Matt Jordan/Ownership group of years past, and things off the field and around PNC have changed drastically, things on the field haven't changed all that much.

After 23 games the last two years:

Hector Herrera and Sebas were a lot of money for a +3 goal differential, a +3 in points, and a +2 in table position.  While admittedly, this could change, the realist in me says it won't.  The schedule isn't exactly a cupcake for the rest of the year.

So, one last plea, Pat.....Please bring us the change we deserve. And if you can find a way to #BringBackElis, I'd be forever grateful. 

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Paulo, you have some answering to do.

 
So, I've tried to be patient with our first-year head coach this year.  There have been some signs that this team is improving.  There have been some times when we do things I really like.  But there have been some things recently with this team that just makes me ask: "WHAT ARE WE DOING?"  After last night's 2-1 loss to Minnesota United at home, Paulo Nagamura made a few more decisions that have left me.....well....flabbergasted.  Forget about tactics for a minute, forget about formations.  Let's just focus on the basic player selection and substitutions for a second a let forth a furnace blast of heat.  With the signings we've made this year, we shouldn't be in a place where we have 1 win in our last 6, and 4 wins since April 16th (4-10-2 over that span).  We shouldn't rank 20th in the league in Points Per Game at PNC.  We've picked up 4 out of 15 points at home in our last 5 games in the Bayou City.  There are some good things happening this year (like somewhat figuring out how to pick up wins on the road) but not even being competitive for a playoff spot needs to be accounted for.  

I've said from the very beginning we don't have what it takes to make the playoffs.  I've said all year long that we aren't going to make the playoffs.  But I thought we'd at least be competitive.  My belief is based off this team's ability, but questions are arising around basic desire.  Today, however, we'll solely point the blame squarely on Paulo's shoulders, and ask what in the world we are doing.

Why can't we put all 11 of our best players in the starting lineup?

Does anyone know what's going on with Sebas?  Is anyone asking: Why is the second biggest signing in the history of this franchise and this winter's poster child for change sitting on the bench?  I read Paulo's quote, it told me nothing.  If Paulo can't figure out how to get Darwin Quintero, Sebas, Hector Herrera, Coco, Teenage, Zeca, Adam Lundkvist, and Fafa all on the field together, how is he a professional coach?  All year long we've been one of those short in the starting lineup.  The first several games of the year, it was Teenage and DQ.  Then, it was Parker and Fafa, and now it's Sebas who can't find the starting 11 anymore.  WHAT ARE WE DOING?  He's the team's leading scorer, he's second on the team in assists, and he barely ever gets the ball.  He has fewer touches inside the box than Fafa (80-75) and is seventh on the team with touches inside the attacking 3rd.  Memo, Lundy, Zeca, and Coco all have more touches in the attacking third than him, and DQ has 257 more touches in the attacking third than Sebas, with the same amount of goals and 1 less assist.  We just got a guy that can break lines and get him the ball, and we decide we aren't going to start him anymore.  

The last two games Paulo has rolled out a starting lineup without Zeca and Sebas, and we are supposed to be trying to make a playoff push.  Since the beginning of the season, we have never posted a starting lineup that included this: Sebas, DQ, Fafa, Coco, Zeka, Parker, Hadebe, Lundy, Clark. Not one time. That doesn't include two spots, which you could go a couple of different routes with.  Add HH in to that mix and you have 10 of your starting 11.  We need a wing?  Put DQ at RW and let him duck inside while Zeca overlaps the right side, then attack the right every chance you get.  Put Thor at the other wing, or start Fafa and Thor and play DQ at the 10.  It's crazy to think that over 24 games, we can't get those 9 together in the starting 11 a single time.  Every game there's a couple of them rotated.  Enough with the rotation.  Settle in and get your best 11 on the field.   There's not a mid-week game until the end of August, there's no reason for heavy squad rotation at this point.  We're at the bottom of the table and need to play some catch-up.  

Hey Paulo, your fanbase likes winning.  We aren't really into this whole......experiment and tinker thing at the moment.  Enough with switching up 1/2 of your back line every game.  Our playoff hopes are basically gone with 12 games left in the season, and our team has been pretty embarrassing for 3 months. When you're losing to Austin F.C., and you don't even play our DP striker, you need to answer for that.  When we are two points shy of a playoff spot and you don't start our DP striker at home against one of the best defenses in the league, you need to answer for that.  When you pull Sebas at 57 minutes against F.C. Frisco, then basically bench him for the last 3 games, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I get it, Sebas doesn't always run hard, he pouts at times, and sometimes gives up on plays early.  But.......when you get him the ball in the box he puts shots on target.  Plain and simple. 

Pat, you weren't hired to help fix these sorts of things, but you talked about it being a collaborative environment all winter.  Help Paulo figure it out.  I don't know if you've noticed, but the second Sebas stepped on the field the last two games, the games changed. You know why?  Because he's pretty good.  Just once.....ONCE....we would like to see our best 11 players on the field together to start the game.  It needs to happen now.

Last night AFTER Sebas checked in.......

What is with the subs?

Not only is it confusing to not start your leading scorer constantly over the last 3 games, but what is going on with Paulo's substitutions over that span?  Let's go back to Austin F.C.  Granted, they had just played 3 nights before, but some of this I still don't understand.  Down a goal at half (2-1), Paulo subs off Coco who had gone full-blown beast mode in the early parts of the game.  If it wasn't for the fact that Hector Herrera was the one who came on, this would be even worse, but....can I ask why we didn't sub off Mattias Vera or Darwin Ceren instead?  Urruti scored to put Austin up 2 goals, Paulo makes 2 very predictable (DQ-Ver; 65th minute, Junqua+Dorsey - Lundy+Zeca; 78th minute) and bland subs, but you still have Sebas and Tyler Pasher on the bench, and you're down 2 goals.  Then, in the 85th minute, you sub in Steres for Parker?  WE'RE DOWN TWO GOALS, and you're freshening up your back line?  What are we doing?  At least put on the face like we're trying to win?  

The same thing happened last night.  Down a goal, Sebas for Vera was a good move.  But then you put in Steres for Parker in the 59th minute?  We're down a goal Paulo, and you have Tyler Pasher just sitting there.  This isn't the time to freshen up your back line.  Parker's a big boy, he can handle the workload.  Unless Steres is pushing up to get his head on the ball, there's literally no reason to make this change.  Noted, Parker got roasted on the first goal, but he had settled in and was playing just fine.  This team has no continuity, and now we are making substitutions that make no tactical sense.   We need someone asking him these questions, he needs to answer for it.  

Dynamo Fans, it's time to apply some healthy pressure.

I'm going to just put this out there.  Healthy pressure doesn't come from empty seats.  Healthy pressure would come from a packed stadium voicing their displeasure over what was going on with the team.  Not bags over our heads in the supporters section, not empty seats.  This team is pretty much immune to empty seats.  It's so immune to empty seats, we see a stadium that's 2/3rds full as "a terrific atmosphere".  20,000 fans voicing their displeasure in an appropriate way (with words/signs, and boos, not throwing things on the field or wearing bags over our heads) shows a fanbase that actually cares.  Empty seats shows a fanbase that doesn't.  If you're unhappy with what's going on, show up, make a statement, and let it be heard.  Call in the Glenn Davis on soccer matters, and let them hear it over the radio.  I'm not saying it's time to fire Asher, Pat and Paulo, but they all need to feel some pressure.  What's happening here is not good enough.  Even those of us who predicted this was coming expected a better effort to get there.

What are we trying to be?

I've had an interesting conversation over on Big Soccer this week about an Asher Mendlesohn quote.

“We want our team to look like our city.”@asherhdfc spent some time pregame giving an exclusive chalk talk to our members 💪#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/15qqSNqFvj

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 23, 2022

So, just to settle some of the debate, let me tell you what a team representing the great city of Houston should look like:

1. The hardest working, blue collar team in MLS.  A tuff and gritty team that will outwork every opponent we see.  Add in a sprinkling of highly paid, super talented exec types and you've got a start.
2. The most innovative team in MLS.  A team that can turn nothing into something, like making the worlds one of the worlds lagest ports out of a couple of swampy Bayous. A team that is leading in it's industry like Houston is in Oil, Gas, energy and medicine.  A front office of hyper smart people that are on the leading edge of their field.  
3. A team that first and foremost has each other's backs like we did in....well....every Hurricane.  A team that is going to bind together to rebuild this dynasty like we banded together to help tear down and rebuild each others homes after Harvey.  
4. A team full of vibrant life, culture, and joy, regardless of background or where you came from.
5. A team with pride.  Not just pride in the #ForeverOrange, but personal pride in what they do, who they are, and what they represent.  
   

Next Up:

I keep saying how this schedule is about to get brutal, here's one of the most brutal games.

Saturday, July 30th - 6:30

Philedelphia is undefeated at home this year (6-0-5) and have outscored their opponents 20:6.  Their 6 Goals Against at home is best in the league.  They are one of only 4 teams to allow single digits in goals at home this year.  

The Dynamo are 3-7-0 on the road this year, and after winning their last road game against sit 17th in the league in road points.  They've been outscored 12-17 in 10 road games, and their -5 Goal Differential is tied for 14th.

Until then, remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

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

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

The Good:

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

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

Fafa Picault:  

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

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

Sebas:  

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

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

📺 @ATTSportsNetSW pic.twitter.com/sZNH0u40F0

— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) July 18, 2022

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

Tim Parker:

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

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

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

📺 @ATTSportsNetSW pic.twitter.com/7ZrXnZpBFZ

— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) July 18, 2022

The Bad:

The first half:

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

Hector Herrera:

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

The Ugly

Thor's defending the back post:

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

Whatever Sebas was doing with his shorts:

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

Next Up:

Minnesota United: 2022

Run of Form:

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

Houston Dynamo: 2022

Until Next time:

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Austin FC 3:1 Houston Dynamo - a post game rant.

This will be short and sweet. After another embarrassing performance against Austin F.C., I don't have much to say.  I've been reading all the comments on Twitter, Reddit, FaceBook, and Big Soccer, so let me be definitively clear.  This team isn't snake bit, it's not unlucky. While it is, at times, poorly set up, it's not necessarily poorly coached.  What it definitively IS is not good enough.  Plain and simple.  This team has soo many holes, so much mediocrity, and so few guys that can do the fundamental things that professional soccer players need to be successful at their position it negates anything the coach is trying to do anway.

This team can't break lines with the ball at their feet.

This team can barely break lines with passes.

This team, against a high-pressing team, can barely get the ball across midfield.

This team can't finish.

This team doesn't create enough scoring opportunities.

This team falls asleep at the worst times on the defensive end.

This team gives the ball away too much.

Despite adding Coco and HH this midfield is still really poor. The other three major players in the midfield offer you almost nothing except effort and the occasional play, and those three also eat up $1.4 million in cap space.

Our wings are soo one-dimensional that if you put two of them together you still wouldn't have a complete player, because none of them can cross or pass the ball.  

Our backs are undersized and getting us killed at the back post on crosses.  

But the good news is (#sarcasm):

While Austin F.C. is playing teams like Atlanta United and their M.A.S.H. unit of a back line, we get to play the following schedule the rest of the way:

The yellow highlighted teams are above the playoff line, and the blues are within 3 points.  Colorado is no slouch even though they are underperforming, and we all know what Sporting K.C. can do to us.  With this schedule, the Dynamo could literally not win another game this season.  Let that sink in.

Austin and the Transfer window have squashed some much-needed enthusiasm.

It's easy to forget that we made the biggest acquisition in this team's history this transfer window, but when Pat Onstad came out and said they weren't looking for a big signing it was kind of a no-brainer.  We have our DP's, all three of which have gotten here within the last calendar year.  We tied up big money in guys like Parker, Vera, Fafa, Clark, and Darwin Quintero that are underperforming.  There are some higher-priced backups like Memo, Ceren, Valentine, and Baird that aren't doing anything to help you win consistently.  In this window, what they really need to do is find out how to move on and upgrade everyone I just listed above.  None of them are young, and none of them have upside.  None of these guys should be off the table, and the only acceptable reason to keep any of them around is that their contract expires at the end of the season.

Speaking of Contracts, who is up at the end of the year?

The only guys I'd consider bring back off this list are (1) Lundy.  Pick up his option.  He's got a very affordable cap price and is a solid player for us. (2) Zeca, same as Lundy.  But we need to figure out how to not have Zeca exposed on crosses.  

That's it.  That's the list.  If Dorsey and Junqua want to come back as low paid back-ups, I'd be ok with it.  If Pasher wants to come back for what he makes now ($169k), I'd consider it, but would probably still move on. Everyone else can go.  

Sorry for the quick rant, but like I said, not much to say. We'll see what San Jose has to offer us.

Thanks again for reading, 

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Bad calls and bad bounces (with a sprinkling of poor finishing): Dynamo 2:2 Frisco

One week after PNC Stadium was lit up by fireworks for the 4th of July, fireworks again exploded for over 90 minutes in a near-perfect Texas Derby matchup.  For the neutral, this was a game that had it all.  For #ForeverOrange faithful, the only thing it lacked was all three points.  Both teams saw big plays from key stars, and although it ended in a 2:2 draw the Dynamo were the most dangerous team for most of the match. While (as a fanbase) we are far removed from moral victories, the insertion of Hector Herrera changed the game, the energy of the entire stadium, and brought many of us begging for more.  

*Author's note: Sorry this one is a little long, but there's a lot to cover.

Leading up to the game:

After a near soul-crushing loss to Charlotte F.C. (unless you're @KeepingTabsPod, then your soul is completely crushed), and the news by Pat Onstad that the team wasn't in the market for a big-name winger this window, there was a lot of frustration voiced by many Dynamo Faithful on Twitter. Lots of melancholy exchanges about the nature of this team.  It's almost as if we had forgotten that the biggest acquisition of this year had yet to play a game and was coming.....this window.  There was lots of conjecture, speculation, and armchair coaching over exactly how and where HH should play (which HH basically said he didn't care, he'd play/do whatever), there was a lot of buildup to this game.  The first sell-out since Tab's first game as Coach (2020, vs LAG), the crowd didn't disappoint. It was the biggest crowd we've seen since probably DMB's last game, and they were rowdy.  

The first 45:

The Dynamo came out in a high block press, often in the first 5 minutes of play with all 10 field players in the Frisco half.  With Vera sitting between the CB's, and the backs pushing high (as has been fairly frequent of late), the Dynamo were morphing the 4-3-3 into a 3-4-3 in attack with Coco and Memo connecting the dots and Fafa/DQ drifting inside and running off of Sebas.  #ForeverOrange cracked the first shot (1:30), with Sebas hitting a nice curler to the far post that just went wide after a nice round of quick-hitting combo play from Sebas-Memo-DQ-Sebas.  Fafa's pressure led to a foul deep in enemy territory soon after (2:30), and while Darwin Quintero's free-kick didn't make it past the defence, the Dynamo had come out the aggressor and were chipping holes in Frisco's defence.

Dallas's first threat (4:02) came off the left foot of Paul Arriola's left foot after Alan Velasco found him in the box at the back post on a cross.  Adam Lundkvist, Memo, and Teenage Hadebe had him sandwiched up, and Arriola couldn't get a clean look.  The ball wound up in the Heineken Sports deck.  The run of play went completely the Dynamo way afterwards, as the next 6 shots over the next 20 minutes all went their way.  The Dynamo were controlling possession, maintaining a good shape, and attacking the right side routinely in the opening 20 minutes of play.  Both Zeca and Fafa had multiple long runs down the ride side, but Frisco was doing a good job taking Sebas and DQ out of the final third.  Houston had created 7 chances to Frisco's 1, and had dominated possession (60%-40%) in the early going.  Memo (laser half-volley: 11:01; header of Fafa cross: 20:07; Free-Kick: 23:00) had three tremendous opportunity to break it open. Houston's pressure not only was controlling the run of play but also picked up two Yellows (Matt Hedge's 17th minute; Facundo Quignon 24th minute).

The entire game changed in the 25th minute when Ema Twumasi picked up a ball on the right wing, cut inside, and a ghastly defensive exchange allowed him to dribble 20 yards and fire a shot from inside the 6-yard box without anyone standing in his way.  This seemed to get Dallas going and for the next five minutes, the Dynamo defence made several terrible mistakes. One the ensuing free-kick, a harmless back pass (Teenage) to Steve Clark turned into a goal-scoring opportunity. Clark misread the speed at which Jesus Ferreira was closing him down, and hit a terrible left-footer to Daniel Steres on his right that wasn't even close, and wound up as a corner.  The matchups on the corner were tuff, as Hadebe and Steres were zoned up in front of Steve Clark, which put 5'7" Zeca on 6'4" Matt Hedges.  Hedges, a persistent threat on corners and owner of 18 MLS goals, beat Zeca to the ball and got it into the left corner of the net.  From the time of the Twumasi run to the end of the half, the Dynamo defence looked shaky and poorly organized, and more mistakes were coming.  Luckily the Dynamo got out of the half only down 1-0 as FC Dallas closed out the half with the final 4 shots.  

Hector Herrera subs on:

Instantly changed the game.  It was obvious from the second he stepped on the field.  Not only did the energy of the stadium and supporters change, you could see the energy of the players change as well.  Herrera flashed that pesky midfield presence, perfect deep ball touch, and added just a pinch of intimidation (plowing Matt Hedges for a ball in the box).  Herrera completely controlled the midfield for every second he was on the field, and opened up space for everyone else.  The Dynamo should have won this game, and the entire team looked better than we've seen them since LAG while he was on the field, and that was without Sebas.  Herrera hit 5/5 on deep balls, was playing it beautifully over the top, and had no problem holding possession against FC Dallas' midfield.  When Dallas defenders got too close while he had the ball, he was never in a hurry, always poised, and simply said "Here's a shoulder in your chest, now back up and give me some space please".    His cross that Teenage threw a flying scissor kick at was the best cross of any player we've had here in quite sometime (imagine Sebas on the other end of that instead). 

Over the final 30+ minutes of play, the Dynamo produced more shots (11:4), held more possession (65%:35%) more corners (6:0) and passing efficiency (91%:71%) than Blue Bulls FC. Fafa began to really threaten in a way we hadn't seen all year as he was free to do what Fafa does: run.  "Slow Feet Don't Eat" was making runs down both sides, getting in behind, and his cut back inside after a great run down the left side (68:04) led to a shot on target and a corner.  That corner produced the games first goal (Thor: 68:58) started by Herrera's cross.

The goal that was, then wasn't:

No VAR was used, so y'all make the call... pic.twitter.com/dCN38LSX6J

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 10, 2022

It's literally unthinkable that (1) this goal was overturned by the linesman. (2) VAR didn't intervene.  I've seen a lot of speculation on here about why it was not allowed, so let me just go straight to the sources.  MLS.com  states: Major League Soccer is affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) and as such has its Game officials assigned by U.S. Soccer, which also has the responsibility for education, training and the assessment of officials according to FIFA requirements.

FIFA continues to modify the rules of soccer as the game changes due to developments of coaching tactics and strategies; improvements in equipment; increases in the size, strength and speed of the players and, most importantly, developments in playing skill. Most recently, changes have been made to limit the activities of goalkeepers, decrease delaying tactics and modify the interpretation of the offside rule to further promote attacking soccer.

FIFA's offsides rule (sorry this is long, but I wanted to post it in it's entirety):

1. Offside position

It is not an offence to be in an offside position.

A player is in an offside position if:

• any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line) and
• any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent
• The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered. For the purposes of determining offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.
• A player is not in an offside position if level with the:
• second-last opponent or
• last two opponents

2. Offside offence

A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:

• interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
• interfering with an opponent by:
• preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or
• challenging an opponent for the ball or
• clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or
• making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

or

• gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
• rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent
• been deliberately saved by any opponent
• A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent. 
  
  
  

*A ‘save’ is when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms (unless the goalkeeper within the penalty area).

In situations where:

• a player moving from, or standing in, an offside position is in the way of an opponent and interferes with the movement of the opponent towards the ball this is an offside offence if it impacts on the ability of the opponent to play or challenge for the ball; if the player moves into the way of an opponent and impedes the opponent's progress (e.g blocks the opponent) the offence should be penalised under Law 12
• a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence
• an offence is committed against a player in an offside position who is already playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the offside offence is penalised as it has occurred before the foul challenge
• *The first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should be used

I'm 100% confident the linesman called this offside on either Steres or Fafa. You can see during the conversation he was saying someone was a smidge off.  

On the pass, everyone is onsides. Junqua, who is behind Hadebe and heads it in, is clearly onsides.

Fafa, who was off by the time Junqua touched it, made no attempt to play the ball and was onside when the initial pass was made.  The best we can hope for is an explanation, but we won't get one.  This has been a frustrating year when it comes to this as we've lost points multiple times due to goals being waved off on horrendous calls with no VAR use, or VAR deems it not even worthy to be reviewed by the lead official.  MLS has to do better. This league is plagued by terrible officiating and horrendous VAR use.  It's not just in Dynamo games, it's in multiple games across the league every single match day.  It's the a black eye on the league currently, and one they can't wait until the offseason to address.  If we want to wear big boy pants as a league, MLS has to do something about their officiating.  

The final stretch.

The Dynamo had multiple chances to end this game.  Coco's chance in the 76th minute (which was a beautiful save by Maarten Paes), the phantom offsides call, Fafa's run in behind and chipper that went just left of the far post, this could have easily been a run away.  But instead, it's 1:1 with an unheard of 12 minutes of added time.  When Ferriera scored, it was a combination of a really good hustle play by him and an unfortunate nick of Hadebe's back heel. As the Dynamo tried to grind back, Dallas just packed it in and sat deep.  Jesus Ferreira should have made it 3-1 in the 99th minute after Steve Clark did his best Marco Maric impression and cleared a ball right to Ferreira, who was all by himself 30 yards in front of goal. Clark recovered and redeemed himself to keep it 2-1.  

Literally seconds later after HH tracked this ball down and got it back in FC Dallas' half, the ball found the feet of Darwin Quintero just inside the attacking third.  With Dallas dropping back, Darwin took two big touches and fired the ball towards goal.

The shot took a deflection off José Antonio Martínez Gil's knee, forcing Paes to dive back to the near post and try to punch it away.

Both of the backside defenders trotted to the ball, and Teenage (who's not even in this screenshot) didn't to race past everyone and plunk it in the back of the net securing the point.  It was the latest goal ever scored from open play in MLS history, and the end of a wild game. 

Final Thoughts:

• With Austin FC on Tuesday, and San Jose on Sunday, it'll be interesting to see how HH gets incorporated in the midfield and how the squad is rotated over this week.  Nagamura is beginning to get some viable depth on the back line and in the midfield, and Thor is really coming on of late.  Now if we can just get those wings going........
• Saturday was a tuff game for Sebastian Ferreira. Sebas only managed 20 touches over 57 minutes, and his 1 touch inside the penalty area came 1:30 into the game.  Dallas bottled him up fairly well and took him out of the game, and Sebas was having to drop deeper just to get involved in the attack.  With Austin looming right around the corner, he was subbed off in the 57th minute.  
• I loved the atmosphere in this game.  Loved it.  WE NEED THIS EVERY GAME, and we can still crank it up several notches.  We need to get EVERYONE behind the songs our SG's sing, we need chants we all yell.  To everyone who showed up, thank you.  When I first watched this game, there were things I was cringing at (admittedly), but upon watching again I get it.  To the FC Dallas fans that will read this post and inevitably leave really poor comments on it, read this.  Your player (Obrian) threw a punch at our player's (Vera) head and didn't even get a warning.  Your coach flipped off our supporters' section after we just got robbed of a goal, and your player got off Scott Free throwing a punch in a game.  If you're going to throw accusations around, try addressing your own instigators first.  That might be hard for you to do since Dallas' fanbase doesn't seem to be able to comprehend that actions of disrespect are often met with disrespect.
• While I've always said, and I still don't think HH is enough to get us above the playoff line this year, it's mostly because of where we sit and how many games we have left.  We are actually better than I thought we'd be, because even after signing Sebas I thought we'd be bottom of the table right now, trying to climb out when HH got here. There's no question we've played and looked better on the field this season, and we'll see more growth with HH immediately.  He's going to neutralize presses (Think D.C. United) and control the midfield.  He'll get the ball to DQ, Coco, and Sebas in better positions more regularly.  HH can actually hit Fafa in stride on a sprint.  Now if we can just get 1-2 explosive attackers next winter we'll be where we need to be.  If we can find a young diamond in this window, we could compete already.  This team has to start finding the back of the net with more regularity.  With the way Fafa looked with HH on the field, it could get real exciting real quick around here.
  
  

Lastly

Tuesday night vs Green Tree FC, we're bringing home 3 points.  Mark it down.

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

True Colors shining through: Dynamo 0:3 Real Salt Lake

 

Thank goodness there's a break.  After the last few weeks' up and down roller coaster ride, both the Houston Dynamo and their fans need a break.  Losers of 5 out of their last 7 in MLS play, the Dynamo have struggled to find consistency (with the exception of L.A. Galaxy) and at the tail end of a heavy road schedule mixed at the tail end of an extremely compact schedule (8 games in 35 days), the Dynamo have faltered.  A lack of quality depth, passing, and finishing have bitten this team over that stretch, and the ugly head of switching off defensively at the worst times has reappeared.  Saturday night's loss was a combination of all three of these ingredients, with the added layer of Pablo Maestroeni pinpointing the weaknesses in the Dynamo defense. After an encouraging start to the season, the Dynamo are showing their true colors.  This team is exactly what the standings say they are, a team that can occasionally pull off a win, a team that can look really good at times, and awful at others.  As I've said all along, this team simply isn't good enough.  The reality is, however, that this team lacks depth, persistence, and consistency.

The game against Real Salt Lake was a game of "inches" and "ifs", both of which the Dynamo repeatedly came out short on.  Zach McMath was good, Michael Nelson wasn't and the Dynamo were chasing the game for 60 minutes.  If Tyler Pasher, Thor, or Memo just finish.....if Michael Nelson just covers the post.....if Michael Nelson just stays on his feet.......For #ForeverOrange and the Dynamo Faithful, it's been about a five-year process that we are trying to reset, and this is an extremely frustrating loss. But, despite the scoreline, the game was closer than it seemed. This was a very back and forth game that easily......with a little bit of "moxie", could have been a very different game.

RSL Repeatedly exposed the Dynamo Defense's biggest weakness:

Paulo Nagamaura wasn't helped by the fact that the two biggest additions of the offseason were unavailable for this game.  Steve Clark, celebrating the newest addition to his family, was out of the lineup.  Sebastián Ferreira was also a scratch from the start, with what Glenn Davis announced as a stomach virus (although, later it was reported by Sebas' national team he tested positive for COVID). You could see Maestroeni's plan from the start as on RSL's first possession they built down the wing, sent both strikers to the front of the net, and fired in a cross.  Justin Meram's cross found Bobby Wood's head just :34 into the game.  Fortunately for the Dynamo, Wood didn't get a good head on it and it went over the top of the net.  RSL was attacking repeatedly down Zeka's over the first 20 minutes of play, even though the ones that eventually found the back of the net came from the other side.

All in all, RSL simply overwhelmed the Dynamo with their passing into the penalty area.  Salt Lake got into the box almost at will. 16 Crosses went into the box, 10 of them were completed (to the Dynamo 3), and the Royals completed a total of 16 passes into the 18 (to the Dynamo 7).   Justin Meram found Sergio Córdova (11:25) right in front of the net, and immediately on the other end, Corey Baird (with tons of space) crossed one that no NBA player could have gone up and gotten.......to Memo.  Of RSL's 16 shots, 7 came within 8 feet (5 inside the 6-yard box) and 2/3rds of their goal tally came off wide crosses.  Justin Meram, although he didn't connect on one for a goal, repeatedly lobbed balls up to Wood and Córdova (3 Crosses Completed inside the 18, 3 other passes completed into the penalty area) as RSL took advantage of both their size (Meram - 6'1; Córdova - 6'2"; Wood - 5'11"; Chang - 5'10") and the Dynamo soft defense on the wings.  The first two goals came from the right (Lundkvist) side to the left back-post (Parker & Zeka).  Credit to Real Salt Lake for putting in accurate crosses, but as we've said before you can't let good teams pick and choose what they want to do with the ball.  

While the first goal opened the scoring, the second one broke the Dynamo's backs.  After subbing on at the half, Darwin Quintero and Tyler Pasher were pressing hard for the equalizer.  Quintero was really active for the first 15 minutes of the second half.  Pasher came out and went right after Real Salt Lake's defense, and while it looked good, nothing ended up in a goal.  The Dynamo really dominated the run of play from minutes 45-57, when Cordova scored the second goal.  Thor's header (50th minute) was just slapped away by McMath.  It was a tremendous header to the post, but McMath was about to read it and get a hand on it. Lundkvist almost found Thor on a header again on the very next possession. Pasher got in behind (54:24) after a steal by Coco and a tremendous pass from Quintero.  He had McMath dead to rights, but rushed the shot and fired it wide to the back post.  Zeka and Lundkvist had pushed all the way up to the opposing corner, really leaving the backline exposed.  It came back to bite them, and in the 57th minute the game was essentially over.

Difference Makers

Two things (in my opinion) changed this game.  (1) The absolutely ridiculous Yellow Card on Beto Avila.  It was the third time in the game Beto had been tackled from behind, none of which resulted in a card for RSL. It was the second time that Real Salt Lake weren't punished for hitting Beto from behind. The first hard challenge from a Dynamo defender in a similar situation (Coco-24:32) goes to immediate Yellow.

(2) Bobby Wood scoring the first goal.  The play actually started with a deep run by Zeka, who cut back into the middle of the field and laid off a lazy pass to Memo right on the edge of the attacking third. It was a slow build by RSL, but it seemed like the run took some wind out of Zekas sails. The Dynamo opened things up trying to score the equalizer, but couldn't find the net.  They eventually got caught in transition for the second goal, and at that point, the game was over.

There were actually a series of mistakes on the play.  (a) Lundkvist is late getting out the ball. (b) Teenage gets caught too far towards the near post, and doesn't pick up either forward leaving Parker to mark both.  (c) Zeka is late getting back. The two runs in the same area held Nelson for a bit, the ball took a weird deflection off of Bobby Wood's own knee, and just tucked into the corner.

The second goal was avoidable, and also saw a back trailing back late after pushing up, this time Adam Lundkvist.  Hadebe came out to cover Chang, who found a wide-open Cordova at the top of the box.  Zeka struck at the ball and missed.  Parker deflected the ball back to Cordova, and Cordova managed to put one in the net after several deflections and hitting Nelson's hand. 

Ramblings

No ramblings this week.  It's hard for me to point to any particular player that I thought was impressive, but the three that stood out to me where Thor, Memo, and Darwin Quintero.  Pasher made some great runs, but just couldn't hit it square in the end.  Thor had two tremendous chances (54th-minute header, Flying kick 66:09) that could have easily netted a goal.  Memo had 18 challenges on the night, was really active, and had the best chance of the first half.  Overall, the scoreline was worse than the Dynamo played.  While it's no excuse or consolation, this was a better performance than DC United or Austin FC.  Let's hope they have some time to regroup in these next few weeks and get back on the training field.

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to #HolditDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

After a 2:1 Loss to Sporting K.C., one thing is abundantly clear. It's time to change the focal point.

 

This isn't the first time we've seen this, and this isn't a snap reaction.  What we saw on Wednesday night was a litany of inefficient, ineffective play from the focal point of the attack.  Over the last few weeks, Coach Paulo Nagamura has hunkered down his defensive gameplay and looked to strike on the counter.  Even though the game plan has been thrown out the window twice in the last 4 games, you can see what he's been trying to build.  Some of this has been out of necessity due to squad rotation, Vera missing several games, and a lack of attacking creativity.  Some of it has been out of teams exploiting gaps in our 4-3-3 defense.  The plan, however, has inarguably worked.  Beating Nashville while down a man,  playing Seattle toe to toe (although coming out with a 0:1 loss at PNC), and trouncing L.A. Galaxy before heading into Wednesday night's matchup vs. Sporting K.C. in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  

While it was ultimately the defense that faltered,  it was the inability to either hit on the counter or hold possession that really did the Dynamo in.  The focal point of that attack, Darwin Quintero, did little to change that.  We all know that Darwin can make plays nobody else on this team can make.  To be absolutely clear, when Quintero is at his best, he makes plays few in this league can make.  But those plays are becoming fewer and far between.  What's happening over the month of May with large amounts of frequency are several key things:

(1) Darwin is giving the ball away in key positions on the field.  There are too many flicks, punches, lobs, and dribbles that end up in possession of the defense.  Against Sporting, Darwin touched the ball 50 times and gave it back 15.  Against Seattle, 43 touches, 14 possessions lost.  He played pretty well against Nashville but still gave the ball away 12 times on 42 touches.  He was abysmal against DC United, giving up 17 possessions on 41 touches.  That basically equates to turning the ball over 1 out of every 3 touches (58/176).  On the year he's averaging 38.3 touches a game, and giving away 12.8 of them (33.4%). 

(2) DQ only plays hard in brief spurts.  While he's only playing about 60 minutes a game, he doesn't move often enough.  If you compare him to Nico Lodeiro, Darwin is mostly a statue up top.

(3) He spends too much time playing on top of Sebas, instead of underneath him looking to give him service.  This causes Sebas to break back to get the ball, hold up, and make the play to the forwards in front of him, or DQ.  

(4) When he does get under Sebas, he's not getting Sebas the ball often enough.  Darwin likes to shoot, DQ loves to make the fancy play.  Right now, he just needs to rely on the simple play of getting the ball to the right guy.  If it's not there, play it back and reset.

(5) DQ's passing accuracy is awful.  He's 232/336 (69.4%) on the season, and only hitting on 71.9% of his short passes.  For comparison, Memo (78.5%; 91.7%), Coco (82.7%; 86.7%), and Sebas (72.4%; 74.2%) all surpass his numbers.  The only regular with a worse passing efficiency is Thor.  While he's been better the last three games, Darwin needs to start finding the passing touch we saw his first year here.

What happens from here?

Honestly, the attack looks better without DQ on the field.  Against L.A. Galaxy, Paulo basically went without a #10 (playing Ceren at a 6/sweeper position, and almost playing Vera and Memo as double 8's).  This put Ferreira squarely at the focus of the attack.  Sebas responded beautifully, with a goal and 2 assists.  Memo did an amazing job getting on the ball and firing to guys ahead of him on the run.  While Sebas was by far the engine that drove that win, Memo was the ignition.  #8 hit Baird three times in the opening 10 minutes, knifing the Galaxy defense.  The attack has been at it's best this year when Sebas gets the ball in space at the top of the attacking third.  This gives him enough room to find guys ahead of him, chase and get back into the box.  Without DQ fighting him for the same spot, Sebas absolutely flourished.  Thor and Baird kept good space and made well-timed runs to really put pressure on Carson, California's back 4.  Memo simply did (and has been doing) what the Dynamo need Quintero to do.  Hit guys on the run.

With HH in tow, and all the fans speculating who's going to lose minutes, it could easily be Quintero. For this team to progress and make a push this year, Sebas has to be the focal point.  The most amazing point about Sebas' game against the Galaxy was how efficient he was passing the ball.  He only passed the ball 12 times (completing 10) the entire game, 4 of them went for point-blank shots.  HH will play under Sebas, giving him the room up top to operate.  If you've watched Herrera play, you know he can hit guys on time, on target, in space.  There is a high likely hood we see HH play with a rotation of Ceren/Vera at the 6, and Coco/Memo opposite him.  To give Sebas more space, simply take the #10 out of the picture and let your 8's connect up.  This let's you drop an extra defender in defending, get's good triangles all over the field, and let's Sebas be the primary focus of the attack.

Some notes on Wednesday night:

Wednesday night is a super frustrating loss.  I was absolutely sure at the half we were going to win.  I mean, Corey Baird scored a goal for Pete's sake.  It had to be destiny.  While we looked shaky at times, we also were holding like this team had done over the last 4 games.  The second 45' was a completely different story.  We struggled to get forward, and Johnny Russell was blistering us.  When he leveled the score on a great strike, we failed to close down space and pressure him.  The second off a no-brainer pen was a beautiful strike.  I never at one point felt like we were the better team after the second half opened.  

While it's frustrating, and we can blame the lineup, squad rotation, formation, etc.  The Dynamo just played a really compact schedule. Tired legs and lack of depth had to have come into play. I wanted to win this cup badly, and give us some hardware to put in the cabinet.  However, this could be a blessing in disguise.  The Dynamo greatly lack quality depth, and getting into a regular schedule with a more steady lineup should give them more consistency over the second half of the season.  They can also now just focus on one campaign, and throw all their chips in.

Brooklyn Raines is the real deal.

He might have been the best CM on the field Wednesday night.  And while he's been playing really well in the USOC, Wednesday night was by far his best performance. He hit on 36/40 passes, had 1 key pass, won 4/5 of his duels, had 2 tackles, drew a foul, and on 47 touches, only gave 4 of them up.  But besides the stats, Raines flys all over the field.  The youngster flat out chases everything with desperation.  He flys into challenges, he's calm on the ball, he has super quick feet and can take on defenders and get the ball to the next level.  While we have to wait for him to achieve his HG status (which nobody really seems to know what that means exactly), this guy has a future here.  Here's hoping we get to see it before Europe comes calling.  

Next Up:

Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake

Saturday, May 28th @ 7:30 PM

Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy Utah

Until then, thanks again for reading.

#DejaloTodo, remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian