Now Serving 3 points: Dynamo 2:1 Sounders

 

What started off as an amazing week ended with a tremendous night. Tuesday's meet the team night was really special, and getting to talk to many fans (including Wayne of the Scarf-Kilt clan and Web Tilton) and the guys was really awesome.  I got to tell Fafa I hope he can come back next year, speak German with Marco Maric, and say thanks to all the guys for being here and for the effort they give.  I even made Tim Parker laugh.  Wednesday was my birthday, fall weather set in, and I was really looking forward to Saturday night.  Wade and I decided to go a little early due to concerns that there would be no parking and traffic might be a nightmare due to the Astro's playoff game. It turned out to be a great decision to get there early and pre-game at Pitch 25.  Not only was Brian Ching's establishment hopping with a mixture of Astros and Dynamo fans, it was buzzing.  We had decided to grab a bite and split a bucket while we waited, and as there was no place to sit we posted up in a standing-room-only spot.  When a seat finally opened up, we noticed there was a young lady and an older gentleman in a Dynamo shirt sitting on the other side of the fire pit.  We asked if it was ok if we sit, they said sure, and Wade and I sat down and started talking about the state of the Dynamo.  The gentleman sitting next to us then slid over next to us and said "You guys look like fans, are you die-hards?  You've got the patches and stuff." We gave an affirmative.  "Let me ask, how long have you guys been fans."  We answered he sized us up, and I guess he figured we were ok dudes.  "OK, Trivia question:  Who's the only Canadian currently playing for the club?"  We both shouted back "Tyler Pasher!" and he answered, "Well, you're right, and he's my son, and this is his fiance and his mom."  We were like "WHAT?" Here we were having drinks with Tyler Pasher's family before the game.  We talked for about 30 minutes before he ran off to the Suite.  It was his first-ever Dynamo home game and he was super excited to be here.  I told Wade all week this was going to be a depressing game.  He kept telling me to have faith.  He was right, I was wrong and last night ended up being a blast.

An Interesting tactical switch to start:

I noticed right away that Tab had the guys lined up in an interesting way.  We lined up in a 5-2-3, with Zarek Valentine playing in the middle of the backline, flanked by Parker or his right and Hadebe on his left.  Griffen Dorsey was playing RB, with Junqua on the left.  Coco Carrasquilla and Mattias Vera were basically playing double pivots, playing with the goal of trying to bang the ball over the top to Fafa on the run.  Urruti and Quintero were finding space in behind him and on the wings as Fafa's speed was stretching out Seattle's back 3.  What was most intriguing is that our back 3 was basically man-marking Seattle's front line.  Rarely did you see Zarek further than a foot away from Will Bruin, regardless of where the ball was.  You'd have to say that it worked, as Bruin didn't get off a single shot the entire game.  Roldan and Freddy Montero were also having trouble just getting the ball in workable areas because Vera and Coco were doing a great job of pressuring them in the final third.  Between the three, they combined for only 2 shots on target in 253 minutes of play. Going forward, it lined up more like a 3-4-1-2 with Quintero playing a #10 and Fafa/Urruti making runs in front of him.  The plan was to play the ball deep and over the top and look to strike quick, and you could see this from the beginning.

Seattle was occasionally finding cracks in the Dynamo defense, and often time it came off of turnovers in the midfield.  A Darwin Quintero slip at midfield opened the door for the Sounder's first real chance of the game.  Joshua Atencio scooped up the ball and Seattle had a serious counter building with numbers (4v2).  Atencio cut inside and dropped the ball to Fredy Montero (who was under instant pressure from Tim Parker). Christian Roldan had slipped right in front of goal in the transition, and Montero found him and his heavy right foot with Michael Nelson dead to rights.  Nelson was cover near post, and the far post was wide open.  Coco managed to slide over in front and Roldan hit it wide right, but it was the first serious threat the Sounders had found in the game. 

Seattle was doing a great job circulating the ball and making timed runs in the early part of the game, but Vera, Coco, and the back 5 were really being disciplined and holding shape which allowed them to win second balls and pick off long passes.  Houston wasn't knocking, but not really threatening in the first 10 minutes, as Fafa could never really connect at the end of the deep balls being played, and crosses by Dorsey and Quintero kept finding Sounders defenders.  When Quintero won a free kick deep in Seattle's side at the 13:00 mark, they finally found the back of the net.  

It was perfectly set up, and it felt like Tab had this exact situation scouted out.  Urruti timed his run perfectly, Darwin put it on a dime, and Urruti was soo open Wade and I both thought he had to be offsides.  The angle was difficult, but Urruti volleyed it to the far post and past a diving Stefan Frei for a 1-0 lead.  It had to feel good for Urruti, who has been scoreless since June 26th.  It was a rare set-piece goal for the Dynamo as well as it was just their 5th on the season and their 3rd at home.  Houston ranked 24th in the league in set-piece goals coming into the game, ahead of only Inter Miami (1) and Austin FC (2).  It was a beautiful strike from Maxi as he looked over his shoulder and just got a perfect foot on it.  Seattle played for the next few minutes slowly building attacks and playing at a methodical pace looking to slip through the Dynamo defense.  Maxi Urruti drew a foul in the attacking third in the 18 minute mark, and while what happened next wasn't a direct result of the free kick, the foul helped us get possession in a workable area. 

If you haven't seen Darwin Quintero's 19th-minute goal, no picture will do it justice.

Darwin Quintero knew what the defenders were doing before they did 🔮

(via @MLS) pic.twitter.com/3hJ8QChhwN

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 17, 2021

  It's probable the most dynamic goal I've ever seen live, and was just an absolute beauty.  Darwin completely embarrassed 2 Seattle defenders and smashed a left-footer past Stefan Frei.  El Scientifco del gol reminded everyone who he is for the second time that game.  Up 2-0, you had to have a feeling we could pull it off, but there was still 70+ minutes left to play.  At the 40 minute mark, Seattle decided to add into the night of ridiculous goals with one of their own.  Coming off a corner, Jimmy Medranda found a deflected ball just outside the 18 and hit an absolute laser into the far post upper 90.  Houston pushed hard to find a third goal at the end of the half but just couldn't find their way through.

The game really opened up in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Opening the second half with the exact same tactical lineup, it didn't take long for the Dynamo to find another chance.  Quintero hit the post on an amazing bicycle attempt off a Fafa headed cross, Griffen Dorsey chased down the rebound and blasted a right-footer just wide.  The Dynamo just missed at the opportunity to go up 3-1 which most likely would have been the nail in the coffin.  5 minutes later, Sam Junqua just missed on a header off a corner, just nipping the crossbar.  The Dynamo were literally 3 inches from being up 4-1 in the opening 10 minutes of the half.  After Teenage Hadebe went down with an injury, the momentum began to shift.  Fredy Montero had a chance hit right at Michael Nelson (59th minute).  Dorsey found the post off a corner on the ensuing possession for the third Dynamo shot to be denied by the woodwork in the first 15 minutes of play.  Only minutes later Montero left a beautiful pass to Roldan who was all by himself inside the 18 again, only to blast it 20 feet high of the goal.  Literally 3 minutes later, Niclas Benezet's pass was picked off (after an absolute blast from Tim Parker's shoulder) by Darwin Ceren, and Ceren just managed to one-touch tap it to a racing Fafa down the left sideline.  Fafa was 1v1 with Shane O'Neil, cut inside, and left a terrific pass for a Maxi Urruti who had circled down the left-sideline.  Urruti hit a really nice back post bender, but that shot also hit the woodwork and the Dynamo were denied once again.

Second-half tactics changed.

Around the 70th minute, Tab began to change his formation.  Zarek moved back outside, with Parker and Maynor Figueroa (who had come on for Hadebe) posting as a CB pair.  It's when Tab brought on Joe Corona (76th minute) for Griffen Dorsey that he finally completely changed his formation.  Utilizing a deep-lying 4-3-3/4-4-2 mashup in order to keep 7-8 in the defending third at all times, Tab basically parked the bus and looked to counter.  Pasher came on for Maxi Urruti (76th minute) and Quintero was playing almost as a false 9 with Pasher and Fafa making runs off of him.  You have to say the tactical change worked, as Seattle was unable to get a single shot attempt off for the rest of regulation (not added time).  El Naranja was able to hold possession over the final 10 minutes, and managed to get off two more shot attempts (Pasher - 82nd-minute volley and Junqua's 83rd-minute header) but neither were particularly close. As we coasted into stoppage time, the Dynamo looked to be in total control of the game.  All it took whoever was one Maynor Figueroa trip of Christian Roldan just outside the 18 to almost change the fortune.  The ensuing free-kick was absolutely blasted by Jao Paolo.....and it also hit the woodwork.  Nouhou Tolo chased down the second ball and just couldn't get a clean header on it, Parker cleared it, and the fireworks and game were both essentially over.

Darwin Quintero was unbelievable last night:

1 unreal goal, 1 absolutely gorgeous assist, 7 key passes 11 shot-creating actions, 7/8 on dribbles, 45 carries, 12/14 on balls downfield to Fafa and Urruti, Darwin is in form.  While Darwin has gotten a knock for his defense, his 35.7% pressure rate (5/14) ranked best among midfielders and forwards.  Darwin was spraying beautiful passes all over the field, he made several Seattle defenders look helpless, and was doing what he does best: create havoc with the ball at his feet.  If we can remember back, Darwin was in really bad form to start the season. He didn't post a goal or assist in May, June, or July playing mostly off the bench.  People online dubbed him "El Scientifico del Turnover" and had a lot of negative things to say about him He's playing lights out at the moment, and the team is really gelling with him in the starting lineup.

Fafa's biggest impact didn't come from having the ball.

Fafa was making unbelievable runs behind the Seattle back-line, and opening up gaping holes for Quintero and Urruti.  There was literally no one on Seattle's team that could hope to keep up with him.  While Fafa made several nice plays (including the lay-off to Urruti), without his runs keeping Arreaga and Oneil honest I don't know the Dynamo win this game.

The Defense had a big game although not statistically.

Seattle held possession (58%-42%) but mostly with their backline and midfield.  While Parker, Hadebe and Zarek Valentine were really good last night, they only combined for 4 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 blocks.  They did manage 13 clearances and won 6/7 areal duels inside the box.  What's most important is that they were just always where they were supposed to be, and never let Will Bruin get a single shot off.  While Fredy Montero caused problems at times, and Christian Roldan had two really good scoring opportunities, those opportunities came from playing between lines and Coco and Vera made Roldan and Montero's life very difficult.  One thing Tab has done really well this year is shutting down opposing team's strikers, and last night was a great example of that.  Seattle came into the game 3rd in MLS in goals scored, averaging 4.41 Shots on Target/90 and 12.96 Shots/90.  They are the third most efficient team scoring the ball (.36 goals/shot on target), and to hold them to 3 shots on target and 1 goal took all 11 to accomplish.

Coco Carrasquilla may be the midfielder we've been looking for:

Not the creative midfielder, but the compliment to Mattias Vera.  While Vera was his usual workhorse self last night (12 recoveries, 2 interceptions, 2 blocks, 2 fouls drawn, 94.2% passer rating, and a team-high 43 carries), Carrasquilla had a really good night himself. Posting 1 Tackle, 3 interceptions, 5 recoveries, 1 block, and a huge defensive rotation that just threw Roldan off at the last second from about 8 yards out.  Carrasquilla also connected well in attack, both finding a way through Seattle's midfield with his feet and connecting the ball up to the next line.  When Coco came here, there was a lot of hope he would be what Darwin Quintero has been since he was re-inserted into the starting 11. Coco has looked better playing behind and linking up with the forward attackers.  I'd love to see him in this role for the rest of the year.  

Final Thoughts:

A win is a win is a win.  After this year, I'll take three points every time our Dynamo decide to serve them up.  I realize this Seattle team was playing without Raul Ruidiaz, but they've managed to win without him before.  Seattle has a really good and deep team, and I'll never turn down beating the first-place team in your conference.  Despite all that's gone on this year, there are good things happening here.  We have some younger guys (Junqua, Dorsey, Carrasquilla) who are really coming along, and while they may turn into solid MLS players. Dorsey picked up another assist last night and has been quietly getting better each week.   Nelson has done a solid but not spectacular job in goal.  Honestly, what sets Nelson apart from Marco Maric is his ability to distribute.  Nelson might not be a superstar, and may never be, but he's a solid and reliable keeper who doesn't make mistakes.  After getting pummeled 4:2 to Sporting KC, and a 0-0 draw to Vancouver, to play this game (it was seriously one of the most exciting games I've seen live) and beat this team feels good.  Let's celebrate it and see if we can pick up another on Wednesday night.  Glen Davis however, said it best:

Three goals that stand up in "any league in the world", 5 hit posts/crossbar and a much needed night of entertainment in Houston. Dynamo knock off the number one team in the west. Savor it for the moment. Put it in context later. #HoustonDynamo https://t.co/1A4yrr3Ys4

— Glenn Davis (@GlennDavisSoc) October 17, 2021

Thanks again for reading, 

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

A little about me: As we have a little break, let me take some time to introduce myself.

So, I realized that I've been writing this for some time now and have yet to introduce myself.  I know many of you out there are thinking "Who the F*&$ does this guy think he is?" so I thought I'd write just a bit to let you guys know a little about me.  So who am I?  Nobody.  I'm just a regular guy who decided to write this blog as a distraction from a divorce I was going through. I've been blog writing for years, I've written about my experiences as a small college basketball player, I have a blog about Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, I've written for The Bundesliga Fanatic, and I've written about U.S. Soccer and things I think could make soccer better in America. Looking around, there wasn't a ton of Dynamo content out there.  There's blurbs in the Houston Chronicle, you can sometimes find things about us on MLS.com, and ESPN almost never has anything to say about us.  You hardly ever hear about the Dynamo or Soccer on Sports Talk Radio around here, and so I thought I'd create some Dynamo specific content.

"Allow me re-intro-duce myself my name is" ........Brian.  Pronounced with an A-N. I'm an average 44-year-old Biology teacher, and I also coach the freshman basketball team at my school.  I love teaching, I love coaching, and yes I'm weird enough to love teaching and coaching freshmen because they're nuts and make everyday fun. I was once upon a lifetime ago a college basketball player at a tiny little NAIA school in Nebraska.  I wasn't any good, but I managed to be a 4-year scholarship player.  I grew up in between Ft. Worth and Dallas in North Richland Hills,Tx. but in the time I grew up it was a much different place.  There was a lot more grass and a lot less concrete. I started playing soccer in 1st grade and played until middle school when soccer wasn't offered and football, basketball, track and cross country were. 

I never stopped going to soccer games. I went to as many guys and girls soccer games as I could in high school, as it wasn't until spring of my Senior year in 1996 when MLS started.  I watched the first FC Dallas game on a fuzzy old television I had in my bedroom, on a UHF channel with rabbit ears (How many of us remember what UHF was?).  I went to a tiny college in the middle of a tiny town in Nebraska (York College), and it was the perfect situation to watch soccer.  (1) There wasn't much to do (2) We didn't have football the fall, we had futball. We didn't even have a football team. Homecoming was during a soccer game, our games and stadium (it served as the High School Football Stadium, and our baseball stadium too) were smack dab in the middle of our campus, and it was about a 200-yard walk from the dorm.  We went to games in the beautiful fall weather, in the freezing Nebraska cold, and we traveled all over Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa watching our guys and girls play.  York was a really tight nit community, and we showed up to support our friends.  It wasn't uncommon to have a pretty decent crowd at Soccer, Basketball, and Baseball games alike.  

How I became a Dynamo Fan:

I was late to the game.  I didn't move to Houston until 2009 and didn't really follow MLS at all at the time.  To be honest, I tried to get into it the first couple of years when it was in it's inception, and thought it was.....well......kinda boring.  FC Dallas didn't have any players I knew, and I just couldn't get into it.  In 2013 I got married, she had two kids, and her brother was a youth soccer coach in Germany.  I started following Eintracht and International Soccer so we would have something to talk about, and just really fell in love with it.  Looking for a way to connect with my stepson, we started going to Dynamo games soon after.  At first it was 4-5 games a year, then it became 10-15, but I've been going to almost every home game for the last three years.  I don't have season tickets, but my best friend does, and we go to every game this year together.  

Demarcus Beasley won me over, but Alberth Elis sucked me in.  He was just different.  You could see on the field he was just on a different plane athletically than anyone that matched up with him.  It's hard for me to follow a team if there's no players I care about on it, and Beasley and Elis made me care about this team.  I missed the championships, I never attended a game at Robertson Stadium.  I never saw the great teams of the early 2000's, and I've never really known what it was like for the Dynamo to be good.  I was around in 2017 for the run that we made.  That was awesome.  I hear all talk downplaying it, but I could care less.  It was the only time since I've been following the Dynamo that they made the playoffs and it was pretty special.

What would I like to see from the Dynamo.

I don't want to be the (current) LA Galaxy.  Now, before you cast me off as an idiot, hear me out.  I have a high level of appreciation for what the Galaxy bring to the MLS table.  If it weren't for them, some of the biggest stars in MLS history would have never set foot in America.  However, I don't want to be a team soo poorly constructed that you can have one of the greatest players of our generation (Zlatan), and not make the playoffs. I don't want to be soo poorly put together that the second he leaves, you're one of the worst teams in the league.  Who would I want to be?  Seattle.  A team that is always good, with a front office that is one of the smartest in the league (if not the smartest), and a team that gets players from literally every tool available in MLS.  They have homegrowns, they draft well, they make really smart trades, they sign key free agents, and they drop a good amount of money on the right guys.  If you're giving me the choice of making a 1 off playoff run with a huge name player or being the class of the league for almost a decade, I'll take the latter.  I want an organization that makes this city proud, year in year out.  

Why are you so high on Tab Ramos?

Because honestly, I think given enough time and enough resources, Tab can help us become that Seattle type of organization.  Because of this belief, I'm a little more patient than most people.  I don't want to be a flash in the pan, I want to build an empre.  I want a Seattle Sounders, New England Patriot type of team here.  I'd love being more Astros, or Tampa Bay Rays, and less Pittsburg Pirates.  Why do I think Tab can do it?  I honestly don't know, it's mostly just an ideal.  I'm just not ready to give up this plan yet, because I feel like it's barely started.  Hire a GM first, keep putting this roster together, let Tab help hire talent evaluators, skill development coaches, and scouts, and then make a decision on Tab. Give Tab a functional academy and some draft picks, upgrade the facilities, and then figure out if Tab can get us to where we want to go. When last year ended I felt like it would be three years before we could compete again, and I stand by that.  Does Tab do things that drive me crazy?  Absolutely?  Am I ever standing in PNC screaming "TAB! MAKE A SUB ALREADY!" without a doubt.  Don Nelson did that too with the Mavs.  I hated his system, I didn't like the players he was bringing in, and he turned out not to be the guy.  I've seen Jimmy Johnson take one of the worst teams I've ever seen to a 3 time Super Bowl winner through simply being smarter than everyone else.  I literally have no idea where Tab lies on that Spectrum, but I'm willing to give him more of a chance.

OK, but I don't agree with most of your opinions.

Great. Full disclosure, sometimes I don't know if I believe them. I often write stuff to present another point of view, and sometimes just to make people think.  I welcome anyone who disagrees with me, I love hearing all points of view, that's how I evolve.  I think we all agree that the biggest problem with the organization over the last decade has been a completely negligent ownership group.  Glenn Davis says that on his show all the time, in not so direct words.  It's why I'm not as harsh on Matt Jordan as other people, even though I think he completely failed in multiple areas.  I don't claim to be an expert, my thoughts are my own.  I am extremely grateful to everyone for reading this.  I honestly think it's crazy anyone reads anything I write, and hope you guys enjoy it.

See you all on Saturday, and thanks again for reading.

Remember to #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

No matter which side of the Tab argument you choose, you're right: A look.

 

There's no question about it, this has been a tuff season to take.  Lots of disappointment, very little to cheer about, and one big change.  #Brener'sOut (kind of), #Jordan'sOut, and now, we have one last target to be addressed.  Just being upfront, I like Tab and want to see him stay at least one more year.  I also understand that this team has been terrible during his tenure.  This post is about looking at both sides, addressing some of the arguments, and looking at things from the big picture.  

Why Tab should go (factual):

I'll put this first because it's short, sweet, and to the point:

• He has the lowest PPG (1.08) of any coach in the history of the Dynamo.  It's simple and upfront.  Currently, he is the worst statistical coach in Dynamo history.
• The team has averaged 1.22 GPG (worst run of any in Dynamo History) and given up 1.61 GPG during (also worst in Dynamo History).  
• Tab often has some curious substitution patterns or doesn't use his subs at all. 

So, yes, from a results standpoint I can absolutely understand the point of letting him go.  I'd understand if Ted Segal and the new owner would want to go a new direction this offseason.  And if the only thing left that will get the fanbase back involved with this team is giving Tab the ax, then it needs to be done.  But it's incredibly short-sighted.

Opinions on why Tab should be let go (with commentary)

1. He's not a professional coach:  Uh......actually.......he is currently a professional coach.  
2. You can't give Tab credit for what he did for USMNT-U20, because those players were given to him: That's basically what MLS Coaches do, coach players that are given to them.
3. He hasn't developed anyone from the academy: It is unreasonable to expect anyone could overhaul a team's youth development in a year and a half.  If he started last year, you won't see any fruits of this labor until 2024 at the earliest.  You aren't going to transform 16-year-olds in one year.  Sorry man.
4. No one's gotten better under Tab: Griffen Dorsey (22), Sam Junqua (24) Mattias Vera (25), Marko Maric (25), Michael Nelson (26), and Derrick Jones (25) are younger-type guys that have gotten better under Tab.  Fafa Picault (30) is arguably having his best MLS season.  Tyler Pasher and Coco Carrasquilla still have time to grow and improve.  Adam Lundkvist was playing the best LB I've seen him play before he got hurt.  There's 1 player you can actually say regressed this year (Memo) that isn't over the age of 30.
   
   
   
5. Tab just does the same thing over and over: we've used 5 different starting formations (4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 4-5-1, 3-4-1-2, 3-5-2). We've used 7 different guys at the #6 (sometimes as a double #6), he's used Memo as a #6, #8, #10, RW and LW.  He's played 2 guys at LB, and started with Boniek Garcia at CB.  Tab's played 5 guys at the #9 (Urruti, Baird, Fafa, Lassiter, Bajamich, and had used Christian Ramirez there before he was sold).  He picked up Griffen Dorsey off the street and threw him in the starting 11, and put Carrasquilla in the lineup before he'd even practiced with the team.  He's tried lots of things.
6. 
   Tab's constantly changing things:  That's because he's trying to find something that actually wins games.
   
7. This roster is has Tab's fingerprints all over it, and we are terrible: Really?  You think, when given the option of attacking players to replace Elis and Manotas, Tab was like: "You know who's bringing the Cup back to Houston?? Maxi Urruti.  Go get him." or "Fafa Picault and Zarek Valentine are the best players at their position in the league.  They are must-haves." I don't, not for a second.  I think Tab probably felt like I did when I was standing at the clearance rack of Old-Navy: Outlet shopping for school clothes.  Well, this stuff is cheap, I only have $20 and I need clothes, so I'll take what I can get.  I was excited when I found something that wasn't overly embarrassing to wear, which wasn't easy because I was 6'4" in the 9th grade (I asked my mom please and she still said no, you go to school to learn not for a fashion show!).  I'm fairly certain there are a few guys (Hadebe, Parker, Jones maybe Carrasquilla) which he pushed Jordan to go after.  The rest was just him trying to find something that worked in the bargain bin.  
8. (Finally) Tab's in over his head:  That's because this roster isn't going to win anything, regardless of who the coach is.

Why Tab should stay (IMHO):

When Tab was first hired, I actually thought this could be a really good team.  I actually thought with a little luck we could be a playoff team.  I had questions about Keeper, but I thought up top this would be a completely explosive offense.  It actually started off that way.  For those with short memory, the team only lost 3 of Tab's first 12 games.  We won back to back to back against Sporting KC (5:2 on 8/25/2020), Minnesota United (3:0 on 9/02) and Sporting KC again (2:0 on 9/5) before Elis was sold. Since Elis was sold, we haven't been able to replicate anywhere near that level.  We all know the difference-maker Alberth was here, and it's inexcusable that the team sold him with no backup plan.  Elis and Manotas had both made their intentions to leave public before the season started.  

There are 14 players left from last year's 30 (Maric, Lundqvist, Vera, Quintero, Memo, Figueroa, Valentin, Ceren, Lassiter, Boniek, Fuenmayor, Junqua, Lemoin, and Nelson.) 4 of those have been full-time starters this year (Maric, Lundqvist, Vera, Valentin).  In MLS, you can't just go out and buy 26 new guys.  Truthfully, we could have tried to upgrade every single position other than Quintero, which is a nearly impossible task to do.  The "We need to tear it down and start over" squad isn't paying attention.  WE JUST DID THAT.  WE ARE STILL DOING THAT.  Tab may have been a win-now hire, but the "now" situation quickly changed right after he got here.  Regardless, Tab is a guy that you build a culture with, Tab is a guy that you build systematic processes with, and Tab is a guy that can help lead organizational change.  Those things take time.  No coach, and I mean NO COACH on the planet was making the playoffs with this roster.  Maxi Urruti hasn't registered a goal or assist in 3 months, and he's had plenty of opportunities. In fact, over that span, he's had 35 shot attempts, only 8 of which were on target.  What's worse is that once Baird and Pasher went down, the only other options available were Lassiter and Mateo Bajamich.  Lassiter scored a brace in his first game but has 1 goal and 1 assist in his last 41 appearances (covering 1,378 minutes).  Bajamich looks decent at times but also looks completely lost at others.  

Tab has done some head-scratching things with substitutions at times but also has a head-scratching bench.  He has two clones of each other (Corona and Ceren) in the midfield, and neither are going to win a game for you.  Jones has the most upside of anyone there but also makes game-killing mistakes at times.  You want to know why he waits until the 80th minute to sub sometimes?  Because he doesn't trust his bench.  You want to know why he only uses 2/5 subs?  Because he doesn't trust his bench.  And rightfully so.  With Quintero in the starting 11 now, there's not a difference-maker over there unless Pasher is healthy.  I can't find the stat, but I don't believe we've had a substitute come on and score a goal the entire year.  I can't find one.  We've scored 3 goals after the 60th minute the entire year, all of which have come from a person who started the game. Memo isn't a difference-maker, Jones, Corona, Ceren, Lassiter, Bajamich, Boniek, and the rest aren't winning games for you consistently, much less a game.

Instead of tearing down and rebuilding (again), what we need to do is build off this roster.  There are pieces here you can win with.  Hadebe, Parker, Lundqvist, Quintero, Dorsey, Fafa, Pasher, Vera can all be starters on a playoff-caliber team.  Believe it or not, you can make the playoffs with Zarek Valentine starting on your backline, Portland managed to 3 times.  The defense actually improved this year with Zarek starting and playing 2,000+ minutes. BTW, want to know why Zarek plays soo many minutes? Because the only other person on the roster capable of playing RB is currently starting at RW (Dorsey) because there are no legitimate outside options on the right side (especially when Lassiter is playing for Costa Rica or injured).  

Lastly, I've read multiple times from a multitude of people: "We need to finish the job and fire Tab". That's not finishing the job.  Finishing the job would be building a competitive roster.  I would hope we do that before we decide Tab can't coach.  It's been two awful years, it's also been two years of improving the roster from absolute garbage.  16 new players are in tow.  We still need about 6-10 more. The new GM could easily upgrade RB, RW, LW, DM, GK, LB, Striker and 2-3 bench spots.  Tab might not come back next year, but if the new regime decides to give him a chance, I hope they give him a real one.  I love stories where a team grinds their way back to the top.  I'm cautiously pulling for our beloved #ForeverOrange to do it, and I'm still pulling for Tab.

Thanks again for reading, 

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

After an encouraging run, the Dynamo hit a snag. What does it mean?

 

Two big defensive mistakes, and the inability to put the ball past the keeper.  That's the story of this game.  :54 seconds into the game, our backline fell completely asleep and allowed Robin Lod to run directly behind both of them and chip one past Michael Nelson to go up 1:0.  It wasn't a particularly nice through ball from Franco Fragapane, it wasn't a particularly nice run by Lod.  What allowed Minnesota to break through this early in the game was a lack of pressure on the ball, lack of communication and chemistry by Parker and Hadebe, and a somewhat nice finish by Lod.  Neither of our CB's reacted to the ball, Lod didn't try to do too much with it and placed a perfect left-footed chipper past a sprawling Michael Nelson.  This play somewhat sums up the entire season for the Dynamo.  Other teams do things we apparently can't, and took advantage of a situation that should have never been.  If either Parker or Hadebe reacts, this play never materializes.  If this were Maxi Urruti chipping this shot, the ball ends up in the supporters' section.  This game reflected what has plagued us all season:  the inability to execute.

Goal #2 was a mistake that can't be made.

Parker won the initial ball, then lost it off his back heal leaving it in perfect position for Ethan Finlay to spin and hit into the goal.  Nelson miraculously got a hand on it, and almost kept it out, but Parker has to either control or clear that ball into the stands.  This goal is a perfect example of why we need Goal Line Cameras in MLS.  The ball apparently went over, but there was no angle to conclusively tell whether it completely cleared the line before Zarek punched it out.  It was a tremendous effort by Nelson just to get a hand on it, but a terrible mistake by Parker gifted Minnesota a goal.

There were plenty of opportunities for The Dynamo to equalize:

It took 32 minutes for the Dynamo to finally get a shot on Target.  After Zarek Valentine's left-footer was blocked, he found Quintero all alone on the right side from 15 yards out.  Darwin hit it right at Goal Keeper Tyler Miller who knocked it down and corralled it.  Not to take anything away from Miller, who played really well last night, but his toughest save came on a shot from his own player. It was far from the lone opportunity missed on the night, however, as The Dynamo had 7 chances inside the 18-yard box over the last 30 minutes of play. While none of them were tap-ins, they were all opportunities good teams capitalize on.  What's most frustrating is that two of those came from Darwin Quintero.  Darwin hit them both directly at Miller, who posted 7 saves on the night but never had to move or dive for any of them. Corey Baird and Maxi Urruti had multiple chances last night, and couldn't find the net on any of their opportunities.  While this team is goal efficient this year, what they really are is striker deficient. 

Once Tab threw in extra attackers and switched to 3 in the back, the opportunities came often.  The Dynamo managed the last 9 shots of the game, all except Memo's 30-yard blast coming from within 15 yards.  Fafa and Urruti both had shots from inside 8 yards that failed to get through.  Minnesota has been the best in MLS at keeping balls out of the net at home.  The Loons have only allowed 7 goals at home all season, but this game wasn't about them keeping it out, it was about the Dynamo failure to find the net.  While at times it seemed like there were 25 Powder blue unis out there, and Minnesota is as quick to the ball as any defense in the league, the Dynamo had plenty of opportunities and actually generated more shots than Minnesota on the game (15-12) and more Shots on Target (7-6).  They just never made Tyler Miller work for his saves.

Did we learn anything from this game?

In short, no.  This game showed us what we've known all season long.  With or without Darwin Quintero, this game simply isn't built to beat quality opponents.  This is the worst goal-scoring team in the history of this franchise, and Darwin needs someone reliable at the point of attack that can capitalize on the chances he creates.  The most pressing need moving forward is a striker who can time runs and finish.  It's more vital than upgrading RB, it's more pivotal than finding an upgrade at the defensive midfield, and it's as important as playing Quintero 2,000 minutes or more next year.  If Fafa, Pasher, and Dorsey all return, there are pieces up top that can legitimately play at the MLS level.  The Center Back pairing of Parker and Hadebe is good enough to make the playoffs with.  Adam Lundkvist is a quality MLS left-back, and Mattias Vera is a constant worker and an extremely smart player.  If we are to ever make it out of the MLS doldrums, we have to find a decent striker, and we have to figure out how to pick up points on the road.  

Inside the numbers:

• Houston currently ranks 2nd worst in MLS in goals/Shot on Target (0.24). Only the Chicago Fire (0.22) are worse.
• After inserting Darwin Quintero into the lineup, the Dynamo have jumped 3 spots in passing percentage.  They have been second-worst in the league almost all year, slightly ahead of NY Red Bulls.   They currently have a passing percentage of 76.6%, which ranks 4th from the bottom.
• The Dynamo have also pulled out of last place in possession %.  They have ranked at the bottom of MLS for most of the season, but recently have climbed slightly to 43.6% on the season, ranking them ahead of Nashville SC.
• After racking up 2,367 minutes on 30 appearances (26 starts) for Yeni Mal'spor, Teenage Hadebe has made 14 starts and played 1,251 minutes for the Dynamo this season.  Hadebe literally didn't have an offseason and after playing a full season came to Houston to play in the brutal heat of the summer.   The season has to be wearing on him, but he's played exceptionally well leading the Dynamo in Areal duels % (72.9%) and ranks 3rd on the Dynamo in Areal Duels won (35) despite playing half as many games as the two in front of him (Tim Parker - 55 in 27 games and Fafa Picalut - 65 in 25 games).  

Next Up:

Houston takes on Vancouver Whitecaps this Wednesday at home (I don't even know what to call our stadium these days.)  Vancouver is one of the worst road teams in MLS, posting a 1-4-7 record on the road. The only MLS team with fewer road wins than Vancouver (1) is Your Houston Dynamo FC (0).  After posting back-to-back home wins last week, Houston is now 5-3-5 at home posting 1.54 PPG in the friendly confines of faded Orange seats.  This is also a 7-1-3 night, so show up and get your $1 dollar dogs at every stand that isn't labeled "Hot Dogs" and your $3 beer from places that aren't labeled beer stands.  The weather is supposed to be nice, and an 8:00 kickoff could be an awesome break to your workweek. Just a heads up, the Astros play Tampa bay at 7:10 as well, so you might want to get there a little early and be ready to fight a little traffic after the game.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Houston, WE have a problem....

 

Houston 3:2 FC Frisco

It started like most other games.  Get to the parking lot, check out the vibe of the band playing outside the stadium, get a feel for how big the crowd would be, and talk about our thoughts on the game.  Wade Dowden is one of the biggest Dynamo fans I've ever met and has been kind enough to share his season tickets with me this year.  We sit in section 203, and Wade has never missed one minute of game action since he started buying season tickets a few years back.  Seriously, the guy won't even get up to go to the bathroom.  We got there a little early yesterday, as we were scared that parking would be hard to come by with the Astros playing across the street.  As we were walking up to the stadium Wade said "Uh.....dude, do you see this or am I going crazy?"  So, for those of you that didn't know, we now have a new Stadium sponsor and name.  It's soo new, they haven't changed any of the signs inside the stadium yet.  This has been reported for a while, PNC has been working on acquiring BBVA for some time.  I had forgotten about it, and hadn't seen anything about this at all, and it kind of took both of us by surprise.

We walked over to Pitch 25 to grab a bite to eat and share a bucket before the game.  The atmosphere there was good (as always), and I just had a good feeling going into the game.  There were a lot of Orange Kitsat the greatest striker in Dynamo History's establishment, lots of beers were flowing, and lots of happy people were mingling.  The last time we played Frisco on August 22nd, we played to a 2:2 draw in which we dominated almost the entire first half and Frisco couldn't get the ball across midfield.  It was a frustrating game, the Dynamo had a ton of chances in the first half, and only a Fafa Picault penalty in the 25th minute found the back of the game.  We wore ourselves out trying to get the second goal, and pushed too high to start the second half.  The game ended in a 2:2 draw, and after two draws with FC Frisco this year I was ready for a win.

This game started in a much different way.  The press with the front three of Urruti, Dorsey, and Fafa was much less persistent, and Tab set his back 4 much deeper. Despite the fact that Dallas kept finding Jáder Obrian behind the defense, he kept finding either the side net or the back of Tim Parker's legs for the first half of play.  You could tell Tab had setting our backline and looking to strike on the counter, and it took just under 5 minutes to hit.  With the backline sitting deep and the front 3 putting pressure on Dallas' midfield, the Dynamo were taking away the short passing game and forcing Frisco to play the ball deep.  It saw quick results, as in the third minute a deep diagonal pass from Brandon Servenia to Paxton Pomykal was picked off by Zarek Valentine.  Without an option for a quick counter, the ball eventually was played back to Michael Nelson.  Nelson found Teenage Hadebe, who darted one 30 yards to Fafa in the middle of the pitch.  Fafa chipped a beautiful one-touch pass over a defender's head to Lundkvist on the left sideline, then turned and hit the afterburners. Lundkvist corralled it before going down hard on a tackle by Obrian, but the ball squirted forward and found Fafa on a dead sprint.  Fafa took two nice touches and crossed a bouncing cross through the box.  How the ball didn't find a powder blue uniform, I still don't know.  What's even more amazing is Phelipe was standing like he was frozen in time.  The ball had taken a slight deflection off a Dallas defender and took 4 hops through the box, Griffen Dorsey made a great play chasing it down from the backside, and blasted home his second goal of the season.

There was real excitement when this happened in BBVA (I refuse to call it PNC yet).  The official attendance was 12,353, but I'd say there were more like 6,000-7,000 sitting in the seats.  There was a great group of teenagers sitting behind us that seemed to be a Griffen Dorsey fan club (btw, props to the dude wearing a hat that looked like Homer Simpson's Nacho Hat.)  Those kids were awesome.  Props also to the little kids jumping and screaming "LET'S GO DYNAMO!" while waving their shirts over their heads.  Those kids were up and screaming from the top of the stadium the entire night.  You can see on the replay the jumping and cheering on the goal, like we'd just scored in a derby. It hit home when Dorsey found Fafa right in front of the net for a sliding right-footer at the 20th-minute mark to put us up 2:0, and despite an extremely physical game, there was some great back and forth action.  When Parker got taken down inside the box for a penalty, it was all but over. Darwin Quintero put the penalty shot home for his first goal of the year, and we were up 3:0.  FC Dallas wasn't done though and tried to make a comeback.  You can say we switched off, you could say it was the effect of playing 3 games in 7 days, you can also say we just hung on to a win despite 7 minutes of stoppage time (which actually ended up being about  10 according to my stopwatch). In the end, three points is three points, and while don't like Obrian constantly getting in behind our defense, we got the job done.

Tab has found a lineup.

Over the last three games, Tab has switched from his 4-3-3 (using essentially a #6, and two #8's), to a 4-2-3-1 using Darwin at the #10.  While an increased uptick in attacking efficiency and shot creation shouldn't surprise anyone, winning 7 points out of 9 should surprise everyone with the way this season has been going.  Darwin garners a ton of attention, and defenses are funneling to him in the middle of the field, which opens up our wings.  Griffin Dorsey and Fafa Picault have taken full advantage of this over the last two weeks, combining for 5 goals and 2 assists in the last three games alone. And while I am aware of how terrible Darwin has been at times, you could see him starting to gain traction after the All-Star break.  Both Tab and Glenn Davis have said recently that the problem with Quintero all year long has been fitness, and being that MLS basically gives you nothing in terms of injury or illness reports, and no one has just come out and said what the issue has been all year long, it seems like there's more to the story than Tab simply deciding not to play him. That lineup will have to change a bit with Adam Lundkvist apparently going down for the season with a dislocated knee, which is a shame because Lundi has been playing really, really well for the last month.

Nelson should keep the job for the rest of this year.

He's earned it.  He's been every bit as good as Marco Maric at tending the net, and his distribution is infinitely better.  He's beginning to lead out there as well, you can see him barking orders to Parker and Hadebe in runs of play.  Other than the fact we've looked better in his 5 starts, and finally started winning some games, it should be his job to keep for the rest of the year.  If he performs, we can maybe pick up some help at RB or an international slot back in the offseason for Maric.  I'd love to see a Katy native and former draft pick grab hold of this job and run with it. I'd love even more to see us succeed with him there.  So far, he's been really solid.

The Dynamo won a penalty in every FC Dallas match this year.

Corona's header finding a pinky inside the box in the first game.  Fafa won a penalty in the box in the second, and Tim Parker won one last night.  The Dynamo managed to pull points in each of these matchups and the penalties were the difference.

Why I chose this title and final thoughts.

I don't know if it was the shared bucket before the game, or going up 3:0 and knowing we were going to win, but last night felt good.  When I got home (after celebratory Waffle House.....don't judge.  You know YOU love Waffle House), I jumped on Dynamo Reddit to see if there was any news on Lundi's leg injury. What I saw there was expected, but it's also fairly disheartening.  I didn't find anything about Lundi's leg, but I did find a large number of posts of people angry that we're actually winning.  Like.....seriously?  What are we going for, the #1 pick in the MLS Super Draft?  This team is starting to show something we've been looking for two years now....progression.  That's a good thing.  There are people out there still cheering for us to lose so we can tear down a roster we literally just built and fire a coach who spent his first year dealing with losing his best player without a backup plan and having 15 new players in the squad this year.  This was never going to be an immediate results team.  I said it last year, I said it at the beginning of this year, and I'm saying it again now.  This is a squad you can build off of though, and Tab is a coach you can build with.   It's pretty amazing, that anything posted with any positivity about the Dynamo gets met with immediate push-back.  If we win, I get maybe 100 hits on my post.  If we lose or I post something critical of the team, I get almost 1,000.  Negativity has infiltrated us, and it's time for us to let it go.

We have a new owner.  You guys demanding that won.  We got rid of Matt Jordan.  We turned over basically 1/2 the roster in the last 8 months.  We added new pieces at the Transfer Window.  This team has done almost everything the fan base has demanded, and yet......barely anyone shows up and fans still can't let it go.  

We threaten to beat up our own supporter's groups, and fans.  We actually beat up other team's supporters and steal part of their livelihood.  We showed up wearing bags over our heads, and the #FireMattJordan call (and now #FireTabRamos) was louder than the support we give our guys.  We hijack any positive post online with nothing but vitriol and negativity.  It's time to let it go.  At some point, we have to decide to jump back on board and back into the stadium.  There are good things happening there.  I wanted to also take the time to say how proud and appreciative I am of those who stepped up to help the young man from Austin.  That's what this city is about.  This city is about resilience.  We've been through countless floods, hurricanes, disasters, and infighting and have ALWAYS come out on top.  We've always shown up in droves to help each other out, and have each other's backs.  It's time for us to start doing that for our #ForeverOrange crew.  Very few people in this city actually care about the Dynamo, and it's time for the few of us that do to start to have their back.  That includes Ted Segal, that includes Tab, and that includes every person who is currently wearing that uniform.  It's been a long season, it's been a frustrating and disappointing one, but lets soak in this good and go out and cheer our hearts out.  Let's start packing this stadium and letting OUR voice be heard.  After the last two years, this team deserves it.

I know it's been a long time since the glory days of Robertson Stadium and posting 2 stars above our crest, I know the road's been frustrating.  Honestly, I've never really known the Dynamo to be good.  Outside of our run in 2017, they've been bad pretty much the entire time I've followed them.  I think we've found a track, and we need to see this one out.  To all the ones who disagree with me:  You be you, but also let us be us.  To all the ones out there excited about this team:  Keep being excited.  This team doesn't have enough of you, and it deserves more.  When this team finally turns it around, you'll be the firsts in line. Oh, and let's all agree to remember to say a prayer up for Lundi.

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

What team is this? Houston Dynamo 3:0 Austin FC

 

I've forgotten what that feels like.

:57 seconds is all it took.  :57 seconds for Griffen Dorsey to chase down a loose ball and bang it in the back of the net.  In a sequence that both jumped on you and seemed to take forever, the Dynamo outworked, outplayed and "out-wanted" Austin's Verde for the entire first half of the game.  Both of the opening goals for La Naranja were about effort and desire.  On this night, Houston just wanted to win. They wanted it worse than Austin did.  While many of the things we saw weren't that much different than what we've seen all year, on this night things actually worked out.  We can give credit to a Darwin Quintero start, we can attribute it to a new formation, but in reality, it just came down to putting the ball on target for once.  Desperate for a win, Tab pulled out some new tricks and the guys on the pitch rewarded him for it.  Whether this is a flash in the pan, luck, or a result from putting the right guys together, hopefully, we see more of this down the stretch.

The game opened with the Dynamo in possession.  It didn't take long to notice that Tab had them in a 4-2-3-1 with Quintero in the #10.  It also didn't long for Tab's side to go right after Austin FC:

• :10 seconds in - Adam Lundqvist turns the corner on the left flank and draws a foul.
• :36 seconds in - after a quick switch by Teenage Hadebe, Lundqvist goes directly at Pochettino again, winning a throw-in in the final third.
• :40 seconds in - Lundqvist finds Darwin Quintero in the middle of the box, Quintero wriggles in between two Austin FC defenders, fires a shot on target, Brad Stuver makes a tremendous save. Quintero nutmegged 2 AFC defenders on the play in an unbelievable effort in tight space.

:57 seconds in - Griffen Dorsey outruns the entire Austin FC defense, and despite being in the worse position to get the second ball, not only wins it but blasts one on target.  Stuver gets in position to save it, but instead knocks it into the corner netting.

It was a simply awesome start to the game.  We've seen this before (Coco Carasquilla vs. Minnesota), but with Austin FC's struggling attack you had to believe there was a real chance we could finish this game off.  Austin FC fired a warning shot in the 13th minute, which was from about 25 yards out and off to the left, but it was the first threatening possession Verde had.  Lundqvist immediately went back to work, completely turning Pochetino around before getting taken down hard and drawing a Yellow on the run.  Lundqvist was directly going after Austin's right flank early in this game, which was opening up Fafa and Quintero in the middle.  That's when things really opened up.  With Austin FC trying to build an attack and pushing numbers forward, Joe Corona managed to just knock a ball loose at midfield.  Teenage Hadebe one-touch blasted it deep downfield directly in between defenders Hector Jimenez and Julio Cascante.  Fafa Picault took off, and while his speed is what led to the goal, it was really just his effort.  Cascante took a lazy path to the ball, and instead of getting there and blasting it away, he tried to control it.  Cascante took a horrible touch and Fafa raced past him and took it directly off his foot.  It was really nice to see Fafa calmly split the two defenders and just punch it past a diving Stuver as many times this year he's been in this situation and tried to take extra touches or do too much with it.  It was simple, poised execution after a great effort play and it put the Dynamo up 2:0 twenty-four minutes into the game.

Austin spent much of the rest of the half holding possession, occasionally finding ways through, and every time they did they ran into Teenage Hadebe.  Hadebe made several sliding tackles inside the box that shut down Austin attacks.  The Dynamo were playing extremely compact, extremely organized, and weren't letting anything come easy for Austin.  Every time Austin seemed to find space for a shot, there was an Orange shirt in front of it.  4 of the 6 shots Verde had in the first half were blocked by Dynamo defenders, and Michael Nelson went into the half protecting a clean sheet without even making a save.  The backline did exactly what it's needed to do all season: Keep Nelson clean.  The second goal had also allowed the Dynamo to relax and pack in on defense.  In almost every game this year the Dynamo have had to chase a second goal.  Pressing high and chasing balls all over the field for most of the first half, combined with the ridiculous heat and humidity inside BBVA has usually lead to us being worn out by half-time.  The second goal let us back off and pack in early in the game, and save legs for the second half.  

The second half saw a continuation of this theme: The Dynamo packing in and allowing Austin to hold the ball with their backline.  With Austin trying to build attacks and find cracks in the midfield, but the defense was particularly stingy in this game. Making 2 substitutions coming out for the second half to freshen up the midfield, Josh Wolff's team opened the second half with possession.  The Dynamo extended their defense just enough to not let Austin FC play between lines and force them to place accurate deep balls down the sideline. No matter where Austin passed the Dynamo defense was set and waiting. After a couple of dangerous AFC crosses into the box that found no one on the other end, Austin FC seemed to catch a break as Jimenez punched one downfield and found a streaking Cecilio Dominguez one v. one with Teenage.  Teenage not only chase him down and made a tremendous diving tackle with his back heel, he then popped the ball up to himself and fired a left-footed pass 35 yards downfield on the money to Joe Corona.  Corona corralled it, turned, and fired an excellent weighted ball to Fafa streaking down the left flank.  Fafa took one big touch, cut back inside, and fired a shot to the back post that Stuver barely got his fingertips on.  At the 52nd minute mark, Austin FC fired their first shot on target of the game.  Wade was sitting next to me screaming to pick up the man in the middle of the pitch just as they found him.  Alexander Ring, who had been very quiet up to this point, fired a perfect shot to the back post upper ninety that found a stretched-out Nelson's right hand.  The ensuing corner found a wide-open Pochetino at the back post, who slipped and had the ball bounce off his face out of bounds for a goal kick.  It seemed to be a sure-fire goal, and the Dynamo were extremely fortunate.  The game somewhat bogged down for the next ten minutes as the teams traded punches at midfield.  After Griffen Dorsey found Memo on a really nice chip pass into the teeth of Austin's backline (on a shot that went wide), Sebastian Berhalter blasted a pass downfield to a streaking Rodney Redes. Redes raced past Lundqvist and placed a perfect low cross into Dominguez who had Tim Parker beat and Michael Nelson dead to rights.  Nelson managed to knock it away, and after a deflection off the crossbar, Hadebe chased it down inside the six-yard box, turned, and fired a 40 pass downfield to Fafa.  Fafa held off his defender, let it bounce past both of them, then turned and it was off to the races.  With a numbers advantage and Urruti (middle of the field) and Memo (back post) making runs, there was a multitude of options available. Urruti looped to the outside, Fafa cut back inside, and got the ball on his right foot.  He placed it perfectly in the back-post corner and the Dynamo went up 3:0.  The fact that a team with 33% possession managed to put up 17 shots (7 on target) while holding the other team to only two shots on target the entire game was a testament to how efficient we were last night.

BBVA exploded, and so did the guys on the field.  Hadebe sprinted to the sideline just to give Tab a bear hug soo big he picked him about 3 feet up off the ground.  Hadebe was hugging everyone like we'd just won MLS cup, and you knew at that point the game was over.  If stats from WhoScored.com are right, it was our first counterattacking goal of the season and it was a beauty.  The three points were much needed.  The fanbase has been soo down, soo frustrated, and soo cantankerous that I've gotten off of Dynamo Social Media.  This game gave us a brief glimpse of what this team could do, and gave us a week of relief before we take on Frisco next Saturday.  

Darwin's first start made a difference:

I'll be one of the first to say that Darwin has been disappointing this year.  He's still one of the most accurate shooters we have, and the only person on the squad capable of making dangerous passes into the final third with any sort of regularity.  Despite his struggles this year, his 5.74 shot creating actions/90 minutes greatly outpaces anyone else on the team and would be good for fourth in MLS.  While he has yet to register a goal or assist this year (he's only played 298 minutes), he's made a noticeable difference in the Dynamo attack when he's stepped on the field, especially over the last 3 weeks.  

Darwin has only managed 9 shots the entire season, and 3 of those came last night (all of them were on target).  He looked less frantic and much more relaxed and poised than we've seen him all year, and I'm hoping he can retain this spot for the rest of the year.  Tab and Brad Davis have both said recently that the problem with Darwin all year has been fitness, and it makes me wonder what's the issue's been.  Regardless, it was nice to see him play well last night.

For the Teenage haters out there, what are you watching?

If you wonder how good Teenage Hadebe is, just watch the games, please.  Watch him turn away attackers, watch him shut down dribbles, passing lanes, and areal balls.  Watch him fire left-footed bombs on a dime, and watch him stone an attacker only to turn and fire a laser between the lines. No, we haven't been winning, and no, it's not his fault.   He was ridiculous last night and has been almost all year.  He's been worth every single penny, he's 25, and we have him for 3 more years.  That's a good thing.

Urruti's struggles continue:

Urruti hasn't registered a goal or assist in his last 10 appearances (842 minutes) and has one goal in his last 12 appearances (1,042 minutes).  He hasn't put a shot on target in the last two games (10 shots in total) and four of his last five starts.  He had three really good opportunities last night, and only one of them was particularly close.  His breakaway in the 35th minute after another great Hadebe pass downfield found him one v. one with Nick Lima, he went right-footed, left post, and it went just wide. He's been outscored by Mattias Vera (3 goals) over this span, a player who entered the year with 0 career goals.  While people are constantly saying our defense is a failure, this season would be a different story if Urruti was finding the back of the net or even putting the ball on target with more regularity. His shots/90 (3.54) is the highest mark of his career, while his Efficiency rating (37.3%) is just above his career average and a significant drop off from his mark last year (54.5%).  Urruti had a good run in May and June, scoring 5 goals in 7 games, but has yet to find the back of the net since June 26th. Not only is he not scoring, but he's also not finding teammates either.  His 1 assist in 1700 minutes is also far off his mark as a regular starter.  Urruti has worked really hard this year, he's not afraid to press or trackback, and in no way can anyone question his effort.  He just needs to be much more efficient and composed on the ball.  

We are undefeated when:

Darwin starts, there are remnants of an NCAA game left on the field, it's low 80's at kickoff, and Fafa scores a brace.  If we can just make these things happen all year, we win out (sarcasm, relax Dynamo grumps.)

Final Thoughts:

There was a lot to take away from last night.  I found it weird that it seemed soo packed getting into the game, and the concourse seemed soo busy, yet it was a mostly empty stadium.  It was also somewhat embarrassing that Austin seemed to bring more fans than we did and their supporters section drowned out our entire crowd, even when they were down 3:0.  It honestly makes me a little jealous that we don't have a following like that in our own city.  Austin is a new club and has already built a fanbase that greatly surpasses ours.  I know how hard things have been here lately, but either we support this team or we don't.  We need more people to jump on the bus. With all the negativity on Dynamo Social media, our Supporters groups threatening each other on Twitter, the Jordan out crew, and the bag over their head wearers, at some point we just have to get together and actually support this team and this city. I know I'm a different kind of guy, but I'll show up and cheer regardless of who owns this team, who sits in the GM chair, or how good/bad they are on the field.  They're my team, they'll always be my team, and I could care less about every other team in all of the American continents and all except one in Europe.  Ted Segal's greatest challenge is building an actual fanbase. There were good crowds right after he bought the team that just disappeared. I'm hoping this city comes through.

There were some nice touches again last night.  I loved turning the field orange, that was pretty great.  Hopefully, we show out for FC Frisco this weekend.  There'll be plenty of Frisco Fakes in the stadium again, and it'd be nice to have a derby feel, and maybe the guys have put something in motion here.

Thanks again for reading,

#HoldItDown and remember to stay #ForeverOrange
Brian

Matt Jordan: An empty cupboard, a depleted system, and too many misses. A look at his time in Houston.

What a year it's been right?  What are we at now, 15 games without a win?  Miserable heat, miserable fans, miserable product on the field, and a new owner usually formulate letting someone at the top go. I stopped writing game recaps, because it's basically the same every time: We fought hard, we had a couple of stupid mistakes that killed us, and we can't score goals.  It's been a couple of years now since we've had a dependable couple of goal scorers and I've forgotten what it feels like.  Heck.....I've forgotten what being good feels like.  I think we all knew it was a matter of time before someone's head hit the proverbial chopping block, and as the first ax has fallen I'm hoping that it comes with a flourishing of new activity.  So far Ted Segal is saying all the right things, I'm anxious to see if he can actually do the right things.  I talked early in the year how the problem with this team has been a lack of front office creativity and it's funny how people disagreed with me soo much then and are now pointing to Colorado Rapids as what we should aspire to be.  Hopefully the next group gets it right.

The cries had surfaced this year more than usual.  JORDAN OUT!  was now the new battle cry replacing BRENNER OUT, and TAB OUT has replaced DE LA HOYA OUT!.  While I agreed with the need for new ownership, and I also agree that Jordan should have be let go, do you really think it fixes anything? Does firing Tab suddenly make us a championship contender?  Does it even make us a playoff contender?  Does it even make us better next year?  No, no, and probably not.  You know what dumping everything right now is going to bring?  More losing.  If you told me we could dump Tab and get Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick, Jose Mourinho, or Zinedine Zidane, I'd be all for it.  If you're going to dump Tab just for the sake of dumping Tab, what's the point? (I already hear you "TO MAKE A STATEMENT" shouters, that statement will just be more losing for the foreseeable future). If you dump Tab to hire a retread MLS coach, or a young guy looking for a chance,  I'll still take my chances with Tab.  With Matt Jordan, there are 5 reason's I somewhat gave him a break.  (1) Gabriel Brenner.  (2) Oscar De La Hoya (3) Ben Guill (4) James Harden (5) Jake Silverstein.  I don't know many GM's on the entire planet that would have thrived under these guys, and while I'm fully aware that Matt Jordan could have worked miracles.......I'm also fully aware that Matt Jordan needed divine intervention to succeed with that ownership group.  Seriously, only supernatural powers could have vaulted the Dynamo to a playoff contender with the complete lack of organizational leadership that was going on across the street from one of the best run turnarounds in sports history.  In my last post, we went over the Dynamo's complete failure in the draft.  If they could have landed just ONE of those guys, we'd be a completely different club.  Imagine this club with Jeremy Embobisse, or if Tim Parker would have joined the club 7 years ago.  Put Parker on the backline with Adolfo Machado during Wilmer Cabrera's time and we have a completely different team.  Imagine if we had landed Parker AND Long in 2014 and 2015.  But I digress.

What should the GM's job be?

In an ideal world, the GM should simply be hiring support staff and signing players.  He should hire and be in charge of/responsible for (1) A scouting director (2) An academy director (3) The Head Coach.  What Matt Jordan was doing is actually 3 jobs in most soccer realms. He shouldn't have to scout/evaluate players, that should be the scouts' job.  And given the size of world soccer, they should have EUFA scouts, COMNEBOL scouts, and CONCACAF Scouts.  They should also have North American professional scouts (scouting MLS and USL), amateur scouts (scouting lower divisions and NCAA), and academy scouts.  If you want players, real players, we need a large and organized scouting network.  The GM should spend most of his time convincing players to come here, talking to agents, and signing players to deals. The academy director should be in charge of turning over every stone, building a network of players/teams to choose from, and acquiring all the best talent in the area.  I keep hearing about all this talent that's in the Houston area.  I see guys play in high school stadiums that I think could turn out to be something, but no one is scouting them.  I see players from this area go to college, but don't turn into anything.  Not even solid USL players. We need to figure this out, and the Dynamo need to get involved in youth development all over this city.  

Roster Building:

There are 6 essential roster-building functions in MLS.  (1) International Signings (2) Free Transfers (3) The Draft (4) The Academy (5) The use of TAM and GAM to both buy down player contracts and help get other MLS players (6) Trades.  This is what makes MLS unique in the soccer landscape, and whether you like it or not they are all valuable tools to build a roster here.  There are two essential MLS Systems that have completely failed this club: (1) The draft. (2) The Academy. Between the two, during Matt Jordan's time in office, they've produced 1 full-time starter (Memo) and one rotational player (Junqua).  Without any sort of investment from the ownership, International signings must be on the cheap. You can say that Matt Jordan has failed at this, but I don't necessarily agree.  You can try to not give him credit for Elis, Manotas, Vera, Lundkvist, Maric, and Quioto, but he did work deals to get them here.  He made a nice trade for Quintero, which worked out last year and this year seems to be the only person willing to make a dangerous pass in the final third even though few of them find the mark. He's had way too many misses as well, such as Bizama and Tomas Martinez, and made trades for guys like Zarek Valentine who wasn't really an upgrade at the position. What's really startling is that almost every year we have about 9 guys that walk on a free and no one else really wants.  

But I can't blame the total system failure on Matt Jordan necessarily, because I don't really know what Matt Jordan was working with.  Eddie Robinson stated during the game against Minnesota "....when I first came to work for the Dynamo all the Academy guys were part-time employees.....Seriously!"  Eddie Robinson didn't clarify in much detail, but he started working there in 2012.  I don't know who's doing the scouting for the draft, but I know the Dynamo need to hire a full-time, North American scout who actually knows what they're looking at.  The GM doesn't need to do that, a scout does. In most "Football Clubs" (You've got the FC on your name now, you get the tag I guess), your GM doesn't select the players your GM works the deals.  Your Scout, Sporting Director, and Coach select the players, the GM goes and gets them. Is he responsible for the draft?  Absolutely.  Should he be scouting players and deciding who we draft?  Nope.  Tab should have some impact.  His years of working with the US Youth systems should help him.  But that will also take some time to see the effects.  

International Singings:

Without any influx of young talent from the academy and the draft, Jordan's only option to bring young talent into the club was limited to fairly inexpensive international transfers and guys out of contract.  From MLS.com "In 2021, a total of 216 international roster slots are divided among the 27 clubs. These roster slots are tradable, in full season increments, such that some clubs may have more than eight and some clubs may have less than eight during any given season. With trades, there is no limit on the number of international roster slots on each club's roster."  The Dynamo currently have 6 International Player spots filled (Bajamich, Bizama, Carrasquila, Hadebe, Maric, Vera). 3 of those came in the last 12 months.  I would say that 4/6 have been hits, Bajamich still may pan out.  Bizama definitely didn't pan out, and was loaned to Charlotte this year.  At 27 years of age, we can say that was a bad move on all accounts.  Lundkvist has been a hit, but he no longer counts as an international, since he received his green card.  If we look at Jordan's track record on signings, getting Rommel Quioto here for TAM, landing Alberth Elis for $2.4 million (worth every penny and then some), and while he doesn't get full credit for Mauro Manotas, he did make the deal permanent by buying his full rights.  That basically bought out the sell-on clause in Mauro's contract.  That becomes important later on.  From 2014-2017 Jordan was basically working with a limited amount of Target Allocation Money to bring guys in.  
The majority of our best players during his time have been international signings, and a few of them were high-level talent gotten on the cheap. "But......but......MATT JORDAN DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT!" I've heard it, I've read it, it's wrong.   He did what a GM should, he found a way to get them here and sign them to a contract.  GM's turn reports and recommendations into players on the pitch.  That's their real job.  Quioto, Elis, Hadebe, Machado, Struna, Lundkvist all came here and made an impact for cheap.  Have the Dynamo failed under his leadership? Absolutely, but this is one area where he actually somewhat performed at.  But....but...JORDAN BOTCHED THE ELIS AND MONATAS DEALS!  I'll say it again, he offered Elis the biggest contract in the history of the Dynamo.  Elis turned him down.  With months left on his contract, and Elis surely to walk away, he took the best deal he could.  He got $1.2 million for Elis, plus an added sell-on clause worth an undisclosed amount.  This could turn out to be a decent payday for the Dynamo.  As for Manotas, he got $4mil for a striker that had just scored 3 goals in 1800 minutes and had seen his production regress over the last three years.  By the way, that $4mil is by far the largest transfer fee in Dynamo history and the 17th largest in MLS history.  To put it in perspective, that's more than the $2.89 million RBNY got for Tyler Adams (and yes, I'm aware of the brother-in-law deal they got).  
Does he have a glowing record here?  Again, no.  But it's far from terrible. It's all he had to build with, he put all his chips in it, and some deals just haven't worked out.  Tomas Martinez didn't pan out.  Tomas Martinez was also relatively cheap ($1.8mil) compared to what other teams are paying for top level attacking talent in this league.  It's the 94th highest transfer fee paid on record in the history of MLS.  Tomas Martinez, Mateo Bajamich, and Jose Bizama really hurt when they don't hit and you don't have any money to spend.  That would be like using your rent money to buy a car and that car would drive above 25 MPH (Martinez) or blew up (Bizama) or you figured out a bike got you to work better (Bajamich). 

Trades:

This is another area where Matt Jordan was really poor.  Other than trading Kiki Struna for Maxi Urruti, there just haven't been any really smart trades done by this club in a long time.  Even Urruti for Struna has been a wash, as Urruti hasn't registered a goal or assist since July.  Trading Rommel Quioto for Victor Cabrera?  Terrible.  Tommy McNamara for Wilfred Zahibo?  Bad.  Zahibo is sitting at home without a club, and Tommy Mac is playing quality minutes for first place New England.  There are a bunch of other examples, but these are the most recent.  He's made a couple of nice moves for GAM, like getting Tim Parker from the Red Bulls, but there wasn't enough of this either.

Final Thoughts:

I know that many of you out there disagree, and think that getting rid of Matt Jordan will fix all of Houston's problems.  But the matter of fact is, the problems extend well beyond the GM's desk.  While Jordan definitely didn't do enough to help, he also didn't get the help he needed. I've read the angry ramblings on Reddit, Big Soccer, Twitter, and Discord.  Let me say this:  You are right, but you are also wrong.  

Glenn Davis said recently on his  August 31st Episode of his Podcast Soccer Matters "....I understand how this was emotional for many, many people and the focus was mainly on that....but I want to clarify a couple of things here. Uhm, Matt was hired by ownership, Matt was hired by a president, and....I think.....to just go after Matt Jordan...uhm....to me is missing the context of the big picture..."  This is what I've been trying to say for a couple of years now.  Was Matt Jordan bad?  Yes.  Did the results and this roster warrant him being let go?  Absolutely.  Was everything his fault?  Nope.  Owner Ted Segal also stated on the same Podcast that they were basically leaving no stone unturned in looking for ways to improve this club.  The club needs facility improvements, they need a bigger staff, and they actually need to split the GM duties into a Director of Operations and a Director of Sport.  One needs to oversee the day-to-day business dealings, the other needs to focus squarely on improving the club and finding players.  The world of football and even North American football is too big for this to be done with one guy, especially if you have large aspirations.  Segal has talked about expanding payroll, he's talked about improving the academy, he's talked about looking at every possible angle to make this better.  He's stated he wants an MLS bread GM that knows the ins and outs of this unique league, and hopefully he finds a good one.  

Until then,

#HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian