Fortress of Solitude: Dynamo 3:0 LA Galaxy

Can we all just take a second and enjoy being 3-0 at home?  Not just 3-0, but a dominating 3-0 at home.  The Houston Dynamo are one of two Western Conference teams who have won every game at home, and one of two teams in the entire league who have yet to concede a goal in their own stadium.  It's not always pretty, and it's not always the most fun to watch, but if you can't enjoy winning our first 3 at home against the teams we've won them against......I've got nothing for you.  Although it's early and it's been a small sample size, Benny Ball is currently working (at home).  The road is an entirely different story, but last night wasn't a road game.  Let's sit back, soak this one in, and enjoy a 3-0 win at home.

The first 45 minutes.

You could see the game plan right away: (1) Sit Back (2) Get the ball downfield quickly (3) Fight for the box.  On the opening kickoff, Hector Herrera lofted a 60-yard diagonal the Franco, and the Dynamo won a throw-in just outside the 18 only thirteen seconds into the game.  It was only seconds later on their second possession of the game when Amine Bassi scooped up an errant LA Galaxy pass and raced down the left flank.  Bassi found Coco wide open just outside the penalty circle, whose shot found the back of Corey Baird's legs.  Franco Escobar jumped in front of a Caligeri pass and fired a cross to Corey Baird, but it was intercepted.  The Dynamo press forced 4 errant passes, and each led to getting in dangerous positions in the final third in the first 4:10 of the game.  

Defensively, Arur was dropping down ontop of Jovelic, and with both Bassi and Franco dropping back to help gum up the wings, the Galaxy were overcommitting both Raheem Edwards and Caligeri forward trying to break down the Dynamo defense, which in turn was leaving gaping holes behind him for Baird to run into. As Baird's run caught the Galaxy defense's attention, the midfield opened up quickly as the back line of the Galaxy defense began to stretch. The Galaxy did find their way through a few times in the first 20 minutes of the game.

• Jovelic's first shot (6th minute) was blocked by Hadebe.
• Caligeri cut inside to hit a left footer from 25 yards out (14:26) that was also blocked by Hadebe.
• Memo found Jovelic in the box, which was broken up by a streaking Clark.  The ball landed back in Memo's lap (Penalty overturned by VAR).

But in the 35th minute, the Dynamo finally broke through.  It was an unbelievable shot by Hector Herrera, but the play that set it up was a microcosm of what the Dynamo were doing all night.

The strike was absolutely inch-perfect and was a no-doubt goal as Ivan Franco was also wide open and covering the back post.  It was not only completely misplayed by the Galaxy goalkeeper, but by their defense as well.  Hector had been putting in very dangerous corners the entire half, and decided just to go ahead and put this one away himself.  The strike seemed to wake the Galaxy up.  Memo was being super aggressive hear the middle of the pitch.  Puig and Delgado were penetrating the Dynamo back line and getting into the box.  The half ended when Gastón Brugman blasted a free kick into the Dynamo wall after Memo had won a free kick in a battle with Artur.  The first half was fairly even, and the Dynamo were somewhat fortunate to be up 1-0, but it was a fairly uneventful half compared to what was coming in the second.

The Galaxy came out aggressive.

Greg Vanney made several changes to both personnel and formation that really caused the Dynamo problems in the early goings of the second half.  Not only bringing on Preston Judd for Memo, but also bringing in Center Back Chris Mavinga for Tyler Boyd and switching from a 4-1-4-1 to a 3-5-2 formation. The attention that both  Judd and Jovelic were getting was opening up a lot of space behind them for Puig, Brugman, and Delgado. Puig had two very dangerous shots in the opening minutes, and Judd found a way in behind Hadebe to put a really good shot on Steve Clark (The Hadebe accidental back pass play).  When Chichirito came on (54:43) and LA. Galaxy dominating the run of play, all of the Dynamo Faithful had to be a little nervous.  But it's then that things actually began to turn in the Dynamo favor.  Ivan Franco got in behind and put a nice left-footed attempt on goal, the DYnamo defense adjusted and the midfield began to dominate meaningful possession.  When Coco got fouled in the box at the 65-minute mark, it began one of the zaniest 30 minutes of soccer I believe I've ever witnessed.

• The Galaxy picked up 3 yellows in just under 5 minutes.  The first was for Raheem Edwards for losing his temper for being subbed off. The second (Martín Cáceres) was one of the most bone-headed plays I've ever seen by a guy on a yellow and put the Galaxy a man down.  The third (Gastón Brugman) was for arguing the penalty and the card that his teammate got.
• Bassi scores his 4th PK in 4 games, setting a MLS record.

4 - @HoustonDynamo's Amine Bassi is the first player in MLS history to score a penalty in four consecutive matches. Poise. pic.twitter.com/x2FJwMtSmS

— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) April 9, 2023

• The Galaxy drop off and leave the Dynamo soo much space they can do virtually whatever they want with the ball.  This wasn't a team digging in their heels down a man, this was a team that was done. While the Dynamo were dominated in Possession (37%) in the first half, they turned the tables in the second.
• Bassi scores the second run-of-play goal for the Dynamo all year.  After a corner was lost, great pressure from HH, Thor, and Baird, HH disposes Chichirito and the Galaxy literally don't guard Baird at all.  Baird finds a wide open Bassi just at the edge of the box.  Bassi has time to take a good touch, test the wind, eat a Trill Burger, drink a shake, and blast it in the back of the net.
• Judd has a tremendous left-footed shot in the box, Bartlow heads it away.  
• Herrera gets his second yellow and picks up a red coming late across the back of Chichirito's legs.
• Raines bosses Douglas Costa, Costa gets mad about it and slams Rains down on the ground for no real reason.  If you want to know how this team is changing, watch Dorsey, Teenage, and Steres go after Costa and stick up for the teenager Raines.
• The ref, recognizing that tempers are flaring AND that this game had turned into a flaming pile of garbage, calls the game.

Tid Bits.

Ethan Bartlow: was really good. Bartlow got in the way of 4 shots, had a big break up of a pass to Preston Judd early in the second half, and was a huge reason why Jovelic and Chichirito couldn't get a clean look at the goal.  Teenage had one of his better games this year as well, but Bartlow was tremendous last night.

HH doing HH things: Forget the goal for just a second, he was far and away the best midfielder in the game.  He was just in total control the entire 90 and affected every phase of the game.  He's completely legitimized our set pieces, he's solid in defense, and he picks other teams apart with his passing.  The second yellow was a really poor decision, and the game against RBNY will be almost really tough without him.  

Corey Baird: His pressure caused LAG some real problems at time.  He was constantly marking away one of the CB's and causing LAG to play down their left side.  Was responsible for setting up 2 of the goals, and despite only having 1 shot and several really bad passes into the final third he really impacted this game on multiple levels. 

Franco Escobar: One of the forgotten offseason signings.  Escobar had some huge plays last night including the play that stopped Memo in the box. It was a perfectly timed and executed tackle that got the Dynamo the ball back and shut down a Galaxy attack.

Bringing the Nasty: I thought Dorsey, Baird, and Thor really ramped it up over the last 15 minutes of the game. The Dynamo also committed 10 fouls and picked up 5 yellows defending their clean sheet.

Next Up:

Final, Final Thoughts:

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Easter.  My thoughts go out to the sacrifice that was given, the love that covers us, and the victory we are blessed with.  

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

Completely U.G.L.Y. - Dynamo 1 - Earthquake 2

 

U

G

L

Y

You Aint got no alibi

You Uglyyyyyyyyy....what what what.......you uglyyyyyyyyyy.

This Dynamo team, 5 games in, still has soo many questions that are nowhere near being answered.  Is it a team good enough to sneak into the playoffs?  What is going on with Sebastian Ferreira?  What formation are they even playing?  Can you win in this league without a #10, or a DP striker?  What does Ivan Franco put in his hair to make is so stinking amazing?  One thing that is absolutely certain though: they are going to play ugly.  It's turning many of us into absolute hypocrites (calm down, I'm mostly talking about myself) who love to win ugly but hate to lose that way.  This team threatens their opponent's goal about as much as my 7 lb pomeranian threatens everyone who dares to walk past my house.  They're aware that she's there, but no one is scared of her.  "NOBODY'S SCARED OF YOU BELLA" Is one of my most uttered phrases during the day.  And nobody is scared of our attack either.  When you decide who will start in your forward positions based on who can defend the best, there aren't going to be many goals scored.  This is a clock management, don't make mistakes, and hope your opponent doesn't score type of team.  They made that switch when they decided to start 3 CBs and a #9 who can press the way you want.  When it works, it's ugly and you pull points.  When it doesn't work, it's just ugly.  Either way, Ben Olsen has this team well-organized in defense and playing hard defensively.  What's missing is absolutely anything in the final third other than drawing a penalty. It's easy to point at the #9, but in reality, it's all three of them up top doing nothing to generate goals through the first five games.  It's easy to put the blame on Coco and HH as well, but in reality, they are playing the ball to guys who do nothing with it. When the ball leaves the feet of our two star midfielders, it usually goes into an albatross of turnovers.  Ben Olsen needs to find the right combination of players that can actually find the back of the net DURING the run of play.

This was a tough, physical game from the start.

It was ugly literally from the start.  Cade Cowells beautiful run and low cross nearly broke the game open before the clock even struck 2:00, but from the start, both teams were set on muddying up the opposition.  From the get-go, there were shoulders, grabs, heel kicks, slide tackles, and some good ol'fashioned shin guard checks.

Just look at the highlights of the first 20 minutes, they are all either tragic or fouls.

• Carrasquilla's foul 3:56 into the game.  He just grabbed Moreno by the head for no real reason at all. 
• Hadebe's Handball
• San Jose's double takedown of Raines (8:43) just outside the box.
• Espinosa's run in the box 14:10 (Hadebe's near pen #2)
• Mensah's foul 16:55
• Espinosa's cross that ended up 200 feet from where he wanted it @ 18:10.  

The only exciting plays in the first 30 minutes of the half came from San Jose, and the only thing the Dynamo could do to hold possession was to pass the ball between the back three.  The Dynamo could barely get the ball across midfield with any idea what to do with it, and when they did break the midfield line they could never break down San Jose's press.  The Earthquakes press was giving our back line a ton of problems, and if it wasn't for some tremendous play by Artur to just muscle the ball away from Espinosa and Ebobise inside the box, San Jose  might have broken through several times.  It wasn't until the 25 minute mark that HH began sitting between the lines of press and getting the ball at his feet that the Dynamo began to break through.  But time and time again, despite some nice back heels and through balls, Luchi González's defense was always there.

This game was physical.  31 combined fouls, 5 combined yellows, 3 PKs, 2 of which were for bad tackles in the box. Akapo's shoulder to Schmitt was an example (31st minute), and his yellow for taunting was a sign of what it meant to San Jose.  The Dynamo lost possession 134 times, a season high.  Led by Corey Baird's 16 on only 41 touches, the Dynamo simply could not end possessions with shots.  Too often they tried to do to much, get too cute, be too patient, when simply they needed to play direct and take guys on.  In the first half Ben Olsen's side managed just 2 shots from the run of play (0 on target).  

While we weren't helped by the final decision of a penalty (and the lack of Coco getting one at the end of the first half), the game should never come down for that.  The Dynamo never owned the moment, the attack lacked purpose and passion.  The runs up top never got in behind, when we put together a nice combo play the person in space was always looking for something that wasn't there instead of just taking someone on and beating his man.  This attack actually took a step back last night, and that's almost impossible to do.  Olsen has to find a way to jumpstart this attack before next Saturday, or there is a chance that the Dynamo are going to be over their head before May. Let's take a look at a few of the keys from last night's game.

The Striker Position

Baird was pesky.  He drew the penalty and applied pressure to San Jose's back line at times.  Offensively however Baird was terrible.  I understand that Baird runs hard and defends from the front, but his runs almost never end up with him being onside and behind the defense.  Baird's hold-up play is spotty, and he rarely wins position on deep balls allowing him to hold possession.  Baird does occasionally occupy a CB on some of his runs, allowing Coco and HH to occupy the space in behind, but the biggest problem with Baird is what happens when the ball actually touches his feet.  Currently, he's a poacher who can't poach.  He doesn't create or generate anything offensively, his runs are currently all meaningless, and when he finds the ball in front of an open net he can't put one home.  Last night Sebas checked on and did absolutely nothing.  You could see him gesturing in frustration the second he checked on.  His pressing was terrible, his energy was bad, and his runs were nonexistant.  His hold-up play was OK and he did complete 4/5 passes, but never posed a threat at all and didn't change the game for the better when he checked on.  This position is a void on the offensive side of the ball, but it isn't the only void going forward.

Bassi, Franco, Quinones, and Raines and Schmitt.

This isn't a 4-3-3, and it's not a true 4-4-2.  While they are defending with 2 lines of four, the shift to a 3 man back line going forward is getting 6 guys in the box with regularity. It may be controversial to throw Bassi in here since he's scored 3 goals, however he hasn't done anything to generate a goal yet this year.  He didn't even draw the penalties (Biard, HH and Bartlow's header did), he simply scored them.  The formation switch has him tucking inside and playing centrally while Tate Schmitt gets down the wing.  Last night when Franco Escobar subbed on, they actually flipped the tactics and Bassi played more on the edge. Bassi only has 3 key passes on the year, and his Shot-Creating Actions/90 (2.02) is less than half of what we'd seen from him at Barnsley and Metz. (5.05 and 5.87).  On top of that, he's only taken 2 shots all year during open run.  He needs to be more assertive.  It's not that he's not being clinical, it's that he's not forcing action.  He needs to be one of the key offensive contributors in the attack and do something with the ball at his feet.

Raines looked lost for the most part on the wing last night.  Had one play early in the game where you saw the potential (when he got taken down, got up, ripped the ball away from a defender and kept going until the dragged him down just outside the box @ 8:43 in the game), but often had trouble just getting on the ball.  Cut inside once and missed HH on a perfect run to the outside, instead passing it directly to Michael Baldisimo.  He often had trouble simply getting the ball.  Franco looked no better upon checking on, giving the ball away roughly half (7/16) of the times he touched it.  Nelson Quinones has done nothing to show he can actually help this team in any way, and as much as I like Tate Schmitt his final play needs to be crisper.  His crosses are often just a tad misplaced, and his dribbles in the box often don't beat his man.  To be fair, there needs to be a better tip of the spear for any of these guys to succeed with the final ball.

Too much is being asked of the midfield.

HH, Coco, and Artur are doing their part.  While all three could be better, their job is to control the center of the field and play it up to guys who make plays.  Coco currently ranks 9th in the league in creating shots/90 (4.78), and HH is setting just behind him at 4.40.  Those actions are leading to actual shots or goals though, and that's not necessarily all their fault.  These two guys are box-box players, they aren't Thiago Almeda who stay forward, get forward, and use space around a striker to create for themselves.  They defend, get the ball at their feet, and progress it up to the forwards.  Because our forwards are struggling to do anything offensively, it's putting additional pressure on them to do create goals.  There's no doubt that HH and Coco can do more, but Bassi, Franco, Baird, Sebas, Quinones et all need to really step up.  

Next Up:

Until Then:

Thanks once again for reading.

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian.

Brought the Nasty: Houston 1:0 NYCFC

 

A night of contrast for the Houston Dynamo: beautiful stadium on a beautiful night with a team that managed to play stretches of beautiful soccer, but bring home an ugly 1:0 win.  On a night with no Coco Carrasquilla, no Ivan Franco, and against one of the stingiest defenses in MLS, the Dynamo managed the only chance that mattered and kept their second straight clean sheet at home.  Bringing the Nasty is rounding into form, as Ben Olsen has found a defensive unit and shape that is working at home

2014 - Following its 2-0 win over Austin with a 1-0 win over NYCFC, @HoustonDynamo have recorded consecutive shutout victories within a single regular season for the first time since March 8-15, 2014. Vintage. pic.twitter.com/jiKBncmgE9

— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) March 26, 2023

. 

There are lots of things to celebrate from this game, as well as some major causes of concern. Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of this game.

The Good:

Brooklyn Raines makes his first MLS start.

Brooklyn Raines is the first teenager to ever start a game for the Houston Dynamo in an MLS match.  In a much-anticipated appearance, Raines had a mostly quiet first half.  Highlighted by his miss on the one good chance the Dynamo had created during the half that really stung, Raines otherwise was mostly unnoticeable during the first 45.  He came to life in the second.  Had a really nice move and a crafty pass through defenders on the buildup that led to the Pen.  Drew a couple of key fouls, and despite only having 27 touches found ways to impact the game.  Brooklyn just mistimed a couple of runs, and his teammates had a little trouble finding him on some of those deep balls. Most importantly didn't do anything that cost the team the win.  Raines took over Coco's duty of applying high pressure and making runs between the left CB and LB.  High energy, was active, impacted winning.  Overall a solid 74 minutes, hopefully he starts to get a few more shifts as the season progresses.

Artur

Artur is the backbone of what has been a dominating midfield.  The midfield trident has been extremely good in 3/4 games so far this year (Cinci, Austin, NYCFC) and Artur has ben the rock at the back end of it.  Defensively he was outstanding last night.  While the tackle and interception numbers aren't staggering (1 tackle, 2 interceptions), he was always in the right spot and gobbled up 11 loose balls in the midfield.  Artur was also instrumental on applying pressure to Keaton Parks and Alfredo Morales, virtually taking them out of the game.  Artur has also been creeping further upfield in possession and looking to make plays.  Took a big left-footed blast right before Corey Baird hit the cross bar, and who can forget his nutmeg/run against Austin F.C. Owning the midfield was key to this matchup, and none was more active or more important than Artur.

The Defensive Back 3 of Teenage, Bartlow, and Steres

It's an unconventional way to get to a 3 in the back lineup, but that's essentially what it is.  4-4-2 in defense, but 3 CB's staying home and protecting when we go forward.  While Steres began to venture forward at spots, having these three set the back line allowed Tate Schmitt to get down the wing and wreak havoc.  The three weren't called on to do a lot, but were always there when they needed to be.  Largely responsible for holding NYCFC to five shots (1 on target) for the entire game.  NYCFC went over 30 minutes without a single shot of any kind (from the 57th minute - 91st minute).  Add to that the fact that NYCFC only had 5 touches inside the box for the first 90 minutes of the game.  While Steve Clark will get credit for his 52nd Career Clean Sheet, the bulk of the work went to the midfield and these guys in the back.

Honorable Mention:

Ben Olsen's defensive game planning, Amine Bassi, HH being HH, and, it sounds weird since we lost the possession numbers, but the possession game was there when we needed it.

The Bad

Corey Baird

Baird did some really good things defensively.  His pressure on the Center Backs combined with the midfield activity of Raines, HH, and Artur really disrupted NYCFC's attack.  However, going forward Baird poses almost no threat of helping the Dynamo score. When he makes a run AND is onside, his decision-making has been extremely poor.  Had a chance to bury NYCFC and make it 2-0 but missed a poacher's goal and hit the woodwork, his only shot of the game.  He's not getting chances, he's not creating chances, he's not really even taking guys on.  He did draw 4 fouls, but other than that his stats were very meager.  45 touches, 8 possessions lost, 0 key passes, 0 shots on target, 1 offsides, 0/1 in taking guys on.  For four straight games here the striker position has been virtually nonexistent in the attack.

The Attack

There was some really pretty combination play, and some quality plays from the midfield, but the Dynamo managed only 2 shots on target the entire game, and one was off a deflection on the back post.  The top three of Baird, Bassi and Quinones didn't combined for 1 shot, 1 key pass, and 2 passes completed into the penalty area.  Without Franco and Carrasquilla the attack lost a lot of punch and creative flair.  The top three have yet to create a goal in the run of play on the season.  

The Ugly

Steve Clark's one major gaffe

Luckily it didn't cost the Dynamo a goal, but right after Amine Bassi's pen Clark almost gave them one back.

Final Thoughts:

These are games the Dynamo usually don't win.  You can take both wins with a grain of salt (beating Austin F.C. on a short week and NYCFC after traveling across the country) but to post two straight clean sheets at home AND winning both hasn't been done in ten years.  This is a good stretch, and the Dynamo have a real chance to make it three in a row traveling to San Jose Earthquakes next weekend. Also, getting to listen to Glenn Davis on the call through Apple TV's new "Hometown Radio" feature was a game changer for me.  I now love this ap entirely.

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍💥🤘

¡Su energía fue increíble!#HoldItDown #ContraTodos pic.twitter.com/5Qj2rWMFcy

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 26, 2023

Next Up:

Until then.....

Thanks again for reading.

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Houston Dynamo 2:0 Austin F.C. - All Around Team Effort

 

It seemed like forever.  The eternity that existed between losing to the Revs and their first home game of the season against Green Tree F.C. had all of the #ForeverOrange faithful in desperation mode.  We got to see the fresh new Shell Energy Stadium with all its updates and some fresh tactics by Head Coach Ben Olsen.  In an up-and-down performance for much of the game, the Dynamo managed to do two things we haven't seen in some time: (1) keep a clean sheet at home. (2) Take control of the game and not relinquish the lead.  While there are some differing opinions over which new food vendor was the best, if the East Side Club was cool or not, and whether this was a boring game or not, one thing we can all agree on is that it feels good to win, especially against Austin F.C.

The First 45 minutes:

The starting lineup saw a couple of notable changes.  Daniel Steres at RB, Amine Bassi at LW, Ivan Franco at RW, and Corey Baird got the start at the #9. Defending with 2 lines of four, Olsen mostly had Coco playing up top next to Corey Baird.  The plan to start the game was simple, sit deep, pack the box defensively, and ping it deep to stretch Austin F.C.'s backline.  Early runs by Baird, Coco, and Ivan Franco paid dividends on the back end of some beautiful deep balls by Teenage Hadebe and Hector Herrera.  Even though the ends of these runs and passes were normally sloppy and disjointed, you could see #Verde's backline creeping further and further back with each change of possession.   With Bassi tucking inside behind Baird with Tate Schmitt running the left flank, Coco was making darting runs between Leo Väisänen and Žan Kolmanič opening up the right flank for Ivan Franco.  You could see the gaps widening in the midfield as the game progressed.  Bassi began filling these gaps from the left flank, and taking much of the space that Coco normally fills.   Dropping deep to defend, Bassi was helping progress the ball down the middle third as well as making runs to stretch the left flank. He found his way through first, although his left foot cross went seriously wayward.

While they were defending with two stacked lines of 4, going forward Daniel Steres never left going forward.  He stayed back to protect the left flank from Diego Fagundez on the counter and in transition. With Steres staying home and HH, and Artur paying heavy attention to Driussi, they were able to hold the two to 1 shot total over the first 45 minutes of play. While the Dynamo had shut down Austin's top two attackers, they were being exposed on the other side. John Gallager and Emeliano Rigioni were dominating the run of play, combining for more shots than the entire Houston squad.  Rigioni nearly broke the game open twice, and Maxi Urruti should have had the games opening goal.  Off a nice cross by Sebastian Driussi that was badly misplayed by Tate Schmitt, John Gallager managed to flick one back toward the goal that found Urruti's head right in front of the goal.  Luckily for the Dynamo, Urruti couldn't get it down, but it was a point-blank chance that should have made it 1-0.  While Austin controlled the run of play over the first 35 minutes, Houston began to find cracks over the next 10.  They ended the half with the last 4 shots.  

The next 45:

Houston came out firing.  Hector Herrera's stop-start-right-footed blast off the end line (47th minute), Ivan Franco's flying overhead off a deflection, and Coco's outside-the-box blast all ended up directly at keeper Brad Stuver, but Houston was beginning to find their way through.  Houston completely controlled the first 25 minutes of the second half.  The turning point came midway through the second half right after Adam Lundkvist checked in.  Ethan Bartlow's header gave Lundkvist no time to react and caught in an unnatural position the ball struck right off of his waiting hand.  Although the entire refereeing crew initially missed it, after review Drew Fisher pointed to the spot.  Amine Bassi put it home to put the Dynamo up 1:0. 

15 minutes later, Hector Herrera made it 2:0 by punching a left-footed punch that beat Stuver to the near post.  It was a crafty goal that just saw HH outsmart and out work the Austin backline.

While Austin tried to pull one goal back over the next 4 minutes but Houston was able to hold on.  The win was much-needed and nudged Houston above the playoff line.  

Notables:

While I could mention basically the entire team, and don't mean to leave anyone off, we'll look at a few of the highlights.

Hector Herrera: 

HH was tremendous from opening to close.  In the first 30 minutes, he was pinging bombs on the money to Coco, Franco, and Baird on the run.  From the opening of the second half, he began to work into the box and wreak havoc. On the night he had 91 touches, 60 completed passes, 2 key passes, 5 shots, and 1 very big goal.  He was touching the ball all over the field, hitting passes at all levels, and working on both sides of the ball.  Had one terrible turnover when he tried to spin his way out of a challenge, but luckily Teenage had his back.  He had several dangerous corners, and his blasted free kick (42nd minute) almost beat Brad Stuver.  It was a continuation of what we saw vs. Cincinnati, although a little more progressive.  Great bounceback game after a rougher outing vs. New England.

The Backline:

The backline of Steres, Bartlow, Hadebe and Schmitt were tremendous all night.  A few cracks opened up on the right side, but each time Steve Clark was right where he needed to be.  Not only did they make every defensive play they needed to, they also made several key plays going forward.  Bottling up Fagundez and Driussi is no easy task, and the two managed 0 shots on Target for the entire game, and only managed 66 touches for the game.  

Steve Clark

Steve Clark was on point for 90 minutes.  Although he wasn't spectacular he didn't need to be.  Shook off a nock on the knee in the early minutes of the game to post a clean sheet.  Although it was a team effort, Clark was where he needed to be when he needed to be.  Solid performance in this game.

THIS:

“It’s time to defend 7-1-3!” 🤘🤩

Thank you to all of H-Town for your support! Don’t miss our next home match next weekend VS NYCFC! 🔥

🎟️>> https://t.co/m4SlADfv0c#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/SjrGCRxTxT

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 19, 2023

Next Up:

Thanks again for reading,

Remember to always always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange.

Brian

Dynamo Fans are already losing their minds, let's take this week off and refocus.

 

I'm not gonna lie, I'm grumpy.  I'm grumpy because we're 0-2, we lost a game against Cincinnati we should have earned a point from, I'm grumpy that we got embarrassed the next week, I'm grumpy because there's no game this week, we're playing Verde next, and because Dynamo fans are now complaining about...well....everything.  We've become Brick from Anchor Man, simply mad and shouting because we don't know how to handle all this.  I've read a lot of things the last week, and I'm going to try to go back and address some of them in a logical manner. I'm also going to address some things I'm sick of already, and use this as a bit of a therapy session for myself.

First of all:

I'm sick of hearing about "Inverted Wingers"

I get it. I understand the concept. I see other teams using it successfully. What we're missing here is that those teams have a lot of talent.   I see our team constantly look like we don't have a plan going forward, displaying dudes who can't finish (or pass) running into each other's space.  I see overlapping backs who either can't make plays with the ball at their feet or get back and defend (or both).  I see our back post constantly being exposed while our FB is trying to get back and cover it only to be 5 steps too slow. I see our CB's being put in bad positions a ton, and I also see most of our possession coming from passing it between our CB's for large sections of time.  I've seen us change coaches, players, and literally everything else, but yet I still see this garbage.  I honestly don't care what formation we run, I don't care if we want to be a possession team, a counterattacking team, or the boringest defensive team you've ever seen.  What I can't literally care about anymore is this concept: inverted wingers are the plan going forward.  If that's the key to unlocking our attack, go get Mo Salah/Darwin Nunes types.  If we are going to start Corey Baird or Thor there, find a different way.

"We can get anyone to do what Coco and HH can do for way less money"

Great, we just gutted our payroll and are back to being the lowest-paid team in the league again.  The same fans crying about this are the same ones that wanted the last ownership group out for failing to invest.  I could go around the world and talk about the cost of a good 8 in a 4-3-3.  Spoiler alert: they cost a bunch of money and don't put up a lot of key stats (Luca Modric).  Doesn't make them any less important, doesn't make them any less valuable. It's just their job.  I understand that MLS has, in the pass, had a cost associated with goals and assists.  That's changing.  CB's are starting to earn real money, and with Roman Burki goal keepers are too.  I literally don't care about how the Dynamo did things in 2006-2008, because THAT VERSION OF THE LEAGUE IS DEAD.  There were no DP's,  guaranteed contacts,  U-22 initiatives, or many other roster designations we have now back then.  The league is changing.  

Secondly, we have 3 DP spots.  Do we need more out of Sebas?  Sure.  Do we need more out of Teenage? Yup.  But you know who we really need....I don't know....anything out of?  Our Goal Keeper, RW, RB, LB and Ivan Franco.  Can we still buy down Teenage and get a legit third DP?  Yup, probably this summer.  Why does it take until summer?  Because that's when the biggest and best leagues in the world go on break. HH and Coco are our two most important players and have more asked of them than anyone on the field. It's the style and system we play. We need two pretty good players there, and we have those.  We need better players around them.  We hit HH because he's the highest paid player this team has ever had, and a top 10 highest-paid in the league.  I'm sick of the money portion of the conversation when it comes to HH because it gives some of us unreasonable expectations of him.  He's not a guy that's going to get you 20 goal contributions a year.  That's not who he is, that's not even what his position demands. HH's job is to control the game and get it to guys who make plays.  No, you can't find a guy just as good as him for $150-$600k.  Joao Paulo is the closest comparison, he's a DP too.  If they take a DP slot, it literally doesn't matter how much money they make because it all costs the same against the cap.  Some of us saw the figures that HH and Coco were bringing in, and set unreachable expectations.  I also think there's some jealousy there and (this is not my opinion, just calling people out) anti-Mexico sentiment. There are people that simply think he was brought here as an advertisement and nothing more.  I think every star is brought in as an advertisement, but if you listen to what Pat, Asher, and Ted have been saying, HH was brought in to transform the locker room and the mentality as well.  If he can get that done, I don't care what they paid him.

This is just the same ol' Dynamo:

No, this is a different version of the Dynamo......They're just (currently) still terrible though. I'll tell you one thing that's the same: the team loves to create chances they can't finish.  Last year's Goal Efficiency: (Goals Scored - XG): -1.3 (8th worst).  Through the first two games this year: -1.3 (4th worst in the league).  In 2020: -11.6 (5th worst in the league).  Sebas has actually helped that, because he's a solid finisher.  Despite not scoring a single goal from open play in 2 games this year, they're mid-pack in xG (13th).  The Dynamo are 5th in the league in shots/90, but have yet to score a goal from open play in 180 minutes. Tate Schmitt, our backup LB who is starting while Brad Smith rehabs a knee injury, has as many shots (4) as our two strikers combined (Sebas - 2, Thor 2) and more shots on target (3/1). There is a disconnect between this team and it's strikers, and a lack of creativity inside the box and final third.  

"I'm sick of watching players leave and immediately get better":

There's maybe 1 guy you could make that case for.  No, Fafa hasn't gotten better.  I've watched every Nashville game and he's the same Fafa that played here (which was the same Fafa from Dallas and Philly by the way). He runs, he draws fouls, he had an assist, he did all of those things here too. He also still gets the ball taken from him inside the box.  Mattias Vera has yet to see the field for Argentinos Junior, Darwin Quintero has been pretty decent for America (2 goals, 4 assists in 6 games), Memo has had two very Memo games for LAG (and has 0 goals and 0 assists), and Lundy's barely made it off the bench for Austin.  Sam Junqua had 2 uneventful minutes for Frisco. They haven't gotten better, they just play for better teams.  

Tim Parker has actually played really well, a lot of that has to do with him being in a system with a good level of protection around him. He's got two really good defensive midfielders in front of him, and their two full-backs have been there covering his back.  He's also got really good chemistry so far with his partner Kyle Heibert.  St. Louis is a really good fit for him.  I liked all these guys and wish them well, but we also cant pretend like they are just beating the pants off MLS out there.

I'm actually sick of watching all these new teams win:

We all are.  HEY PAT!  HEY ASHER! Can we get a good team too?  MLS is like....handing them out like Halloween Candy.  Can we jump in on that?  Can we get a TAM starter pack, an extra international slot (because some idiot permanently traded one of ours away), and some really exciting young players?  

If the Dynamo don't make the playoffs, Pat Onstad needs to go:

He'll probably get fired.  They all have come out and said the goal is to make the playoffs.  They haven't exactly said it's Playoffs or bust,  but I think they're feeling the pressure.  My only problem with all of this is that I don't think I've ever seen a fanbase so ready to just fire every coach and GM that steps foot in Houston before they've even played a game.  I'm not saying give it time, but it's going to take time, no matter how impatient we are.

Other Notes:

I'm extremely jealous of the atmosphere in these new clubs:

St. Louis, Nashville, Charlotte, Austin, Atlanta, LAFC, and Cinci have built great atmospheres and fan bases.  It's honestly what soccer SHOULD be about.  In game atmosphere during games is what sets it apart from every other sport on the planet.  I'm hoping that we can rebuild this in Houston.  I never got to experience the Robertson Days, but it would be great to stand there singing and cheering with all of you.  I'd love to hear 20,000 strong singing 3 little birds more than just 15 minutes before kickoff.  We should sing it after every time the other team scores.  There's a million things I'd love to see done, but more than anything I just want to see a packed Shell Energy with rowdy and fun fans.

One thing we agree on:

If you're reading this, you love the Dynamo.  We also all hate Austin.  We need a win, let's show up, bring some friends, and get behind our guys.  They for sure need us. Let's show up, show out, and #BringTheNasty

Thanks again for reading:

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian

Houston Dynamo vs. N.E. Revolution: Time for Massive Overreaction.

 

All offseason I tried to temper it.  I tried to tell myself that despite all the moves, the talent influx that we were looking for just wasn't there.  But with every move,  every player added, and every new department or front office position created it started to grow: Hope.  There wasn't a lot, just a flicker.  It wasn't even hope that we'd be one of the best teams in the conference, just hope that we'd be better.  Match Day 1 against Cincinnati actually helped build that hope, as though even though we failed on the scoreline we were clearly the better team for long periods of that game.  Saturday was the type of game that crushed every bit of hope that had been seeded its way into my psyche in a mere flash.  When Dylan Borreo raced in to track down a low cross and sneak one past Steve Clark 40 minutes into the game, it not only felt like the game was over, it felt like the entire season was over.  The game had been fairly uneventful at that point, but the Dynamo had a couple of decent chances that they put right on the keeper.  "Oh.....Come.....ON!!!!" Could probably be heard three blocks away as I pounded my fist into my poor little Ikea coffee table that has taken too much punishment over Dynamo games, PS5 renditions of FIFA and War Thunder, and is much more durable than my belief in my beloved club at this point.  It took me a good day to think about what I wanted to write because at first reaction it was all hellfire and brimstone.  This post will be full of answering some of my own overreactions but also setting appropriate expectations.

It's time to set our sights higher:

When Ted Segal came in, my biggest hope wasn't in fancy stadium renovations, brand changes, or anything like that.  My hope was that we would have an MLS Organization that was the best in the league.  This team had no real scouting department, they had no fancy analytics department, their youth development was trash, and so was the product on the field.   You could see just from their MLS Super Draft picks over the last decade that they had no idea what they were doing, and from the vast majority of whiffs they had on foreign transfers (especially the cheap ones).  This offseason Ted Segal attempted to fix all of that, and with that should come real expectations.  Pat Onstad and Asher Mendelsohn have every tool and resource available to their disposal.  Now it's time to put it together.  No more swapping mediocre players for other mediocre players.  No more having a team of mismatched parts that don't fit. It's time to do the things that make great MLS teams.  Go get stars, go find a few gems, and develop a few of your own.  At each position find guys that will outwork their man.  Build a tuff, gritty, blue collar team that fights for 90 minutes and represents our city and our fanbase.  The tools are at your disposal, it's time for you to prove if you can use them.

This is the same ol' Dynamo:

It is, but it isn't.  Despite all the work this offseason, this team still has gaping holes.  The back line isn't good enough.  While it's probable that Ethan Bartlow will grow into a solid MLS defender, right now he still has work to do.  It was his mark that  back heeled it to wide open space after he allowed a free run to the near post on the first goal Saturday.  On goal #2 he was stuck in limbo as a low cross went right in front of him to a streaking Bobby Wood.  Hadebe is getting beat far too often, and our backs are still attrocious at defending.  Our midfield can control the game, but we can't get them the ball, and they have no one to play it to.  Ivan Franco has been good but has yet to make a scoring impact, Tate Schmitt has shown some good things going forward but struggles in defense, and Corey Baird has mostly been a ghost through 136 minutes. Neither of our strikers has seen much space or the ball, which is a testament to both their play and their teammates.  Right now our best offense is getting the ball to Coco or HH and have them break three lines with the ball at their feet. Steve Clark has been terrible, and with a save percentage of 44% you have to wonder if he can do this job anymore.  He didn't even attempt at the third goal on Saturday, and hasn't been able to stop shots effectively this year at all.  The even worse news on that front is that Andrew Tarbell has historically been a below average MLS keeper (to put it nicely). We knew that going in, and when we are prayerful that we did enough to possibly sneak in to the 9th spot that tells you that we didn't really do a lot.  Ivan Franco has looked good.  He's aggressive, has good skill, and isn't afraid to take people on.  Tate Schmitt has looked good coming up the left wing, but the right side of the attack has been non-existant.  

What's exceptionally frustrating to me is this isn't an inexperienced Head Coach that we are working through this with.  Ben Olsen should have answers.  He's the most experienced Coach the Dynamo have ever hired (he's got 28 games on Owen Coyle coming in).  He should have answers.  We were completely exposed against New England, and the game plan wasn't that complicated.  Flood the midfield, hit us deep down the wings, fire a low cross across the box.  They beat us on it three times, and we had no answer for them going forward.  Ben not only found a way to cover this tactical weakness, he made no adjustments to get the ball to his goal scorers for two weeks.  We have yet to score a goal from open play, and in both games our Strikers got shut down.  I also don't understand why you already bring Sebas off the bench.  It seems to me like early in the year with a team trying to gel you sit your best goal scorer to start the game.  

This isn't about a "team needing to gel", it's just not good enough.

Good teams produce.  While I wholeheartedly agree that it will take time for Franco, Bassi, Thor, and Sebas to click (I don't add Baird, because I don't consider him offensively relevant), producers produce.  One of them should have lucked their way into a goal by now.  Franco has had chances, but has been unable to finish off a play.  Our strikers are absent, and it's almost as if we are playing with ten at this point.  Even if they gel, is it going to be a playoff caliber team?  I'm still doubtful.  Maybe that's the cynic in me, but I just don't see it.

We aren't even building for the future:

While Coco and HH are our best two players, Juan Castilla and Brooklyn Raines need to play.  They should be getting sub minutes at a minimum and rotational minutes on occasion. The fact that the two have combined for 1 minute played on the season is ridiculous.   We've seen Corey Baird, he's not going to help us win.  Amine Bassi and Nelson Quinones need to be playing minutes there.  Bartlow and Dorsey are younger type players, and both are being given an opportunity, but both need to be better.  I'd actually like to see Micael in the near future.  This is a team that's not good enough, not building, just stuck in mediocre limbo.  At least we have HD2 season around the corner. 

This game is forcing overreaction:

It was because of HOW BAD this game was.  It was sloppy, it was disorganized, and it just looked bad.  We can make excuses about it: it was cold, New England is good, Bruce Arena is a legend.  But at the end of the day the scoreline makes this game look closer than it actually was.  My buddy Wade has a good handle on it:

Next Up:

Until then,

Thanks again for reading.

Remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange

Brian

Somethings old, somethings new: FC Cincinnati 2:1 Houston Dynamo

 

First Off

Nobody can deny that the presentation of MLS on AppleTV is gorgeous.  Besides the fact that for much of the first half it looked like we were wearing tiger stripes on my TV, the game was stunning.  All the content around the games is what this league has needed for decades, and I'm very glad AppleTV has made this happen. Being unable to hear Glenn Davis and Eddie Robinson call the game made my soul hurt, however.  This was one change I didn't want and don't like.  No disrespect to Calen Carr intended, he did a great job.  But Glenn is the voice of the Dynamo to me and always will be.

Enough about that....

Many of us have been eagerly anticipating the opening of the 2023 MLS Season.  This offseason was a season of change for Houston Dynamo F.C.  New Coach, new players, they changed up the front office, they changed up the stadium name.....they even changed up the seats!  They even (if you were paying attention) changed the club motto.  It's not #HoldItDown anymore.  I mean, with what we've seen in the past, we didn't really wanna hold that down anymore anyway.  Slightly, subtly, and probably accidentally, Ben Olsen changed the creed to weave a new mindset among players and fanatics.  #BringTheNasty has been our rallying cry leading up to this game, and will most likely be what we are yelling for every single night for the next 33 Match Days.  On a night that saw some things that looked all too familiar (inability to get Sebas involved, getting trapped in their own half for stretches, bad giveaways in bad spots), and some things that looked new (set pieces!) the game was a mixture of hope and despair that only #ForeverOrange faithful can understand.  The logical side of me says that FC Cincinatti scored two really difficult goals to beat us.  That their a playoff caliber team at home on the opening day of the season.  The #ForeverOrange fan in me says that this team is going to take that losing tradition of most of the last decade and #HoldItDown. Let's take a look at The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly from Match Day 1.

The Good:

Hector Herrera:

Hector played the full 90 minutes and led the Dynamo in....well...virtually everything. 112 touches, 74 passes completed, 13 passes completed into the final third, 12 Crosses into the box, 5 tackles+Int, he was dangerous on set pieces all night, and was all over the midfield.  HH was his usual self going forward: calm on the ball and pinging it all over the place.  He nearly found Ivan Franco on a low cross to level the score (34:50) and had several other dangerous passes into the box.  Placed a stunningly accurate ball on the corner that led to Schmitt's goal.  Defensively he was aggressive and active.  Hector was the highest rated player on the field by virtually every publication.  Was a solid start to the year by him.

The final 65 minutes:

The Dynamo dominated every statistical category over the final 65 minutes.  Even though they played to an even score, that had multiple chances to take a game against a very good opponent on the road. Possession: 65%-35%; Shots: 18-10, Corners won: 7-0; Key Passes: 11-4; Ground Challenges:57%-51%;  Passing Rate: 79%-68%.  While goals decide the outcomes of games, the stats back up what our eyes told us.  The Dynamo were more than equal to the task over much of the game. Although they could never get the second goal, they never stopped chasing it and had many opportunities they just couldn't bring home.   Sebastian Ferriera's only shot of the game (38th minute) was a point-blank left-footed volley that he just couldn't get on top of.  Coco had two tremendous chances, one he also got underneath, and another which took a really nice save by Roman Celentano to stop.  Thor had his first shot of the year come about a nanosecond after he checked in the game. A wide-open back post blast off a set piece just found the foot of an FCC defender and ended up with another corner. Ethan Bartlow had an absolute laser (85th minute) that was saved by Celentano. The Dynamo created tons of chances down the stretch, but as we've come accustomed to seeing, just couldn't find the back of the net.  

Set Piece/Corners

The Dynamo not only had plenty of them, but they also looked dangerous on them.  If anyone out there wonders why we needed HH at all, just watch our set pieces.  Not only is his ball placement and touch top-notch on corners, but his accuracy toward goal on spot kicks is tremendous.  The Dynamo have been abysmal on both of these for years, but yesterday they were much improved both in execution and tactics.

The Bad:

The opening 25 minutes:

The first 25 minutes of the game were rough.  Ben Olsen's crew didn't create a single chance, they were outplayed in virtually every area of the field, and couldn't get the ball across midfield for much of the time.  Due to Cincinnati sitting in a high block, the only available options for much of this time were either Artur (who played it back) or to try to bang a pass downfield to Sebas, Baird, or Franco (which was normally intercepted).  The few times they did break through the attack was too narrow, and nothing came out of it.  Cincinnati was by far the most dangerous team in the first 25 minutes.  Not only did Santos break open the scoring, 25 seconds later Brendan Vasquez almost go another one.  Santiago Arias had a really dangerous run behind not much later.  It wasn't until Coco finally broke through and got a left-footed shot on goal that the Dynamo finally began to figure things out.

Corey Baird:

Baird played 71 minutes and managed to do.......basically nothing.  He was 0/5 on challenges, 0/3 taking defenders on, 0 key passes, 0 Shot Creating Actions, 0 dangerous runs, 0 shots.  Baird had 33 touches on the game, lost 10 of them, and really only managed 1 cross that went directly to Matt Miazga's head.  That cross also happened in the first 10 minutes of the game.  Baird also managed to do nothing defensively, with 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, and the only challenge he went into was a sliding whiff that led to Álvaro Barreal chugging all alone down the left flank. Baird opened the second half with a tremendous chase down of a ball in behind (52:36), but instead of taking his man on decided to make an outside foot pass.....directly to his mark who had dropped off him.  After an encouraging end to last year, he had a very disappointing start to this one.

The inability to get Sebas involved.

35 touches, 2 in the box, 1 really dangerous shot that was blasted high.  That was the night for Sebas.  While the back 5 of Cinci did a good job bottling him up and taking his space away, the no one on the pitch could help him create any space either.  Just to put this in perspective, Ethan Bartlow (2) & Tate Schmitt (4) (two defenders) had more touches inside the attacking penalty area than Sebas did, and so did Thor (3) who only 13 minutes.  Granted, Ivan Franco took advantage of the attention that Sebas was drawing and took a team high 5 shots, but for much of the game Sebas was playing 1v3 with the Cinci backline. 

The Ugly:

The Give Aways.

The Dyanamo had some completely terrible mistakes in the passing game.  Franco Escobar had a terrible pass to Artur directly after Sergio Santos opened the scoring (19:53) that led to a Brandon Vasquez interception and a direct shot that went just wide and to the left.  

Teenage Hadebe (69th minute) had a pass that was picked off by Luciano Acosta which led to a flurry of shots directly in front of goal that the Dynamo back line somehow kept out.  While it was a giveaway, Hadebe put enough on the ball to complete it but Tate Schmitt didn't work back to the ball.  Acosta jumped it and found his way into the box only to have Clark settle it down.  The ball pinballed around for a bit before Barreal found the ball and put a shot directly to Clark. Ethan Bartlow had a lazy pass intercepted by Brandon Vansquez (74th minute) that also led directly to a shot.

It's very fortunate that none of these three led to a goal.  As much as we see that this game could have gone either way, it could have very easily been 4 or 5 to 1 as well. 

Finishing:

It's been the Dynamo's Achilles heel for years.  20 shots, 8 on target, 1 goal.  While Celentano had a good game (saved 7/8 shots), you've got to put more of these on target and more of these past the keeper.  

Final Thoughts:

While I'm not pressing the panic button just yet, there are some concerns.  The backline and midfield really struggled against the press at times, and for long stretches at that.  When they did get the ball to Coco or HH, they looked really dangerous going forward.  There were too many sloppy and lazy turnovers that led to really dangerous things going the other way.  It's hard to really tell how organized they were defensively because some of those turnovers came in areas where they had to scramble hard to recover.  Offensively we saw some of the same issues that have plagued this franchise for years: poor turnovers vs. the press, lack of creativity in the final third, and lack of clinical finishing. I know this is a work in progress and Match Day 1, but there's a corner of my brain that thinks that this team will be just a different version of what we've seen the last 2 years.  That being said, they fought to the final whistle and played with aggression and desperation from whistle to whistle.  

Next Up:

Hopefully Chris Penso doesn't ref this one........

Thank you soo much for reading. Until next time, remember to always #HoldItDown and stay #ForeverOrange,

Brian