More pre-season Dynamo chatter

Jamie Trecker has his MLS preview up. He likes the Dynamo apparently (who doesn't?), which leads me to the conclusion that they're doomed. He strays from his usual pulp in that he doesn't take a shot at Ching.

2006: 11-8-13 (46) 2nd in West, 2006 MLS Cup champions

In: M John Michael Hayden

Out: D/M Adrian Serioux

Coach Dominic Kinnear knows a good thing when he sees it, and he's left well enough alone with the three-time champs for the new season. The Dynamo are solid all over the field without being spectacular, and it works.

There are no surprises here: Ricardo Clark and Brad Davis drive the midfield; Brian Ching and Paul Dalglish are best when Dwayne De Rosario is on the field. Eddie Robinson and Brian Mullan are must-have guys. With some solid defense in Craig Waibel and the ageless Wade Barrett, along with the emergence of Zach Wells as a credible goalkeeper, this is a tough lineup to knock. The Dynamo aren't always pretty, but they play with a lot of confidence and pride.

The only hitch in the Dynamo's plans could come mid-summer, when some of these guys will be lost to Gold Cup and Copa America duties. Then, a lot of the load will fall on some untested shoulders, such as Hayden and Stuart Holden. We think they can handle it.

BOTTOM LINE: The Dynamo are just like Homer Simpson's favorite BBQ sauce: "Best In The West."

ESPN has its inaugural power rankings out. These mean abso-smurfly nothing before the first game is played. I would agree with its top 2 teams (but maybe would reverse them...)

1. DC United - Still not sold on the iffy "D", but that Latin attack simply rocks.

2. Houston - League's strongest defense should run the West.

ESPN also has an MLS preview that has this nifty line in it: Houston, whose logo ought to accompany the word "persistence" in the dictionary, will not cede its title without a fight.

USA Today has its team by team summary. Dynamo goes like this:

Regular season: 11-8-13, second

Playoffs: MLS Cup 2006 champion, beat New England on PKs.

Major moves: Draft picks in, M Adrian Serioux out. That's it, at least in terms of anyone who played significant minutes last year.

Top draft pick: M John Michael Hayden (Indiana), No. 13.

Best case: Winning carries over from last fall, rookies pitch in while a couple of players are on international duty and the Dynamo repeat.

Worst case: The rest of the league improves while the defending champs stand pat with a team that barely won a third of its regular-season games before rolling through the playoffs.

The US Soccer website has a Eastern Conference preview by Sacha Kljestan (of the Western Conference Chivas USA) and a Western Conference preview by Chris Rolfe (of the Eastern Conference Chicago). Rolfe picks LA and Chivas ahead of Houston, the Philistine. He must crave a movie career in LA:

Chris Rolfe’s Western Conference Picks

3. Houston Dynamo

While I know a lot of people are picking Houston maybe to finish one or two, I think with their long preseason they might peak a bit too soon. They’re still going to be one of the best teams in the league, but playing those games in the Confederations’ Cup just might come back to haunt them, at least in the regular season. By the playoffs, I wouldn’t be betting against them to be back in the MLS Cup. Look for Ching, De Rosario and the rest to have a bit of an up-and-down season early, but then turn it on when it matters most.