I still believe

As I was traveling through America's heartland, I was unable to see the Dynamo-DC United match this past weekend. I did read the various synopses of the game, as well as Glenn's take, but I can't comment on the match with any specificity.

It does look like Dynamo acquitted themselves quite well, particularly in the second half, but still are having trouble getting the goals they need. DeRo misses a PK (argh!), but creates a goal to end the D-H scoring drought, but not our winless streak. (Here's a link to all Week 8 goals, including DDR's.)

Glenn Davis reiterates his claim that our troubles stem from conceding the first goal, then being unable to pry open the bunker teams fall into when protecting their lead. I agree with Glenn that chasing the game is always difficult (the only time we've succeeded this season was on Colorado's big pitch), but that's not the whole story of course. I wish I could say what the "whole story" is, but I think it's really just a combination of individuals being off their game (DDR at first, Ching later, the wingers intermittently), difficulty with the newbies (Ngwenya, who could have introduced himself to his new city and turned around our fortunes by taking advantage of some of his 1-v-GK opportunities), poor set-pieces, and bad luck. After the early collection of poor showings, the team has played solidly as a unit, so despite some individual blunders, there seems to be no systematic problem.

So what's the solution?

Some denizens of the Internet state that Dynamo need to spend money on a Designated Player because we need a bigtime striker that can finish what the team hath wrought in the first two-thirds of the field. Others say that Dynamo has stayed the same while the league has improved.

I don't buy either observation. Dynamo are not being played off the field -- in fact, we've looked to be the better team in every match since the RBNY match. Defensively we're solid. Offensively, we're possessing the ball well and creating chances. We have top quality in every position; we don't need new blood (the only exception being perhaps the #2 striker). The team only needs to work on bolstering their confidence, improving their free kicks, and becoming a little hungrier (even reckless) in the penalty box. Practicing set-pieces, in-box finishing, and long-distance strikes would help, but this is no secret -- Dom is already taking these necessary steps -- nor is there anything magical in the recipe. The team needs to continue working on these areas to refine their skills and (perhaps more importantly) improve their confidence so they don't waste time second-guessing themselves come game time. They have the skills, they just need to get their heads into the "zone" when under game pressure. (More of that Zen stuff I keep mentioning.) After the successes come, the confidence will return and we'll be back to our old winning ways.

Thankfully, our slump coincides with a lack of results throughout the Western Conference, so we're still in the fight even in the midst of our doldrums. Furthermore, 4 of our next 6 matches are against Western Conference opponents, giving us ample opportunity to gain ground. Hopefully the tide turns this weekend against our rivals of the I-45 corridor. I can't think of a better time to do it.

Two observations from the midwest:

• I saw no sign of the Wizards while I was in KC. The team was in New England this past weekend, and there was no other visible proof that the city had a professional soccer team. My in-town relatives were only casually aware that there was a team in town.
• As I was driving in Southern Oklahoma, I was passed by a 90s-era jalopy that had an FC Dallas sticker on its rear window. It seems FCD has some presence at least.