What a dominating performance the Dynamo had in Frisco today. A 3-0 domination that left FCD with only 1 shot on goal. (Game guide -- Game Recap.)
The old D-Ro we know and love returned. He was the prime generator in the midfield, but also on the finishing end with a rocket to the near post in first half injury time, and another rocket from distance that was deflected by Sala...and those were just two of many.
Ching was doing his usual holding play and possession dribbling to make the insightful passes that make things happen. He got credit for the assist on Holden's goal of course (in the 84th), but my ultra-slow replays show that his head slightly deflected the ball on Mulrooney's corner kick, thus pushing the ball away from Sala's reach and getting the ball to E-Rob for the second goal in the 62nd minute.
As for the Defense? What can you say? Dominating. FCD's threats were few and far between.
Heck, I'm so happy I won't even mention Jaqua's horrendous finishing!
We've got 14 wins and 48 points, tied for first in the Western Conference (tied for 3rd overall). This is a good thing, because while the Supporters' Shield may be out of our reach (realistically, though not mathematically), we need the points to keep us in the top 4, which gets us into next year's SuperLiga. Then we can start worrying about the MLS Cup, which gets us the accolades and the invite to the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
As for the elephant in the room, I couldn't believe when I saw the usually cool Clark go ballistic on Ruiz at the end of the game. He'll get a sure match ban and fine after that violent act. In the replays, I couldn't see Ruiz do anything except jump for the ball then succumb to gravity and land on Clark. Then, using the ultra-slow replay of my DVR, I saw El Pescadito focused completely on Clark (not the ball) as he ran, then he jabbed Clark in the ribs (or sucker punched him in the kidney), and only then did Ruiz focus on the ball and jump for it over Clark's crumpled body. Clark was clearly incensed and kicked Ruiz in the arm, which of course caused the Lying, Cheating Guatemalan to grab his head and writhe in pain. Clark's violence was completely out of line and could have cost his team the clean sheet; however, had he not exploded (but couldn't he have done so less violently?), Ruiz's cheating would not have been recognized. Ruiz is a known cheater, and is incorrigible in his behavior, bringing disrepute to the game every time he is on the field. Clark should be banned for 2-4 matches, but Ruiz should be banned from the MLS. His cheating is pervasive, violent, cynical, and we only see a small fraction of the infractions that he attempts out on the pitch. No team with any values would support him or his manner of play...and I hope the MLS is composed entirely of teams with such caliber and ethics.
Thankfully, we got the 3 points and the clean sheet. We're closer to achieving our goal of being in the top 4 of the standings. Our defense has proven so stellar this year: we can allow up to 2 goals a game for our final 3 games and still set the record for goals conceded in a season and goals per game conceded in a season. If we can do this AND get 9 points out of our remaining games, life will be good...
...until the MLS postseason starts -- then we'll have a whole new set of goals we'll want to accomplish.
Go Dynamo!
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