Tonight the US met Venezuela. This could perhaps be considered the US "B" squad, but they played with passion. They controlled the tempo, as with the match vs Morocco earlier this week, but they were also dangerous in the box.
Ching had an outstanding game. Yes, he scored the game winner in the 36th minute with a flying kick off a cross by Bobby Convey, but he also had outstanding header flicks, he held the ball well with his back to goal while making smart passes, even had some good dribbling runs. His effort wasn't saved for just the box either; he was active back in the halfway line to win the ball and start some of our attacks. His was one of the more prominent names called by the announcers.
In addition to his goal, he had an excellent shot just moments before the goal (after an awesome spin around the defender), had a great opportunity in the opening minutes of the game, had a shot saved around the 54th minute (in an attack that he started with a pass to Dempsey), and got his head on the ball off a set piece from Donovan towards the end of the game.
The only true error I saw from Ching was that he tried to drive the ball into the box during stoppage time rather than holding up the ball and running out the clock. Minor, I know.
Bruce Arena had this to say about Ching after the match: "He got a goal and did a good job working for 90 minutes. He did a good job holding the ball and drew some fouls, things our forwards have to do on a consistent basis, so it was good to see. I thought, to be honest, the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game tonight were shaky and then, once he got into it, he played well. Once he scored the goal, he played well."
I actually saw some good stuff from Ching within the first 5 minutes, but I'm no Arena.
Wanna know what's up with Ching? Check out his blog: http://blogs.chron.com/brianching/
Ching scores vs Ghana in the World Cup. You heard it here first.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
The Good (Dynamo), The Bad (Fahr), and The Ugly (Result)
It was a good news / bad news day Saturday.
Good news: DeRo returned and played a full 90, showing some of his crafty play.
Bad news: Thiago played a full 90, and showed his crafty play by netting a goal...as well as desperately blocking several of our shots.
Good news: Dynamo won the possession game, had more than twice the number of shots as the Fire, and played some exciting soccer.
Bad news: Dynamo scored zero goals, exactly one less than the Fire.
Good news: The Dynamo defense stepped up, limiting the Fire to one shot on goal in the first half and one in the second.
Bad news: Only one of the two shots on goal were saved.
The pedestrian Chicago Fire somehow continued their unbeaten run in six games on their opening road trip odyssey before Bridgeview is completed. Early in the second half, Thiago the Brazilian channeled DeRo and drove from the halfway line, through our defense, nutmegging Eddie Robinson on his merry way, and made what looked like an effortless shot from just outside the penalty area, eluding Onstad’s outstretched hands. I had glanced down to deal with a hotdog issue my son was having and looked up just in time to see Thiago’s shot. I caught his implausible run on the replays.
Dynamo played a strong game overall, especially in the midfield. In the first half, Houston midfielder Ricardo Clark fought hard in the box and created a shot to the inside post that Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton saved.
Moments after the second half began, I was in the bathroom with my son. But I heard that DeRo made one of his blistering runs into the Chicago box and fired into the side net...then Brad Davis had a great shot that was blocked by a sliding Thiago.
With a little over a minute to play in the game, Moreno managed to fight through a beleaguered defender who was holding the ball up on the penalty spot. Winning the ball, Moreno shot the ball past a motionless Thornton and into the net...but the ref ruled that Moreno had shoved the defender and gave the Fire a free kick instead. In stoppage time, Dynamo won a corner. Onstad moved to the halfway line and everyone else was in the box. A series of shots ensued (including substitute Kelly Gray header that banged off the crossbar), but Houston remained unlucky.
Dominic Kinnear rarely makes substitutes, but he used all three of his substitutes in this game. Was this due to the heat, or is it a commentary on the quality of our play? In the 77th minute he replaced Cerritos with newcomer, Julian Nash, and also pulled Ryan Cochrane (who started in place of injured Serioux) for Kevin Goldthwaite. I think both of these changes came due to performance: Cerritos was not creating opportunities up front and Cochrane had lost us several possessions (kicking the ball into touch) even when we weren’t under pressure. Or, Kinnear may have thought Goldthwaite was a more attack-minded defender than Cochrane. In the 86th minute, Waibel was pulled for Kelly Gray. This may have been due to the heat.
The day was hot -- in the upper 80s -- but there was a cool breeze that we spectators could at least enjoy. It was still hot for a 90 minute track meet. The 3 o’clock kick off was dictated by the programming schedule of ESPN2. It would have been nice if we could have provided a better show for the national audience.
Next up, the always tough (except this past Saturday) New England Revolution in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Should be a very tough game, but an exciting one.
Good news: DeRo returned and played a full 90, showing some of his crafty play.
Bad news: Thiago played a full 90, and showed his crafty play by netting a goal...as well as desperately blocking several of our shots.
Good news: Dynamo won the possession game, had more than twice the number of shots as the Fire, and played some exciting soccer.
Bad news: Dynamo scored zero goals, exactly one less than the Fire.
Good news: The Dynamo defense stepped up, limiting the Fire to one shot on goal in the first half and one in the second.
Bad news: Only one of the two shots on goal were saved.
The pedestrian Chicago Fire somehow continued their unbeaten run in six games on their opening road trip odyssey before Bridgeview is completed. Early in the second half, Thiago the Brazilian channeled DeRo and drove from the halfway line, through our defense, nutmegging Eddie Robinson on his merry way, and made what looked like an effortless shot from just outside the penalty area, eluding Onstad’s outstretched hands. I had glanced down to deal with a hotdog issue my son was having and looked up just in time to see Thiago’s shot. I caught his implausible run on the replays.
Dynamo played a strong game overall, especially in the midfield. In the first half, Houston midfielder Ricardo Clark fought hard in the box and created a shot to the inside post that Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton saved.
Moments after the second half began, I was in the bathroom with my son. But I heard that DeRo made one of his blistering runs into the Chicago box and fired into the side net...then Brad Davis had a great shot that was blocked by a sliding Thiago.
With a little over a minute to play in the game, Moreno managed to fight through a beleaguered defender who was holding the ball up on the penalty spot. Winning the ball, Moreno shot the ball past a motionless Thornton and into the net...but the ref ruled that Moreno had shoved the defender and gave the Fire a free kick instead. In stoppage time, Dynamo won a corner. Onstad moved to the halfway line and everyone else was in the box. A series of shots ensued (including substitute Kelly Gray header that banged off the crossbar), but Houston remained unlucky.
Dominic Kinnear rarely makes substitutes, but he used all three of his substitutes in this game. Was this due to the heat, or is it a commentary on the quality of our play? In the 77th minute he replaced Cerritos with newcomer, Julian Nash, and also pulled Ryan Cochrane (who started in place of injured Serioux) for Kevin Goldthwaite. I think both of these changes came due to performance: Cerritos was not creating opportunities up front and Cochrane had lost us several possessions (kicking the ball into touch) even when we weren’t under pressure. Or, Kinnear may have thought Goldthwaite was a more attack-minded defender than Cochrane. In the 86th minute, Waibel was pulled for Kelly Gray. This may have been due to the heat.
The day was hot -- in the upper 80s -- but there was a cool breeze that we spectators could at least enjoy. It was still hot for a 90 minute track meet. The 3 o’clock kick off was dictated by the programming schedule of ESPN2. It would have been nice if we could have provided a better show for the national audience.
Next up, the always tough (except this past Saturday) New England Revolution in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Should be a very tough game, but an exciting one.
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Fahr Comes to Town
Dynamo hosts the Chicago Fire for the first time ever. The Fire are on their loooong road trip through the first part of the season as they await the completion of their state-of-the-art stadium, Bridgeview, to be built. (Six of their nine opening road games are in the books.) Bridgeview looks to be a wonderful venue, but in the meantime Dynamo's own Robertson Stadium must prove inhospitable to the Fire -- or, as we like to say in Texas, the Fahr.
The Fire are a talented team, but they aren't a particularly dynamic team. They maintain a modest 1-1-4 record. Losing hasn't been a problem thus far, but winning hasn't proven very popular either.
The solid (and hulking) Zach Thornton is in goal. I'm interested to see the Brazilian midfielder, Thiago. (His nom de guerre is a mononym, just like all Brazilian footballers.) His stats aren't all that impressive thus far, but he is full of promise and creativity. Two young Americans who should one day become regulars for the USMNT are midfielder Justin Mapp and finisher Chris Rolfe. I believe we will see at least one of these young fellas in South Africa in 2010.
Serioux is out for Houston and DeRo is likely to sit out to rest his ankle one more week. Will we see Brad Davis fill the hole in the middle? That would push Wade Barrett up on the left and give Goldthwaite another start in the back. It's time for the Dynamo to show they are more than two talented individuals, and I believe they will.
We need better finishing this week than we saw last week with FCDallas. Cerritos, let's see your former flame rekindled -- we've yet to see it since you've become a Houstonian. If we can net some goals, the defense can take care of its responsibilities and we can extinguish this Fahr.
The Fire are a talented team, but they aren't a particularly dynamic team. They maintain a modest 1-1-4 record. Losing hasn't been a problem thus far, but winning hasn't proven very popular either.
The solid (and hulking) Zach Thornton is in goal. I'm interested to see the Brazilian midfielder, Thiago. (His nom de guerre is a mononym, just like all Brazilian footballers.) His stats aren't all that impressive thus far, but he is full of promise and creativity. Two young Americans who should one day become regulars for the USMNT are midfielder Justin Mapp and finisher Chris Rolfe. I believe we will see at least one of these young fellas in South Africa in 2010.
Serioux is out for Houston and DeRo is likely to sit out to rest his ankle one more week. Will we see Brad Davis fill the hole in the middle? That would push Wade Barrett up on the left and give Goldthwaite another start in the back. It's time for the Dynamo to show they are more than two talented individuals, and I believe they will.
We need better finishing this week than we saw last week with FCDallas. Cerritos, let's see your former flame rekindled -- we've yet to see it since you've become a Houstonian. If we can net some goals, the defense can take care of its responsibilities and we can extinguish this Fahr.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Soccer Denied
The Champions League Final last night saw a good match up between two top notch teams: Arsenal and Barcelona. This was the best of matches pitting the best of teams -- only it wasn’t.
You see, the game should have been about the most important 22 people on the field: the players. Unfortunately, the one person who should have been invisible decided to make his presence known, and the soccer match stopped being the classic soccer match it could have been.
The referee decided to send off Arsenal goalie (Lehmann, who will start for Germany in the World Cup) in the 18th minute. Lehmann tripped Eto’o just outside the box, but the ball continued forward as a pass that was netted by Barcelona. Had the ref decided to call the Advantage and let play continue, Lehmann would not have denied Barcelona the goal-scoring opportunity through his actions. Instead the ref blew the whistle, which meant he had to send off the goalie.
Barcelona missed the ensuing free kick and we missed seeing a beautiful, competitive game after that.
The gaffes continued. Towards the end of the half, Arsenal overcame the odds and took the lead, but only after a free kick was awarded for a diving non-foul. Late in the second half Barcelona scored from what looked like an offside position.
If Barcelona had been allowed the goal in the 18th minute and the GK hadn’t been sent off, we’d have had a 1-0 game with two evenly matched teams involved. Instead, we saw an 11-man team unable to score until its short-handed opponent (with its backup GK) was too worn down to offer enough resistance. It wasn't soccer; it was a war of attrition. Then, after Barca was able to net a second goal on the exhausted team (due to a gaffe by the backup keeper, who had done admirably to that point), all pretense of soccer was abandoned and we saw a final 13 minutes (with stoppage time) of keep-away.
The match could have been so good. Did the better team win? We’ll never know.
You see, the game should have been about the most important 22 people on the field: the players. Unfortunately, the one person who should have been invisible decided to make his presence known, and the soccer match stopped being the classic soccer match it could have been.
The referee decided to send off Arsenal goalie (Lehmann, who will start for Germany in the World Cup) in the 18th minute. Lehmann tripped Eto’o just outside the box, but the ball continued forward as a pass that was netted by Barcelona. Had the ref decided to call the Advantage and let play continue, Lehmann would not have denied Barcelona the goal-scoring opportunity through his actions. Instead the ref blew the whistle, which meant he had to send off the goalie.
Barcelona missed the ensuing free kick and we missed seeing a beautiful, competitive game after that.
The gaffes continued. Towards the end of the half, Arsenal overcame the odds and took the lead, but only after a free kick was awarded for a diving non-foul. Late in the second half Barcelona scored from what looked like an offside position.
If Barcelona had been allowed the goal in the 18th minute and the GK hadn’t been sent off, we’d have had a 1-0 game with two evenly matched teams involved. Instead, we saw an 11-man team unable to score until its short-handed opponent (with its backup GK) was too worn down to offer enough resistance. It wasn't soccer; it was a war of attrition. Then, after Barca was able to net a second goal on the exhausted team (due to a gaffe by the backup keeper, who had done admirably to that point), all pretense of soccer was abandoned and we saw a final 13 minutes (with stoppage time) of keep-away.
The match could have been so good. Did the better team win? We’ll never know.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Tie vs the Fakin' Cheatin' Divers (Part 2 of 4)
Dynamo trekked to Frisco and I for one am happy with the draw they managed.
I am not happy with DeRo looking injured...nor Serioux. If DeRo is out, Dynamo will not be the same team.
The Fakin' Cheatin' Divers did it again. After pulling Serioux's hair last week and giving Barrett a black eye, all the while flopping about like they deserved a free kick, the FCDs repeated their tactics this week.
The goal the FCDs got started by a giveaway by Serioux, then Serioux was beaten on the flank for a cross and a potentially offside Ruiz managed to get to the ball and plop it into the net. Serioux is an awesome player, but he seems to get beat alot defensively. Maybe he should be more of a midfielder.
Dynamo played much better defensively this week, and their midfield possession play was nearly flawless. Their weakness this week was in the attacking third -- or, more precisely, in the box. Clark had some nice shots, as did Mullan. Moreno and Cerittos seemed to be slow on the reflex or out of position when the ball fell to them in the box. Moreno should have done more with the rebound that fell to him in the first half, and with an open net facing them, why wasn't there a Dynamo player near the penalty spot for Mullan's cutback pass in the closing minutes? That would have been an easy tally and would have given Dynamo the full three points.
The goal we did get was unlucky for Dallas (own goal by Goodson), but Dynamo deserved at least a point for its dominance of the possession and its smart midfield play. We should have finished out the other opportunities ourselves (without own-goal support) in order to really capitalize on our great play elsewhere on the field.
Big kudos to Kinnear for speaking his mind in his interview during the first half. He called out Ruiz for what he is (a diver and a cheater) and vented at the officials' (plural, because it's not just the refs in this game) indifference to Ruiz's style of play. Kinnear was able to make Wynalda speechless, which is hard to do. Bully for Dominic!
Speaking of Wynalda, he is always opinionated and arrogant, but he's rarely uninformed. Yet in this game he seemed very uninformed about Dynamo. He called Eddie Robinson "Eddie Johnson;" he mentioned that subs like Moreno have to be ready to come off the bench and work up front with Ching (Moreno has started every game except for the one in which he had a red card, and he certainly couldn't sub then); and both announcers seemed confused as to what the positions would be after Cochrane came in for DeRo. Cochrane's a defender, which would push up Serioux who is more of a midfielder...and the formation would be much like the DC United game which was played without the red-carded DeRo. And Wynalda's partner -- Rob Stone -- called Houston "San Jose" on at least one occasion. I expect these sort of gaffes out of local announcers, but not the high-paid national coverage team.
Finally: Heal up DeRo. We need you.
I am not happy with DeRo looking injured...nor Serioux. If DeRo is out, Dynamo will not be the same team.
The Fakin' Cheatin' Divers did it again. After pulling Serioux's hair last week and giving Barrett a black eye, all the while flopping about like they deserved a free kick, the FCDs repeated their tactics this week.
The goal the FCDs got started by a giveaway by Serioux, then Serioux was beaten on the flank for a cross and a potentially offside Ruiz managed to get to the ball and plop it into the net. Serioux is an awesome player, but he seems to get beat alot defensively. Maybe he should be more of a midfielder.
Dynamo played much better defensively this week, and their midfield possession play was nearly flawless. Their weakness this week was in the attacking third -- or, more precisely, in the box. Clark had some nice shots, as did Mullan. Moreno and Cerittos seemed to be slow on the reflex or out of position when the ball fell to them in the box. Moreno should have done more with the rebound that fell to him in the first half, and with an open net facing them, why wasn't there a Dynamo player near the penalty spot for Mullan's cutback pass in the closing minutes? That would have been an easy tally and would have given Dynamo the full three points.
The goal we did get was unlucky for Dallas (own goal by Goodson), but Dynamo deserved at least a point for its dominance of the possession and its smart midfield play. We should have finished out the other opportunities ourselves (without own-goal support) in order to really capitalize on our great play elsewhere on the field.
Big kudos to Kinnear for speaking his mind in his interview during the first half. He called out Ruiz for what he is (a diver and a cheater) and vented at the officials' (plural, because it's not just the refs in this game) indifference to Ruiz's style of play. Kinnear was able to make Wynalda speechless, which is hard to do. Bully for Dominic!
Speaking of Wynalda, he is always opinionated and arrogant, but he's rarely uninformed. Yet in this game he seemed very uninformed about Dynamo. He called Eddie Robinson "Eddie Johnson;" he mentioned that subs like Moreno have to be ready to come off the bench and work up front with Ching (Moreno has started every game except for the one in which he had a red card, and he certainly couldn't sub then); and both announcers seemed confused as to what the positions would be after Cochrane came in for DeRo. Cochrane's a defender, which would push up Serioux who is more of a midfielder...and the formation would be much like the DC United game which was played without the red-carded DeRo. And Wynalda's partner -- Rob Stone -- called Houston "San Jose" on at least one occasion. I expect these sort of gaffes out of local announcers, but not the high-paid national coverage team.
Finally: Heal up DeRo. We need you.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Big D going to Big D (same week, same teams, different venue)
Tomorrow, Dynamo makes the trek to Dallas -- er, Frisco -- to play FCD (Fakin' Cheatin' Divers). Didn't we just do this last weekend?
Last weekend's game was everything a rivalry should be: lots of goals, lots of crowd noise, and the good guys won. The FCD supporters had a good representation, but were awfully silent that first half for some reason...perhaps because they were down 3-0 and had had only one good shot on goal (by the Chief Faker Cheater Diver: Ruiz). Things got a little more interesting in the second half, with Ruiz picking up the trash for one goal and an unmarked Nunez heading a goal in amidst a sea of ball-watching defenders, but the final result was as it should be.
Funny story from the game: a woman was walking around in a bodysuit with organs painted all over her body. (She was promoting some center or museum or something.) As she passed by our section, she went into a cheerleader pose and shouted "Come on Dynamo!" We were speechless, staring at her "organs." So she responded "Oh you must be Dallas fans." Then she turned, pointed to her butt and said, "Dall-ass." She repeated that a few more times for the slow-to-catch on, then was on her merry way.
***
This time around, we're heading to Frisco without Brian Ching. Everyone suspects that the front pair will be Cerritos and Moreno, but I wouldn't be surprised if DeRo moved up. The line-up could look like:
F: DeRo, Moreno
M: Davis, Clark, Serioux, Mullan
D: Barrett, Robinson, Cochrane, Waibel
G: Onstad
We'll see. Here's hoping that (1) we can keep our scoring streak going, and (2) we don't have the occasional yet costly lapses in the defensive third.
Last weekend's game was everything a rivalry should be: lots of goals, lots of crowd noise, and the good guys won. The FCD supporters had a good representation, but were awfully silent that first half for some reason...perhaps because they were down 3-0 and had had only one good shot on goal (by the Chief Faker Cheater Diver: Ruiz). Things got a little more interesting in the second half, with Ruiz picking up the trash for one goal and an unmarked Nunez heading a goal in amidst a sea of ball-watching defenders, but the final result was as it should be.
Funny story from the game: a woman was walking around in a bodysuit with organs painted all over her body. (She was promoting some center or museum or something.) As she passed by our section, she went into a cheerleader pose and shouted "Come on Dynamo!" We were speechless, staring at her "organs." So she responded "Oh you must be Dallas fans." Then she turned, pointed to her butt and said, "Dall-ass." She repeated that a few more times for the slow-to-catch on, then was on her merry way.
***
This time around, we're heading to Frisco without Brian Ching. Everyone suspects that the front pair will be Cerritos and Moreno, but I wouldn't be surprised if DeRo moved up. The line-up could look like:
F: DeRo, Moreno
M: Davis, Clark, Serioux, Mullan
D: Barrett, Robinson, Cochrane, Waibel
G: Onstad
We'll see. Here's hoping that (1) we can keep our scoring streak going, and (2) we don't have the occasional yet costly lapses in the defensive third.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Accolades for Dynamo
After just the first month of its existence, Dynamo has the lead in the conference, Dynamo fans have been recognized for their passion, and the players have been showered with praise and accolades.
Ching -- who now is probably on his way to Cary, NC, to begin training with the UNMNT for the World Cup finals -- was named MLS Player of the Month of April. He leads the MLS with 7 goals (next best has 4) and is the only player to notch a hat trick this season.
DeRo, who had an outstanding game overall vs. FC Dallas, has been named MLS Player of the Week. He scored two vs the Hoops and is tied with Ching to lead the league with 2 game winning goals.
DeRo's and Ricardo Clark's finishes from the Hoops game are also up for Goal of the Week. I think DeRo's second goal -- rather than his first -- should be the nominee.
Now lets see if we can get some highlight-worthy footage from our defense...
Ching -- who now is probably on his way to Cary, NC, to begin training with the UNMNT for the World Cup finals -- was named MLS Player of the Month of April. He leads the MLS with 7 goals (next best has 4) and is the only player to notch a hat trick this season.
DeRo, who had an outstanding game overall vs. FC Dallas, has been named MLS Player of the Week. He scored two vs the Hoops and is tied with Ching to lead the league with 2 game winning goals.
DeRo's and Ricardo Clark's finishes from the Hoops game are also up for Goal of the Week. I think DeRo's second goal -- rather than his first -- should be the nominee.
Now lets see if we can get some highlight-worthy footage from our defense...
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Victory over Da Hoops (Part 1 of 4)
My son and I sat behind the south goal tonight where all but one of tonight's goals went in. During the first half, it was a great time down south...except we were too near the FC supporters. Ruiz almost got the scoring started early after he beat Serioux, but Onstad was able to make the save. Clark, Ching, and DeRo each got a goal that first half. Clark's shot was from distance -- it was great seeing him finally pull the trigger. Davis should have started the scoring when he had a good 1v1 with the GK, but sent his shot just right of the post (just left from our angle). The Hoops were quieted and sulked into their locker room at the half.
Second half...ugh. The FC supporters began by throwing streamers onto our goal. Around the 60th minute, Onstad made a great initial save off a header from a free kick, unfortunately he deflected the ball towards Ruiz who was able to beat Serioux to the ball and pick up the trash. A minute later, Serioux got beat by Mina on the flank. Mina won the goal line and crossed the ball, and everybody was ball watching and missed Ramon Nunez, who headed the ball in for a goal.
At that point I said to my son, "We're bad luck for this goal, let's move to the other goal." Even though he's 12, he said that I was just being superstitious and, besides, "We're good luck for this goal, just not for anyone defending it." Before I could come up with a good retort, DeRo had proven he doesn't need luck, and he made an incredible finish in the north goal. Dribbling the ball into the penalty box, he tried to juke the 'keeper, who managed to get a hand on the ball. DeRo -- with his back to the goal and at an impossible angle -- managed to curve the ball just inside the far post to put Dynamo up by two: 4-2.
FC Dallas managed to get another tally -- again from a free kick, this time from Ronnie O'Brien. This led to about 15 scary minutes, but the Orange was able to hold on and win the first of the Texas shootouts, 4-3.
Defense -- and I don't blame Onstad one bit -- let us down in the second half. We needed every goal we got. The game had turned DeRo-scare-io at the hour mark.
Do we really have to repeat this in Frisco next week? (And without Ching?)
Second half...ugh. The FC supporters began by throwing streamers onto our goal. Around the 60th minute, Onstad made a great initial save off a header from a free kick, unfortunately he deflected the ball towards Ruiz who was able to beat Serioux to the ball and pick up the trash. A minute later, Serioux got beat by Mina on the flank. Mina won the goal line and crossed the ball, and everybody was ball watching and missed Ramon Nunez, who headed the ball in for a goal.
At that point I said to my son, "We're bad luck for this goal, let's move to the other goal." Even though he's 12, he said that I was just being superstitious and, besides, "We're good luck for this goal, just not for anyone defending it." Before I could come up with a good retort, DeRo had proven he doesn't need luck, and he made an incredible finish in the north goal. Dribbling the ball into the penalty box, he tried to juke the 'keeper, who managed to get a hand on the ball. DeRo -- with his back to the goal and at an impossible angle -- managed to curve the ball just inside the far post to put Dynamo up by two: 4-2.
FC Dallas managed to get another tally -- again from a free kick, this time from Ronnie O'Brien. This led to about 15 scary minutes, but the Orange was able to hold on and win the first of the Texas shootouts, 4-3.
Defense -- and I don't blame Onstad one bit -- let us down in the second half. We needed every goal we got. The game had turned DeRo-scare-io at the hour mark.
Do we really have to repeat this in Frisco next week? (And without Ching?)
Friday, May 05, 2006
Ching, on the Houston Fans
There's a good article on ESPN about Brian Ching. Ching has some good things to say about the Dynamo fans:
At one point, Ching was concerned that the difficulty of settling into a new life in Houston would impede the on-field performance of his team. The welcome the Dynamo players received allayed those concerns.
"It's fantastic," declared Ching. "It's better than any one of us could have imagined as far as the amount of media attention and fan support we're getting. Our field is fantastic. Those things have really helped us as a team feel comfortable really quickly. We're enjoying the transition. A lot of us are glad that we moved to Houston."
With his eagerness to please his new city as motivation, Ching ushered in the franchise's debut with a bang. He scored four goals in an impressive 5-2 Dynamo victory.
"I was just excited to get off to a good start here -- with the fans and the city of Houston," Ching insisted.
At one point, Ching was concerned that the difficulty of settling into a new life in Houston would impede the on-field performance of his team. The welcome the Dynamo players received allayed those concerns.
"It's fantastic," declared Ching. "It's better than any one of us could have imagined as far as the amount of media attention and fan support we're getting. Our field is fantastic. Those things have really helped us as a team feel comfortable really quickly. We're enjoying the transition. A lot of us are glad that we moved to Houston."
With his eagerness to please his new city as motivation, Ching ushered in the franchise's debut with a bang. He scored four goals in an impressive 5-2 Dynamo victory.
"I was just excited to get off to a good start here -- with the fans and the city of Houston," Ching insisted.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Ching is Going to Deutschland
Ching's recent form (and probably his ability to work well with Donovan) got him on the 23-man USMNT heading to the World Cup in Germany. His selection surprised many soccer pundits. I, too, thought Twellman would be selected, not because Twellman deserved to go over Ching, but because Arena seemed to be comfortable with Twellman...even though Twellman really hasn't proven himself internationally. The fact that his NE teammates (Noonan and Ralston) won't be going due to injury probably put him behind Ching since both forwards rely on good service to score, and Ching has a better rapport with the "servers" who are going to Germany.
Mark Connolly has an interesting piece on mlsnet.com. Like the other pundits, he thought that Twellman would go over Ching (and probably that Twellman should go over Ching), but it's a good piece nonetheless. Here's an excerpt:
Personally, I'm surprised to see Ching on the roster over Twellman. When you sat down and put up the pros and cons for both players, the columns are probably pretty equal. I just got the idea that when Arena envisioned looking down the bench in the middle of a tie match and needed to insert a player into the game to get him a goal, he'd want Twellman over Ching. Maybe that would have been the case back in February or March. But Ching's impressive display of goal-scoring ability over the month of April (six goals) compared to Twellman's lone tally last weekend might just have been enough to separate what was a paper-thin difference between the two strikers.
"Brian didn't necessarily win us over the last six weeks," said Arena. But he also followed that up by saying that "form, at the moment" had a little to do with the decision.
If anything, Twellman should be frustrated by the fact that his Revolution side switched to a 3-4-3 formation this spring, which made it difficult on him because it took over his freedom as far as making angled runs and it often isolated him against two bigger and taller centerbacks throughout the first month of the MLS season.
Holding true to his statements that the roster would be decided over the sum of the players' contributions from the last World Cup onward, Arena mentioned Ching's solid play in the qualifying win over Guatemala last March in Birmingham, Ala., when he started up top alongside Eddie Johnson and from his game-tying goal against Jamaica way back in August of 2004 when he helped the U.S. earn a vital point on the road in Kingston.
By mentioning how the opponents of the side played a role in shaping his roster, Arena clearly likes the size and power that Ching brings to the table. It gives him an option to pair with a quicker player such as Johnson, Josh Wolff and even Donovan.
Donovan, a former teammate of Ching, as well, from their time in San Jose said that Ching "does the things that do not show up on a stat sheet," as he battles and knows how to help clear space for his fellow front-runner.
Even with Ching and Conrad being two mild surprises on this list, what's most mind-boggling is how nobody knew Arena's final 23. Usually, news gets passed around pretty quickly. ... In the case of this roster, it was truly kept top secret.
Mark Connolly has an interesting piece on mlsnet.com. Like the other pundits, he thought that Twellman would go over Ching (and probably that Twellman should go over Ching), but it's a good piece nonetheless. Here's an excerpt:
Personally, I'm surprised to see Ching on the roster over Twellman. When you sat down and put up the pros and cons for both players, the columns are probably pretty equal. I just got the idea that when Arena envisioned looking down the bench in the middle of a tie match and needed to insert a player into the game to get him a goal, he'd want Twellman over Ching. Maybe that would have been the case back in February or March. But Ching's impressive display of goal-scoring ability over the month of April (six goals) compared to Twellman's lone tally last weekend might just have been enough to separate what was a paper-thin difference between the two strikers.
"Brian didn't necessarily win us over the last six weeks," said Arena. But he also followed that up by saying that "form, at the moment" had a little to do with the decision.
If anything, Twellman should be frustrated by the fact that his Revolution side switched to a 3-4-3 formation this spring, which made it difficult on him because it took over his freedom as far as making angled runs and it often isolated him against two bigger and taller centerbacks throughout the first month of the MLS season.
Holding true to his statements that the roster would be decided over the sum of the players' contributions from the last World Cup onward, Arena mentioned Ching's solid play in the qualifying win over Guatemala last March in Birmingham, Ala., when he started up top alongside Eddie Johnson and from his game-tying goal against Jamaica way back in August of 2004 when he helped the U.S. earn a vital point on the road in Kingston.
By mentioning how the opponents of the side played a role in shaping his roster, Arena clearly likes the size and power that Ching brings to the table. It gives him an option to pair with a quicker player such as Johnson, Josh Wolff and even Donovan.
Donovan, a former teammate of Ching, as well, from their time in San Jose said that Ching "does the things that do not show up on a stat sheet," as he battles and knows how to help clear space for his fellow front-runner.
Even with Ching and Conrad being two mild surprises on this list, what's most mind-boggling is how nobody knew Arena's final 23. Usually, news gets passed around pretty quickly. ... In the case of this roster, it was truly kept top secret.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Democratization of Ignorance
Ignorance does not seem to worry about one's line of work. It seems that the sports writers and soccer pundits in the national media and in local markets nationwide, were wrong with 4 or more of their guesses as to the 23-man roster for the US World Cup team.
No one got it completely right. The closest anyone got was by missing only 2...and I know of only two people that missed only 2:
Glenn Davis here in Houston thought Berhalter would go and he left off Conrad. He obviously thought that Berhalter's World Cup experience and experience in the German leagues would make him a likely candidate. I didn't think he'd make it based on his recent performance with the USMNT, particularly his abyssmal performance versus Germany that led to all four goals against us.
I thought Albright would go (based on his recent form and his versatility) and that Hejduk would not (based on his limitations). I know Arena likes Hejduk for his indefatigability, strength, and experience, but Hejduk has limitations as a defender that I thought would open the door for Albright.
There you have it: Glenn and I should be making a living as soccer pundits...oh, I guess he is.
No one got it completely right. The closest anyone got was by missing only 2...and I know of only two people that missed only 2:
Glenn Davis here in Houston thought Berhalter would go and he left off Conrad. He obviously thought that Berhalter's World Cup experience and experience in the German leagues would make him a likely candidate. I didn't think he'd make it based on his recent performance with the USMNT, particularly his abyssmal performance versus Germany that led to all four goals against us.
I thought Albright would go (based on his recent form and his versatility) and that Hejduk would not (based on his limitations). I know Arena likes Hejduk for his indefatigability, strength, and experience, but Hejduk has limitations as a defender that I thought would open the door for Albright.
There you have it: Glenn and I should be making a living as soccer pundits...oh, I guess he is.
UNMNT Prognostication
Guesses about choices and opinions are pretty worthless, but I'm taking this opportunity to throw my guess as to who the 23 members of the USMNT will be, as named by Bruce Arena today at 5:00 pm.
I don't think Ching will make it; but I think he would be a better choice than Twellman. And since my choices carry no weight at all, I put Ching there.
Elsewhere, I think when deciding between two equivalent players, Arena will look at injuries and at versatility.
GK
Hahnemann (2nd string)
Howard (3rd string)
Keller (starter)
Defense
Albright (also mid and fwd)
Bocanegra (injuries may limit)
Cherundolo
Conrad
Gibbs
Lewis (also mid and fwd)
Onyewu
Pope (injuries may limit)
Midfield
Beasley
Convey
Dempsey
Donovan (also fwd)
Mastroeni (also defense)
O'Brien (also defense...injury may be issue)
Olsen
Reyna
Forward
Ching
Johnson
McBride (starter)
Wolff (also mid)
I don't think Ching will make it; but I think he would be a better choice than Twellman. And since my choices carry no weight at all, I put Ching there.
Elsewhere, I think when deciding between two equivalent players, Arena will look at injuries and at versatility.
GK
Hahnemann (2nd string)
Howard (3rd string)
Keller (starter)
Defense
Albright (also mid and fwd)
Bocanegra (injuries may limit)
Cherundolo
Conrad
Gibbs
Lewis (also mid and fwd)
Onyewu
Pope (injuries may limit)
Midfield
Beasley
Convey
Dempsey
Donovan (also fwd)
Mastroeni (also defense)
O'Brien (also defense...injury may be issue)
Olsen
Reyna
Forward
Ching
Johnson
McBride (starter)
Wolff (also mid)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Rapid Trend
I like the short trend we've established with our Western Conference rivals, the Colorado Rapids. After winning at home 5-2, we were able to earn a clean sheet in the rarefied air in Denver, making Ching's first half goal all of the scoring we needed to win 3 points.
The Rapids were certainly dangerous, with a healthy Clint Mathis back in the line up. We were lucky on many of the shots that went high, and quality defending and goal keeping took care of the rest. After giving up 2 goals a game, Dynamo managed to hold ReAL to one and now Rapids to zero. This is a good trend...as is the trend of winning versus the Rapids.
I did not see the DC United game, so I can't comment on that one, but of the other Dynamo games I thought that this game versus the Rapids was the most disjointed and unrhythmic, but that is to be expected where the air is thin. Even with this atmospheric disadvantage, Dynamo was able to control large portions of the game, threaten Cannon repeatedly, and weather the powerful attacks of the Rapids...and, most importantly, earn 3 points.
We lose Moreno next week due to a Red Card last week, but Cerritos should be a comparable substitute. He'll need to be in his top form if we're going to win the first Texas Cup matchup with F*C* Dallas. If Ching gets called up to the National Team for the World Cup, Kinnear will have to field a severely modified front line, since that means both starting forwards are out. Perhaps DeRo moves up with Cerritos, Clark moves up to Attacking Mid, and Serioux moves up to Holding Mid. Perhaps not. Perhaps Ching isn't even called up...we'll find that out tomorrow.
The team will be better off if Ching isn't called up, but I think everyone is hoping that he is. I think he'd be a better asset than Taylor Twellman in Germany -- particularly if Ching's paired with Donovan as a mid or as the other forward -- but Bruce Arena seems to favor Twellman and will probably give him the nod. We'll see tomorrow.
The Rapids were certainly dangerous, with a healthy Clint Mathis back in the line up. We were lucky on many of the shots that went high, and quality defending and goal keeping took care of the rest. After giving up 2 goals a game, Dynamo managed to hold ReAL to one and now Rapids to zero. This is a good trend...as is the trend of winning versus the Rapids.
I did not see the DC United game, so I can't comment on that one, but of the other Dynamo games I thought that this game versus the Rapids was the most disjointed and unrhythmic, but that is to be expected where the air is thin. Even with this atmospheric disadvantage, Dynamo was able to control large portions of the game, threaten Cannon repeatedly, and weather the powerful attacks of the Rapids...and, most importantly, earn 3 points.
We lose Moreno next week due to a Red Card last week, but Cerritos should be a comparable substitute. He'll need to be in his top form if we're going to win the first Texas Cup matchup with F*C* Dallas. If Ching gets called up to the National Team for the World Cup, Kinnear will have to field a severely modified front line, since that means both starting forwards are out. Perhaps DeRo moves up with Cerritos, Clark moves up to Attacking Mid, and Serioux moves up to Holding Mid. Perhaps not. Perhaps Ching isn't even called up...we'll find that out tomorrow.
The team will be better off if Ching isn't called up, but I think everyone is hoping that he is. I think he'd be a better asset than Taylor Twellman in Germany -- particularly if Ching's paired with Donovan as a mid or as the other forward -- but Bruce Arena seems to favor Twellman and will probably give him the nod. We'll see tomorrow.
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