Midfield Magic

It's the 59th minute, and DeRo hits a goal from the halfway line -- against the wind -- to put Dynamo ahead 2-1 in windy Chicago. That's a sure goal of the week winner, and a definite candidate for goal of the year.

If it wins us the game, then it also buys us a much needed 3 points. We're only 1 point ahead of 3rd place Chivas, and 3 points ahead of Colorado.

DeRo has the goal of the year in each of the two previous years, could he make the trifecta?

And now it's the 69th minute, and the ref (this time Baldomero Toledo) once again rewards the cheating defensive play of our opponent when it doesn't award us a PK when Sanneh trips Moreno in the box...and the ref even gives Moreno a yellow card.

Nice goal line clearance by Robinson. Thank you, Eddie.

But then the ref decides to steal the show, giving Chicago a PK and a point. Not even a week has passed and it's time for another blog clamoring for professional referees if this is to be a professional league. Poor officiating once again -- and in a game changing fashion once again. But worse: they are creating a league of defenders who don't have to learn finesse and defensive tracking as long as they can get away with bone-jarring slide tackles that trump any offensive dribbling prowess. Thanks, refs, for confining the MLS to a crude existence where athleticism is rewarded over skill. You are limiting US Soccer and we soccer fans will pay for your sins.

Alex Prus vs Dynamo

Dynamo lose to Chivas USA this past weekend. Chivas have been in good form of late, and they received help from their newest signing, .

They also received help from Alex Prus, the center referee.

First, in the 31st minute, Prus sends off Clark for pushing an opponent. The Daily Breeze, a California paper states: The shove earned Clark a red card and drew some laughter from the Chivas locker room after the match. "I slipped more than anything," Perez admitted. "When I ran in, the ref put his arm out and I stopped and had to hold on to the ref but he pushed me at the same time."

This decision was perhaps arguable, although how no cards were issued (not even a yellow) to the other participants is hard to understand.

Yet Prus was not to be outdone. In stoppage time in the second half, DeRo drove into the Penalty Box only to be hacked down by Jason Hernandez who failed to even touch the ball. The Daily Breeze: "Hernandez might want to consider it a birthday gift from Prus since he celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday."

The OC Register (also from California) notes that "Chivas USA got some help from an unexpected source Saturday night: referee Alex Prus."

ESPN states that Dynamo were "Hard done by the ref against Chivas."

Prus has ruined other games: Chivas v Fire this season and Galaxy v Earthquakes last season.

So the Dynamo lose...but who are the real losers? Soccer fans. We clamor for an improved product on the field, and most of the attention regarding this gets focused (rightly) on the players. But the referees are often amateurish and an embarrassment to the game. There is little accountability on their part. The MLS needs to institutionalize MLS referees so they can referee full time, receive quality training, and benefit from their successes while being penalized for their failures. They must also learn that if you make a mistake in a game, you don't make two in order to "balance" your mistakes. If the MLS can broaden its gaze beyond just soccer-specific stadiums, it might actually improve the game here in the States. It's not all on the player's shoulders.

Hope for Dynamo vs the Goats

Dynamo have struggled of late, particularly on offense. Chivas, meanwhile, have been able to put the ball in the net. The mid-week Open Cup victory over FCD should give Dynamo a little confidence, and so should Ives Galarcep's prediction:

The Dynamo are coming off a midweek Open Cup match and have to travel to California to face a rested Chivas USA team that is desperate not to fall out of playoff position. The Goats are unbeaten in six matches, but five of those have been ties. They need three points to hold off Real Salt Lake, and they'll find a way to get them courtesy of Ante Razov.
Chivas USA 2, Dynamo 0

Ives has a 39-53 success rate in his prognostications, so he's not particularly prescient. Good news for Dynamo.

And Dynamo could use the 3 points. We're only 3 points ahead of Colorado and 4 points ahead of Chivas. Being just 6 points from dropping out of contention for the MLS Cup, we need to create a little differentiation here...which we should -- Ching or no Ching -- based on our talent.

Dynamo Close Down Frisco in The Open

Dynamo Houston dominated FCD yesterday in the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. With Ching out and the offense sputtering, I was surprised that Dynamo could get a 3-0 victory over the folks from Frisco, but they did. Of course, it took a defender (Eddie Robinson) to net the first goal, but then two forwards, Alejandro Moreno and newbie Chris Wondolowski, finished off the scoring. I didn't realize this until today: yesterday was the first Open Cup victory over an MLS opponent for Coach Kinnear as a head coach.

Props to Dynamo for getting such a result with a mix of starters and reserves against an opponent that was nearly full strength. We may have had an additional advantage due to the familiarity of Clark field and its dimensions, since it's the Dynamo training field.

Now if we can beat the LALA boys in the HDC on September 6, we're in the finals, in reach of the Dewar Cup and our first silverware.

It's good that a lot of starters could rest yesterday, because we're in for a rough week. Dynamo goes to LA this Saturday versus Chivas USA, then to Chicago on Wednesday, and then to Dallas next Saturday. If ever FCD will have a chance to pull out a win against us, it will be next Saturday.

I fared well with my other predictions on the Open Cup. DC United won as did the LA Galaxy. Chicago was the only team to win in defiance of my prediction, but that was the softest of my predictions. With their win, every home team won yesterday; hopefully that trend is broken in LA on September 6.

Predictions for Tonight's Open Cup Matches

Here are my predictions for tonight's Open Cup matches:

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Colorado @ Los Angeles
Los Angeles continues its improvement, bolstered by the powers of darkness that eternally swirl at the heart of the club, and by Yallop's and Donovan's indomitable will.
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Dallas @ Houston
Houston will overcome its doldrums. Its (predominantly) 2nd string team will continue our streak over FCD, spoiling Hinslop's debut. You will win, Dynamo. Did you hear me?
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New York @ DC United
DC United is too good and RBNY is too mediocre. In the Open Cup, that usually guarantees RBNY will win, but I'll stick with DC United.
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New England @ Chicago
I will stray from the trend of picking the home team, and will pick the listless Revolution to beat the inconsistent Fire. The Fire really hasn't done much with its home field advantage anyway.
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I'm pretty ambivalent about the last two matches, but as for the first two matches (if the Lords of Soccer are tallying votes), I'd like LA to lose and Dynamo to win. Make it so.

A plea for proper narrative

In life there are so few opportunities where events lend themselves to proper narrative -- where the plot builds with the appropriate amount of conflict before the protagonist overcome adversity in a dramatic, cathartic event that leaves all spectators sated in the denoument.

I am hoping for a happy narrative tomorrow in the Open Cup match between Dynamo and FCD. Our offensive woes have not abated; if we're not all-out impotent, then we're certainly sterile at least. We have only scored more than 2 goals four times this year (five if you include the Cup match versus the PDL level Dynamo). We dominate play, but do not have the vision, control, and even the serenity necessary to get the ball in the net. We miss absolute sitters (Barrett? Moreno?) or provide ill-timed service...which isn't a workable tactic anyway with Ching out due to surgery. The goals we have recently earned are gifts from our defenders (Serioux and Waibel being the latest bestowers).

We need to cast off this dark mantle in which we've draped ourselves and allow our true nature to shine forth. We need to score, and to do so with gusto and proclivity. We need to continue the streak against FCD and leap into the semi-finals in this, our inaugural season. We need to banish the Mark of Cain that our forwards have engraved on the team and establish a talisman built on the effusive talent Dynamo has in spades.

We're playing in a new venue (Dynamo's practice field at the Carl Lewis Complex) in front of a small but dedicated crowd. Let's win this then reignite our league play as we make a run for the MLS Cup...and let's turn this around before the Scotsman, Paul Dalglish, arrives so we can claim the turnaround for our own. (But here's hoping Dalglish does well for us and becomes a valued member of the Dynamo family as well.)

And let's get this story told right.

Of course some could argue that the proper narrative result is that the hapless Hoops, having never triumphed over their in-state rivals, overcome the odds and triumph for the debut of their inspirational keeper, in a match that gets them into the semi-finals of the oldest competition in the US.

But that'd be just pulp fiction. I want a solid piece of story telling, and Kinnear is just the raconteur to tell the tale. Go Dynamo.

It is ours; Come and take it

Tonight, Dynamo Houston takes the unconventional route and beats the Frisco Cheatin' Divers 1-0. How was it unconventional?

• They scored only one goal, and managed to win.
• Usually they dominate play and are unable to finish. Tonight, they had the better of the first half, and got a goal. Then they were taken out of their game in the second half, but managed not to give up a goal.
• DeRo, while still the playmaker, was less jaw-dropping than usual; and our wingers were unable to control the flanks and pepper the box with crosses.
• Waibel scored.

With the win, Dynamo wins the first year's contest with FCD. Next year we get to keep the so called "El Capitan" howitzer. (Where was it tonight? Or has that tradition already been discarded?) Perhaps more significant, we move to within 4 points of FCD in the Western Conference and we maintain our distance with Colorado, Chivas, and the rest of the West.

The people who sat behind us at the game seemed pretty new to Dynamo, but they quickly caught on: the Frisco Cheatin' Divers rely on a game of deception and histrionics to try to get the refs to win the game for them. It almost worked: one excellent free kick was saved by the woodwork, while another was cleared off the line by Alejandro Moreno. Thankfully the bad mojo that seems to kneecap Dynamo's talent did not raise its ugly head.

I am content.

Questions: With the second half such a struggle, why did Coach Kinnear wait so long to bring in a sub? Why did the usually classy Texian Army stoop to childish obscenities in their chants? (Because that's what English fans do? They do a lot of things we shouldn't. My children and the families around us in the stands surely did not appreciate the puerile crudeness.) Why can't the stadium clock keep running into stoppage time so we'll know where we stand?

The evening ended with my daughter getting the autographs of Waibel (game MVP), Holden, Ching, and Mullan. She was ecstatic with her coup; she even forgot about the obscenities her fellow fans shouted.

A Pact

Dynamo:
I'm pretty bummed right now. It'd sure help me out of my doldrums if you would beat FCD tomorrow...preferably by a lot.

Let's continue the strong play you've shown throughout the season, but let's add scoring to your repertoire, okay? And don't slip into the brief defensive lapses that occasionally creep in when things seem to be going well (particularly just after you score).

But most importantly: score. In bunches.

Sincerely,
Me

Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me

New chorus, same refrain: Dynamo Houston plays a top notch game. They control the pace and possession. The midfield is ours. Our defending third is a fortress. Our attacking third? What is that? I thought that was just an extension of the midfield...an area where we maintain possession. You mean, we're supposed to unload the ball into that net thingy? Is that allowed?

Moreno completely and inexcusably misses the frame in the first half, and the woodwork and well placed defenders/GK cover the rest of our threats. We keep the LAGgers in the game until a fast break, a wide pass, a fluky bounce result in a goal for the visitors. Dynamo give away points -- again. Only this time they gave away the whole thing: 3 points and all.

It looks nigh to impossible to win the Supporters' Shield this season. Luckily, it's nigh to impossible that we don't get through to the post-season, so we've got that going for us. And if you're not #1, it really doesn't matter all that much where you place as long as you're in the MLS tournament.

After this disappointing result, it was fun watching these Titans of the sport, FC Barcelona, play Club America. Thriving on counterattacks and solid finishing (were you paying attention, Dynamo?) C.A. managed to go up 4-1 with less than 10 minutes left to play...but the second half Barca was essentially their A-Team, and the Catalans managed to equalize the game in the final 5 minutes. An outstanding result (4-4 final) driven by skill. Goals by Mexico International Marquez, Brazilian Ronaldinho, and Cameroonian Eto'o were the most appreciated by the 70,550 enthusiastic spectators (although the hat trick by the C.A. forward was certainly commendable). It was fun watching the displays of skill...and my wife had done an outstanding job securing the seats we had: Section 129, Row G, seven rows up, about 30 yards into the field from the goal line, on the side opposite the benches.

It was surreal watching these international stars just a few dozen yards away from us. (They are, in fact, 3-D!) It was a night I'll never forget.

Ciao.

Dynamo and the Rockstars

Tonight, Dynamo Houston takes on the LA Galaxy. This is an opportunity to get some much needed points as the LAGgers are at the bottom of the Western Conference, but I can see Dominic's former mentor, Frank Yallop, sneaking out with a draw...particularly if Donovan is on the field...and particularly since the RBNY red card keeps DeRo off the field. Dynamo has been one of the better teams in the MLS (with only DC United possibly playing better soccer...but that's a big maybe), but their results haven't matched their quality. This needs to end now that we're starting the second half of the season. A new trend begins tonight.

Truth be told, taking first place in the League is the only place that matters. That earns a team the Supporters' Shield, which now has more prestige than in year’s past. (The winner earns the first berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.) After first place, it really doesn't matter what you rank as long as you're in the top four in your conference and can go to the postseason. The postseason really doesn't reward any team for its regular season position (except for completely excluding those below 4th place in each conference); and, as the lowly LAGger proved last year, it is like an isolated tournament of its own that is totally separate from and hardly affected by the regular season.

After Dynamo seals the fate of the Galaxians, the rockstars take the field when Ronaldinho, Messi, and the rest of FC Barcelona take on Club America. I just found out that Barca are staying in the St. Regis hotel across the street from my office. There is a small crowd of fans in jerseys and carrying signs and soccer balls. They're cordoned off from the hotel, but were present even during the monsoon that hit yesterday afternoon. Barcelona's buses are telltale indicators of when the team is present. Yesterday the players took time to tour NASA.

Here's hoping that the games live up to their billing, and that my kids are pleasant through the long evening.

Recapping the All-Stars

Yesterday's All-Star Game proved to be quite entertaining. Does the 1-0 victory over Chelsea demonstrate that the MLS is now on par with the EPL? Of course not; nor would anyone suggest that. (Although the cynics will think you're suggesting this very thing if you don't take the opportunity to lambaste the MLS.) What the game -- and, to a lesser extent, the result -- does suggest that one can find quality soccer here in America, and that we can be competitive versus quality European teams...under certain conditions. Eventually, we should progress to the point where (at least some of the) MLS teams can be competitive versus quality European teams on a regular basis. Until that day, let's be pleased with the progress we've made so far.

The best parts about the game included our ability to maintain possession for long stretches (due in part to the low pressure play Chelsea employed to conserve their energy). I also enjoyed seeing some of the creative flair from our midfielders in their dribbling (attacking dribbling as well as possession dribbling), their passing (which included some saucy backheels), and their overall control. Dynamo Houston was very well represented, led by DeRo who played a magnificent 90 minutes in an attacking midfielder role. He controlled the pace of the game nicely, worked well with his temporary teammates, and had the only score of the game (a scorcher of a shot after settling an O'Brien throw-in, spinning, then pulling the trigger in the 70th minute). The best defensive play of the game came with Eddie Robinson sliding to clear the ball off the goal line to maintain the clean sheet. Ricardo Clark played confidently in a defensive mid role and Ching had several good looks at goal...too bad he didn't get some time on field in the World Cup, eh?

Those who I felt did not acquit themselves well were Nate Jaqua, Freddy Adu, Facundo Erpen, Jimmy Conrad, and to a lesser extent Alecko Eskandarian. Jaqua had an indefatigable run into the defensive third to win a ball late, but looked lost in his role as a forward. Adu boldly tried to take on opponents, but his success rate and timing suggested an overly confident kid who holds onto the ball too long because of a lack of vision/wisdom and perhaps of dearth of self-awareness. Erpen's miscues may have been due to fatigue in the second half.

I thought Toyota Park looked nice -- it's nice to see an American soccer stadium without an empty concert stage consuming one goal line -- but the pitch looked a bit ratty. (And, hey: shouldn't Toyota Park be near Toyota Center? Instead, one is in Chicago and one is in Houston. That's one problem with venues sporting corporate appellations rather than local monikers: the names lose relevance.) I also thought the endgame celebration was unnecessary and even a bit embarrassing: we had just beaten a team in its preseason; we didn't win a hotly contested tournament. We should have treated the occasion as an expected outcome rather than a Sally Field "You really like me!" moment. Toss the stage; the players should have instead trotted around the pitch applauding the crowd. (I like Ives Galarcep's comment: "Major League Soccer's fans and players should feel a sense of pride about Saturday, but calling the win a landmark moment is an injustice to a league that deserves more respect than that. Let the MLS doubters be the ones who are surprised by results such as Saturday's.")

Well, you've read my impressions of MLSers who did well and those who didn't. If you read the game summaries by pundits (such as on espn.com and foxsports.com), you’ll find that "media experts" have different ideas of who did well and who didn’t...but note that their opinions don't just diverge, they are in fact in direct opposition to each other (and, in places, with mine).

Pundits love to write about what's wrong with soccer in this country, but perhaps they're overlooking a significant failing: themselves. Our league and its players are improving, and the fanbase is slowing growing, but the pundits continue to demonstrate a lack of perspicacity and savvy. Those who analyze the game (including fans like me, perhaps; but fans shouldn't be held to the same standard as journalists) are unable to discern anything beyond the obvious when evaluating the culprits behind a loss or the heroes supporting a win. In other sports there are, of course, differences about what may have been the key play in a particular game or what are the key characteristics of a team or player, but rarely do analysts have diametrically opposed opinions about the same matters. Yet this happens all the time in US soccer journalism, one writer will list his heroes and his goats of a game, while another (even when trying to make the same argument) will list the same players as goats and heroes, respectively. This organized ignorance cannot be pinned to just one journal or just one "school of opinion." It strikes the national publications as well as most local rags, and can be found amongst the overly sanguine MLS apologists as well as the eternally cynical MLS-detractors.

Yes, the game still has a way to go here in the States, at the youth level as well as at the professional. But those in their ivory towers have just as much growth before them, and a little humility in respect to that would be most welcome.

MLS vs EPL

Tomorrow's MLS All-Star game seems pretty interesting as it depicts an All-Star MLS team against FC Chelsea of the EPL. Chelsea can be considered an international all-star team of sorts. The team boasts names like: Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben, Andriy Shevchenko, and John Terry.

Dynamo Houston is fairly well represented on the MLS side, with Ching, DeRo, Ricardo Clark, and Eddie Robinson.

As usual, many pundits see this as an opportunity for the MLS to show its quality or lack thereof. The ever-humble Jose Mourinho, Gaffer for Chelsea, seems to be moderate in his praise of the MLS.

"What I really enjoy when I come here and I play is that they always play with a very good tactical approach. They play like they are the same level you are. Of course, they aren't, but the way they play — by a tactical point of view — is like they want to play really top quality football."

When asked if the relationship between Chelsea and the LA Galaxy could lead to player exchanges, Mourinho shook his head and said, "I'm not saying player exchange because, you know the level of Chelsea players for sure they're not very, very keen to come and play in the MLS, but we can cooperate in many aspects, this is just a start."

Dutch forward Arjen Robben, who had an assist in Chelsea's 2-1 win over D.C. United last year, is expecting a difficult match against the best the MLS has to offer. "The football here is developing and I think the level is getting better and better, so I think we really can expect a difficult match. That's ... good for us, and also good for American football."

I don't think the game's result will serve as a great barometer of the league's progress. For one, the all-star team has never played together. Secondly, the Chelsea team is in its preseason training. I am hoping to see some creative play; that will be the true measure of the league's quality. I'm also looking forward to seeing the new Bridgeview Stadium (called Toyota Park, I guess...what a creative moniker). It seats a whopping 21K people. I assume it'll be filled to capacity, which would make it seem like a low-turnout game day crowd for Chelsea, I'd imagine.

My fervent hope is that DeRo and Clark show the ball magic of which they're capable (but not too much that they find greener pastures than Dynamo next season...), while Ching demonstrates his finishing abilities.

Dynamo tops Dynamo

Last night, the family saw its first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match. Except for the finals (and even then only rarely) these games are rarely televised, and no cup match has been played here in Houston (or in Austin, my previous residence). This tourney traces its lineage back to 1914, so I'm glad I got to a match before a hundred years have passed.

Dynamo Houston played the Carolina Dynamo, a PDL team out of Greensboro, NC. Trekking in from work in the Galleria area, we didn't settle into our seats until almost 10 minutes into the first half. No worries, because both teams waited until we arrived to really gear up.

Carolina seemed to get the first break. The home crowd was still paltry and quiet when Carolina earned a PK halfway through the first half. This was to be backup 'keeper Zach Wells' first test...and he passed it smashingly, diving to his left to block the well-placed, if anemic, shot. Robertson was so jazzed about the stop that it shot off a water sprinkler (or was it a water cannon?) that arced over the field for -- what? -- two minutes? Play was stopped until the spray could be shut off. What a great goal celebration that would be on a regular basis, particularly on a hot day...
Houston's play amped up a bit after that; seemingly energized by their GK's accomplishment. Less than 10 minutes after the PK, Moreno sailed up effortlessly and nodded home a Mullan cross. About 5 minutes later, a Davis free kick was saved and Moreno picked up the rebound and knocked in his second. A 2-0 lead at half thanks to Moreno; this is what we like to see from our forwards!

At halftime I stood in the beer line for a $7 domestic brew. Glenn Davis walked by and was called over by the guy (a manager at Saltgrass steakhouse) in line before me. They talked for a bit before I saw a hawker with no line nearby. I still had to pay $7, but at least I didn't have to wait for it.

The second half continued the good fortune of our forwards. Ronald Cerritos scored (off a Holden corner) about 10 minutes into the second half. Cerritos had not scored all season, so this was well worth it...and ended up being the winner after Carolina exposed some lax clearing and/or defending to make it a 3-2 game. This was fortunate timing not only because it broke Cerritos' slump, nor because it gave us a much-needed goal, but because Cerritos is from El Salvador and the crowd (which had grown steadily to a healthy number) included a highly partisan (orange and black) Salvadoran crowd who was there to see CD Águila take on the Honduran CD Olimpia (and their red and blue clad fans) after the Dynamo match.

Eddie Robinson provided the necessary cushion after the 80th minute when he headed home another Holden corner. Holden, a hometown player, has done well for himself the past few games. His two assists helped us to the 4-2 win.

Our family sat up in Section 200. This was the first time we sat on the West stands. I've sat on both goal lines and numerous times on the East stands. These seats were the farthest from the field I've ever sat, but the views of the South Goal were excellent, without forsaking the views of action at the North Goal. We clearly saw our first two goals and both of Carolina's goals, and we had no trouble seeing our two second-half goals either. One complaint: there was no replay on the video screen for this game, so you couldn't see different angles of the goals, of great plays, or of fouls.

We left not long after the game ended. I wanted to see the two Central American teams play. The crowd seemed passionate and vocal. There were lots of club colors and banners (on our way out, I heard a Dynamo security lass telling another that she had confiscated all of the flags from one section). But we had another 45 minutes to wait until the second game started, and the kids were getting restless and I knew I had more of my life-sucking workweek to go, so we headed home.

As we walked out, we saw Aaron Lanes, Dynamo player and rock guitarist, dressed in his street clothes. Apparently he didn't suit up for this game. Hopefully we'll see him soon; seeing the reserves advance is one of the joys of this game.

Had we stayed, we would have seen (according to the Chronicle) "a benches-clearing brawl, a pair of ejections, two late penalties and a last-minute goal." With the score tied at 2-2, Olimpia of Honduras (who had lost to Águila in its last two attempts) netted one in stoppage time to win it in regulation, 3-2.

We relinquished all this excitement for an easy trip out of the parking lot (that's a first!), still warm with the pleasure of having increased our stash of Dynamo coozies and, oh yeah, seeing our team progress to the quarterfinals of the tourney to face none other than FCD (Fakers, Cheaters, and Divers of Frisco).