Paying the Piper

Dynamo have tempted fate all year, in 3 of the 4 matches of CONCACAF Champions Cup, in the Carolina Challenge Cup, and in the league games thus far. They've established a modus operandi of playing flat as if their reputation entitled them to a win, then -- after Dom uses halftime to remind them that one must, you know, play to win -- playing 45 minutes of soccer in the second half to rescue their reputation and salvage the match. Using this questionable technique, Dynamo dispatched Puntarenas in the second leg of their meeting, built a commendable lead versus Pachuca in the first leg of their meeting, came with 7 minutes of getting past Pachuca in the second leg, won the Carolina Challenge Cup after drawing with the Charleston Battery and having to come from behind versus Red Bull NY in the final, salvaged a tie with LA in the season opener, and eked out a win versus Chivas in the second league match.

Unfortunately, Red Bull got a red card in the first half yesterday, and I think that made Dynamo a little too comfortable to try any halftime adjustments. As a result, they reduced their 45 minute passion down to 15 minutes, and it just wasn't enough time.

Red Bull owned the first half. Dalglish (on a feed from DeRo) had the only serious threat for Houston in the half. The second half saw a more balanced game, which suggests that 11 Dynamo equal 10 Red Bulls. But even a man down, Red Bull looked as dangerous as we ever did, and certainly looked the more dynamic. About 15 minutes into the second half, young Jozy Altidore (who says "Impossible is Nothing") turned Eddie Robinson like a pro and knocked the ball just over Superman Onstad at point blank range, off the crossbar and into the twine.

The real problem here was the fact that no one challenged Hunter Freeman in the midfield, giving him the time and the space to make the pass to Jozy. This has been an intermittent problem with Dynamo going back to last year, but is even more egregious when done against a 10-man team. I can remember the team giving Ante Razov plenty of space in the midfield [last season, that is] and allowing him the time and confidence to make a 35 yard (or so) strike. Many assists, as well, were enabled [last year] by this lax pressure at the top of our defensive third.

Even after the goal, Dynamo didn't seem to want to score until about the 75th minute, which coincided with the introduction of Ching, Mulrooney, and Wondo. Then, Dynamo seemed to operate with a bit more urgency, but by then they were trying to score on a bunkered team, and Dynamo have serious problems with that.

I was very surprised with the introduction of Wondo. He didn't have much of an impact on the game, but I like the implications that his introduction suggests: forwards, unless you start performing, you'll be on the bench. Before the game, I thought it highly unlikely that we'd see Mulrooney, but in the first half the midfield's play was so sub-par that I thought Mulrooney would be injected to instill some passion and perhaps to send a message to the starters. His introduction was most welcome and I thought he made a case for himself as a Dynamo. Wouldn't it have been sweet irony if his shot in the closing minutes had gone in?

Boy I miss the DeRo of last year. I thought he had some moments of inspiration in this game, where he made an incisive pass that led to a solid threatening shot, but he'll be remembered for the inexplicable handball in the box. If that ball had been heading toward goal, it would surely have been a solid red...but maybe that would've ignited the team, which seems to feed on adversity rather than self-motivation.

DeRo says that the salary imbroglio isn't affecting him: "I love the game too much for outside stuff or decisions to affect me on the field." He realizes that improved play would help his case in bargaining for a better salary, so a work slowdown isn't in his best interest. Perhaps DeRo is trying too hard. Perhaps he needs a Taoist approach when playing.

Let's switch to something positive.

Another solid performance for Onstad, highlighted by his save of Mathis' PK. He's been bailing out the defense this year. As talented as Zach Wells is, I can't help but wonder if Pachuca would've put 5 goals on Onstad.

The Dynamo supporters were amazing even on the road. I heard the Dynamo chants (Is it "Dyna, Dyna, Dyna, Dynamo"?) more than I heard any RBNY chants. And the attendance was listed at a mere 12,400.

The more I hear Max Bretos calling games, the less I like him. I knew he was a Galaxy homer (he calls their games on the local LA broadcasts) but he was also practically pleading for calls to go for NY and against Houston. Christopher Sullivan is always balanced and has good technical analysis. (He did seem taken with Pachuca in the Dynamo-Pachuca match though -- but who can blame that?) Sully was correct that NY carried the play and Dynamo under performed.

Let's hope we turn things around versus the Fire this weekend. So far we're undefeated with the silver ball. At this point, losing when a man up and scoring one goal in three games does provide some cause for concern.