A new low in the Season Of Mediocrity

The Season Of Mediocrity (SOM) continues. Tonight, we continued our chronic inability to shoot balls on frame. Add an amateurish coffee break by the usually stalwart defense (Ianni and Barrett not communicating, thus allowing Cooper an open header on goal). Sprinkle in spineless officiating by a ref who is afraid to force players to play quality soccer; on that note, it was a smart play by Richetti to trip Holden from behind when Holden was going 1v1 with the keeper, but the price for his smart play would have to be leaving his team with 10 men for the final 13 minutes. It's a heavy price, but a worthy one...and one it turns out he didn't have to pay thanks to the spineless ref.

The result: a 1-1 tie, the third draw in this three-game series. With 4 away goals to our 2, Dallas takes El Capitan for the first time. Enjoy the gun in 2009, fellas; your cynicism earned it tonight (and Caig's cold hands gave you the 2 decisive away goals you needed on April 6).

Pet peeve of the night: Shooting the ball so high or so wide that Sala just glances casually at the ball as we blow another chance.
Pet peeve of the night, runner up: With 4 minutes of stoppage time and the clock at 4:01, our defenders pittypat the ball around the back rather than driving the ball quickly forward. Slim chance you score in the last moments with a rushed ball. No chance you score when the ball is at the halfway line and the final whistle blows. Another example of our non-champion mentality this year.

Without a doubt, Houston was the best team on the field tonight -- just as we were for most of the 7 draws we suffered this season (on schedule to set a MLS record for most draws in a season, woo-hoo!). But there is also no doubt that Houston is borderline incompetent when it comes to the attacking third. Also, there's no doubt that they are uncharacteristically lax and cavalier on defense at inconvenient times. This is not the Houston Dynamo that won the 2006 Championship nor the 2007 Championship, doing so both times with a crushing defense and potent (if sometimes inconsistent) offense. The only thing that remains from those teams is the ability to penetrate along the flanks from the back, and the ability to possess the ball and generate opportunities in the middle. But until we fix the problems up front, and until we regain the continuous (as in "non-stop") professional composure in the back, we can't expect to win the MLS Cup.

There are other things that we can achieve instead of the MLS Cup this season, including (in descending order of prestige): winning SuperLiga, winning the US Open Cup (maybe this should be first, since it guarantees a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League), and winning the Reserve League that we currently lead. Personally, I hope we fix our attack first.

The Supporters' Shield? Oh that's out of the question. You have to win consistently to get that. Even the stalwart teams of yesteryear couldn't do that.

Of course, with half the teams getting into the post-season in this silly league, the Dynamo should remain in contention for the MLS Cup, even with their bajillion draws. But we've seen plenty of harbingers that suggest this season will not be like the last two. The most recent harbinger is losing El Capitan for the first time, but there have been others, including losing by more than one goal at Robertson (New England, 0-2, June 12).

Having said that, this team tends to deliver results when the odds are stacked against them. If that's the case, then they're setting themselves up for some crazy-awesome results later this season. Here's hoping.

Until then...Go Dynamo!

Addendum:
Here are the game quotes. Kinnear: "The guys are disappointed, as we should be. At the halfway point [of the season], I don't think we are getting as many points as we want or need."

But he claims the team is still one of the league's elites. Disappointing season aside, I agree with him. The team is one of the best; it just has to become more composed and more consistent. How about Ching's take on the defense? "You look at our team and what has made us successful the past couple of years. It's defense. We have been one of the best defensive, if not the best, defensive team in the league. But now we've got guys letting in mistakes. They are making big mistakes and costing us games. It's the same guys costing us 3-4 games, so it's disappointing." Wow: It's the same guys costing us 3-4 games. I can't disagree with that, but that's not something you hear from a teammate like Ching too often. And while the defense could always counter by pointing out the chances repeatedly missed by the forwards, I hope they instead focus on what they can do to make the team better. That would be the mature and honorable thing to do. In other words: the Orange thing to do.

More on El Capitan ... and more

Here's the gameday preview from The Chron (Ching: "At times we are (playing like a champion); we have glimpses of that." Kinnear: "It's been kind of a mixed bag.") and the associated notes.

I'm not a big fan of NY City as a place to live, but there certainly are a lot of benefits. How about a "pick-up" game in the park with Steven Nash and Thierry Henry? Here's a blog that covers the individual performances, and here's Ives' live (and brief) commentary and Ives discussing the question as to why Reyna can play here, but not for the team that signs his paycheck.

As for the pick-up game: Yeah, I'm jealous. At least we get the Free Kick Masters (which isn't free).

Stadium-ish news
How about this late-breaking news about a new practice facility for the Dynamo. This has been in the works for some time.

Mayor Bill White unveiled plans for a regional amateur sports complex to be
built on Houston’s south side Thursday. White joined community partners to
discuss the future facility and to announce plans for a private fundraising
campaign to support development.

The planned 100-acre, 18-field complex,
bounded by Highway 288 and Kirby Drive on the east and west sides and Sims Bayou
on the south, will provide a world-class soccer facility for Houston area youth
and adult league play. It will immediately become a soccer destination for
regional and major tournaments.

The first phase of the project provides
for street and infrastructure improvements and construction of eight soccer
fields at a cost of $10 million and is to be completed by December of 2009.
Within the next 90 days, public works officials will present to city council
plans for infrastructure to support the facility and a contract ready to be
awarded for the extension of Kirby Drive.

Plans are being developed to
make the complex the training home for the two- time MLS Cup Champion Houston
Dynamo and its youth programs.

I'm sure the Chronicle will have more information later today.

The Final Battle for El Capitan 2008

Tomorrow we face FC Dallas for the third and final time this year. (Game preview.) Each time we've faced them this season, they've been led by a different coach. The dull tactician (with a myopic sense of self-evaluation) Steve Morrow led the "Hoops" to a 3-3 tie at Robertson based on a lousy performance by Tony Caig in our goal, then the interim gaffer Marco Ferruzzi saw his team let victory slip through their fingers as the Dynamo squeezed out a 2-2 tie in Dallas. Now, Schellas Hyndman's first match versus the Orange gives him the chance of winning El Capitan for Dallas for the first time ever.

According to the rules of El Capitan, the Dynamo must win to keep the cannon. A loss gives Dallas the points necessary to win the cannon for the first time; a tie gives Dallas the advantage in away goals (currently 3-2 in their favor, with no chance of us upping our total). Away goals serves as the second tie-breaker when there is no difference in points and no difference in goal differential. Funny how there is no difference in points or in goal differential when we've had only draws so far this series. I wonder what they'd do if both of the previous games had ended 2-2, and tomorrow's match ended 0-0. The tie breakers are as follows:
* goal-differential in the series;
* most road goals in the series; and finally
* most goals scored in the series.
This tie-breaker system would not settle El Capitan's fate with two 2-2 draws and a 0-0 draw. With no other differentiator available, I think the final tie-breaker should be decided by the two head coaches racing the length of the pitch after the final game, with the winner claiming the cannon. We won't have to worry about that this year though; tomorrow's match will decide the victor. I think I'll voice my proposed final tie-breaker for use in future years though...

The Chron talks about the two missing MIO, Robinson and Mulrooney. Both are injured and won't play, although there's a chance Mulrooney could see some minutes.

Since the match will be broadcast on ESPN, the network's website has a preview of the match. The summary of our season: The Dynamo has been stumbling along for most of this campaign, and their 2-2-2 record in their last six matches is a fair reflection of their season. Commentary on Ching: The Hawaiian has always tended to score goals in bunches...But there has always been more to the Dynamo forward's game than just goals, with his hold-up play and passing doing plenty to get Houston's attack going.

Here's an article about former Dynamo, Adrian Serioux, who'll face the Dynamo tomorrow night. I wonder who he'll hack down in this match? Any guesses?

Time to rebound in the Rockies

So tonight we're in Commerce City to face the Rapids on the biggest field in the MLS. (BTW, the bigger the better in my way of thinking, so I like the pitch at The Dick.) The worst news about tonight's game is that it's not on TV except for that mystical HDnet. I don't know any places on the north side of town that have HDnet and that would be willing to devote a TV to a soccer game, so it looks like I'm stuck with the radio play-by-play. Not a bad thing, that; but I prefer the visuals of television.

Here's the game preview. It says we still don't have DeRo or Onstad. That's not good. We also get a ref who's officiating his first MLS game tonight. That's not good either. We do have Ching back. And Barrett. But no Mulrooney. We also have the opportunity to break the deadlocked record at The Dick: in four meetings each team has won twice. Overall, we've beaten the Rapids 5 times and tied them once in 8 matches. Not bad. But what counts is tonight's result. We need 3 points in order to stay at the top of the conference with LA. At the moment we're in third place, with two teams one point behind us and a third two points behind (at the moment).

The Dynamo website has an article on Ricardo Clark and one on Caraccio. I've heard some fans voice concerns about how The Dom is not playing Caraccio, but I think coach is doing the right thing: forcing Caraccio to show improvement and desire before being allowed in the starting 11. In the end, I think it'll make the Argentine a better player and the Dynamo a better team.

DeRo might not play tonight, but he got the job done for Canada on Friday, scoring two goals and getting an assist in a 4-1 victory over St. Vincent AND the Grenadines (both countries at the same time!).

Here's a pre-game article from The Chron. The big news (according to the article) is that Ching is back with some zing. Let's hope so!

Vamos Dynamo!

Random pseudo-Dynamo musings

Tomorrow the Dynamo take on Colorado in Commerce City, Colorado. The Dynamo tend to fare well on the large, mile-high pitch. I'll post all the pre-game links later (I like to have them available for future surfing). Right now I'll focus on some random links I've stumbled across that I find to be interesting.

Remember Kelly Gray? Here's an interview with the defender-cum-midfielder. When the Quakes were relocated to Houston in December of that year, the comfort zone Gray had fought to establish was wrecked. While the same was true of every member of that inaugural Dynamo squad, the Leigh High School graduate took it harder than most, and it showed in his play. Halfway through the 2006 campaign, a series of high-profile errors saw him lose his spot in the starting lineup, and by season's end, he was a fringe player at best. Today Kelly plays defensive midfielder for the Quakes: "Playing center-mid is where I've always been most comfortable, and I'm finally getting a chance to play it. In Houston, I was never going to play over Ricardo [Clark] and Dwayne [De Rosario]. You're talking about the best in the country." Word.

The Offside Rules blog has an interesting post ("Houston, we have a party") about a soiree attended by a few of the eligible Dynamo players, and of course the DynamoGirls. It was for a local "guide to current culture" magazine called Envy. Never heard of it. The article has some links to interesting pix of the affair. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing the guys in an environment entirely different than the pitch. That Holden looks like he can get downright silly.

In an article about the potential of Houston's professional teams winning their respective championships, Houstonist concludes that the Dynamo is the most likely to achieve this goal. It also has this interesting fact that I never realized: All of Houston's championship titles have come in back-to-back succession. Houston Oilers 1960-61, Houston Rockets 1994-95, Houston Comets 1997-2000 and the Houston Dynamo 2006-07.

I found a link to a website where one can trade or buy videos of historic soccer games. The guy is from Austin, oddly. I say "oddly" because, as a former resident of Austin, I can attest that the area is a wasteland when it comes to soccer fandom. It has a great youth soccer environment, but it's hard to keep track of the professional game there. Houston doesn't have much over Austin, but connectivity to the world of soccer is one of the things it does have over the Weird City.

One thing I did in my years in Austin was nurture my interest in urban development and design. I'm only tangentially working in that field now -- at least the design part-- but I still have an interest in the whole subject. I recently stumbled across StrangeHarvest, a website (blog?) that discusses how today's soccer field serves as an abstraction of the townscapes of medieval England. The playing field that once included an entire town or two, today still retains abstract elements that serve as metaphorical echoes of the vernacular villages of yesteryear. It serves as a connection to the society of our ancestors, if you will. Somewhere in that minimalist arrangement of rectangles circles and dots is a trace of the landscapes of folk football: centre circle as lake, penalty area as village gateway, and goal as church. This makes football - perhaps more than any other sport - a kind of essentialised urbanism. Good stuff if you're into that sort of thing.

And, finally, the US professional indoor soccer league (MISL) has folded. I'm not a big fan of watching indoor soccer, although I did try my hand at it a couple of years ago when I moved to Houston and couldn't find a convenient 30+ outdoor league to play in. Indoor soccer certainly challenged my skills and definitely my fitness. but there's a better indoor game out there. Maybe the indoor league, as a part of its restructuring, should reject the old indoor game and adopt a globally-accepted indoor game: futsal. Futsal would provide a good alternative to the outdoor game, and would radically improve the soccer skills of its adherents. It also opens the door to those who want to compete in FIFA-sanctioned competitions, and the Brazilians have shown that futsal can breed talented soccer players. This guy certainly thinks futsal could be a solid replacement for the old-MISL style of play.

Calm returns

Calm in quietude is not real calm; when you can be calm in the midst of activity, this is the true state of nature.
Happiness in comfort is not real happiness; when you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the true potential of the mind.
-Huanchu Daoren

A few days after the Dynamo defeat, and I am once again at peace. In rewatching the game, I see that we played quite well, except for three plays on defense (two of which cost us) and except for an inability to get the ball into the net. We did nearly everything else right, though.

In looking at the standings, we're still well positioned. This is partially due to the fortune of being in the Western Conference, yes; but good teams will take advantage of good fortune.

I also noticed in my review of the match, that the Dynamo did, in fact, do more on the field than Marlen did. Apologies, fellas.

So, I'm spending Father's Day with a bit less REVulsion and less spite than I felt in the hours after the New England game.

However, should Barbados surprise the USMNT this afternoon, I reserve the right to throw peace and tranquility out the window and revert to venomous frustration.

Aggravation and REVulsion at the REVolting game

I can't think of a game much more aggravating that this one. The Revs play some of the ugliest soccer there is...but it's effective soccer. Particularly with Caig in the opposite goal.

Conceding the whole field to the Dynamo, the Revs were happy with occasional forays into our end. That's all they've needed in the past, and that was all they needed tonight. We have an aggregate of 0-5 goals versus the boring team from Foxboro, and we're even 0-3 with our A-team on the field. (Game recap; Chronicle recap. Kinnear: "Those guys were given an opportunity. If you ask for an opportunity and I give it to you, now it's your responsibility to take advantage." Ouch. But well said.)

Tonight we learned nothing. Here are some things that we already knew but which led to our defeat:
1. Possession does not lead to goals.
2. We have trouble scoring without DeRo or Ching.
3. We have trouble scoring because we have trouble getting a shot on goal.
4. We have difficulty breaking down bunkered in teams.
5. Caig is a shaky keeper that cannot keep us in games.
6. Stutter-step PKs are not smart. It didn't work for the best player in the world (that's Christiano Ronaldo) in the Champions League Final, how could it work for Stuart Holden. (And Holden took an absolute blistering shot vesus Reis in the MLS Cup Final of 2006; why change it up now?!)
7. Coach Steve Nicol hates soccer but loves his job. His antipathy and his security are both supported by his team's style of play.
8. John Harkes will throw an "as well" into the middle or at the end of any sentence, even if it doesn't make sense. That may not have been a factor leading towards our defeat, now that I think about it, but it did irritate me.

Even though we controlled possession, it wasn't due to solid passing play or creative dribbling. We didn't do ANY of that. It was just because the Revs were playing defensively. They don't care about the beautiful game -- never have. They care only for what matters: 3 points. Well they got it. And the Dynamo certainly didn't deserve 3 from tonight.

Us: 15 shots, 5 on goal (33%)
Them: 7 shots, 6 on goal (86%) and of course 2 IN goal.

Was there a bright spot? Sure. Her name is Marlen.

Marlen is a University of Houston student majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management with a Minor in Dance -- the exact same academic combination as Warren Buffet's, I think. Her ideal evening would center on a five-course meal at an upscale restaurant. Don't expect her to paint the town red afterwards, though. No, sir! She'd much rather relax in front of a good movie. Perhaps something that provides great introspection on the human condition. Or something starring Clooney.


Okay, seriously. The bright spot(s) for me tonight was Mullan. And Ashe. Mullan was everywhere, and he was hungry. He had two rockets that forced Reis to make his patented Reis Uber-Save. He also nutmegged Reis with a ball that went just wide of the goal. I was surprised that Kinnear took Mullan out in the second half. Perhaps Mulls was spent. He was offside a lot in the second half.

Ashe was also threatening tonight, and had a few looks at goal himself. Sure he sometimes traps himself in the corner, but he was putting New England on its heels all night and was exciting to watch throughout.

Holden didn't have a bad game overall. He just didn't seem as smooth and decisive as he has in the past. He was doing the heavy lifting throughout the match, but he had some notable gaffes. He was frozen about midway through the first half when Ashe sent a ball through the box that Cameron merely nicked; and Holden looked positioned to do something with the ball but was taken aback by Cameron's (mis)strike. Yeah, Holden also had that poor penalty kick (go back to the decisive shot, Stuie), but I think that may have been the Lords of Soccer bringing justice for the poor call. I don't think a PK should have been awarded.

And then there's Caig. I say the Dynamo get a clean sheet if Onstad is back there. Onstad probably intercepts the pass before it gets to Ralston on the first goal. That goal wasn't really the fault of the keeper though; the left mid should have been back to cover Waibel's man when Waibel had to cover Ianni's. I can say with some assurance that Onstad stops the second goal. First of all, he wouldn't concede the corner kick in the first place off such a simple shot on goal. Second, I don't recall him ever chesting the ball into his own net. Granted, once again our defense bequethed time and space to an opponent -- our our own box, no less -- allowing an easy shot, but the shot went to the keeper. A professional keeper should get those.

A weekend off from the inconsistent Dynamo. Let's hope the USMNT takes care of business versus Barbados, ideally with some solid play from Ching. Let's also wish DeRo, Onstad, and the Canadian National Team the best of luck as they head to Kingstown.

Tonight's game pREView

See how I worked "Rev" into the title? And we're playing the Revs tonight? That, my friends, is how journalists create energy and relevance to introduce an otherwise routine story. No, my friends, I am no journalist.

Ahem, tonight the Revs come to town. (Game guide.) Last we met, in blustery Foxboro, we were spanked by their newbie players for a 0-3 loss. Tonight's game will be notable for who will not be there.

No DeRo, no Ching, and no Onstad is a combination that would scare any Orangeman. There goes our scoring and our clean sheet. Let's see: no goals for us plus goals for them, well that equals a loss, right?

But the Revs will be without their creative Shalrie Joseph and key goal scorers Twellman, Kenny Mansally, and Khano Smith.

We'll call it a wash. Particularly since Brad Davis will be back.

The question remains: can we score? Well, our defenders are great at scoring on set pieces, and Stuie has quite a shot. Our young forwards are also due. Ya' hear me, Caraccio? You're due.

The remaining Revs are no slouches, with Ralston the ubiquitous provider of scoring opportunities, Cristman and Nyassi more than capable of netting goals, and Reis making über-saves in the back. That's right, I used an umlaut. Despite the challenge posed by the Revs and their umlaut selves, I'm going to stick with my contrarian view of "when we should win we won't; when things are going against us we win." I say Dynamo 2-0. And that's with Caig in goal, I know. Now it's up to the Dynamo to make me look good and put a brace past Reis.

Here's the MLS article on the match. DeRo: "I'm 100 percent confident in the talent on the bench, I'm sure they'll get the job done."

The game is on ESPN, so they have a pre-game article. The Dynamo have never beaten the Revs in five regular-season meetings, including a 3-0 beatdown on March 29. MLS Cups have been a different matter entirely however, with the Dynamo claiming the last two titles at the Revs' expense. And Kinnear says: "The first key for us is to have our outside backs attacking, jumping into space. The second key is to switch the ball quickly. If you do that, then you give [New England] problems. If you sit back too far, and let them pressure you in your end with their numbers, then you can't really get out."

The Chron has an article on BoBo, who is becoming a bonafide MIO. When the Dynamo host the New England Revolution tonight, Boswell, 25, will notch his 13th consecutive league start — something only one other Dynamo, Richard Mulrooney, has accomplished this season.

Before being selected for the USMNT match vs Barbados, Ching was selected MLS Player of the Week for his 2-goal, 1-assist game versus Toronto. B-Fall had a link (which may not last past this week) that showed how the members of the Fourth Estate voted. This is an interesting data point that I had never seen. No surprise that the opinionated Jamie Trecker didn't vote for Ching. I am surprised that Andrea Canales didn't vote for Beckham or Donovan (even though Donovan didn't play). Here is the voting breakout:

WEEK ELEVEN: JUNE 4-8
Brian Ching: Houston Dynamo
Ching registered two goals and an assist in Houston’s 3-1 victory over Toronto FC on Sunday.

National or non-market reporters
Marc Connolly: Matt Reis
JP Dellacamera: Brian Ching
Beau Dure: Brian Ching
Jonah Freedman: Brian Ching
Scott French: Brian Ching
Ives Galarcep: Brian Ching
Allen Hopkins: Brian Ching
Doug McIntyre: Luciano Emilio
Rob Stone: Brian Ching
Jaime Trecker: Matt Reis
Jerry Trecker: Matt Reis
Pat Walsh: Luciano Emilio

In-market reporters
Chicago
Luis Arroyave: Brian Ching
Columbus
Shawn Mitchell: Brian Ching
Dallas/Fort Worth
Steve Davis: Luciano Emilio
Tobias Xavier Lopez: Matt Reis
Houston
Bernardo Fallas: Dwayne DeRosario
Kansas City
Bob Luder: Brian Ching
Los Angeles
Andrea Canales: Juan Pablo Angel
Joseph D’Hippolito: Kevin Hartman
New England (Boston)
Kyle McCarthy: Luciano Emilio
New York
Frank Giase: Brian Ching
Michael Lewis: Brian Ching
Salt Lake
James Edward: Kevin Hartman
Michael C. Lewis: Luciano Emilio
San Jose
Elliott Almond: Brian Ching
Ann Killion: Brian Ching
Toronto
Larry Milson: Brian Ching
Washington D.C.
John Haydon: Luciano Emilio
Craig Stouffer: Luciano Emilio

And now for something completely different...
An essay from two fans who were able to accompany the Dynamo on their trip to the White House. To see the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, our first president, which was saved by Dolley Madison during the War of 1812, brought a huge lump to our throats. To walk the halls where Kennedy and Roosevelt walked and to know that they entered these same rooms in which we stood was awe-inspiring.

Dynamo down Toronto

Excellent match tonight. Our first goals versus Toronto lead to our first win versus Toronto. DeRo, Ching, and Ching gave us the 3-1 edge over DeRo's hometown team, and solid play from back to front gave the MIO a well-earned 3 points. Great job by Pat-I to set up that second goal. Great job by Pat-O to make at least one superhuman save (a double save, actually) to ensure the victory.

The Dynamo looked strong with 8 shots on goal to FC's 3 (and 19 total shots to FC's 5).

Proud, surging FC,
stopped by DeRo, Ching, and Pat.
"Flee to Canada!"

The Dynamo dance
because our humidity
wilts the Maple Leaf.

My urge to Haiku sated, here are the post-game media links:
The official MLS recap. In the first half "Houston had scoring chances in the 14th, 24th and 29th minutes before De Rosario scored late."

Another MLS article highlighting The Dom's personnel changes. Kinnear said, "That might have been our most complete game of the season from start to finish."

The Chronicle's recap. The Dynamo notes mention that the game was a face-off between the two Canadian Keepers. Luckily ours was the better of the two.

The post-game quotes. I don't know much about Toronto FC head coach, John Carver (other than that hullaballo about the MLS deeming him "too active" on the sidelines), but he's done well with the Reds this season, and I can appreciate his post-game candor: "They [the Dynamo] looked sharper, they looked fitter, they got closer to the ball, they passed the ball better than us, their finishing was very good and they could have had a few more, so no excuses. We got beaten by the better side, a side that's certainly on the way up." And how about Jeff Cunningham's assessment: "Now I know why they won two championships back-to-back. They're a very good side, and they were a different class tonight. It was a learning experience for us, so we'll go back and prepare next week for Colorado and try to improve. There are a lot of things to take away from this game. It's definitely a learning experience." The most flattering compliments are those that come from the opposition.

Hosting the fighting Torontonians

On Sunday, Dynamo face Toronto FC. (Game preview.) We've never beaten the Canucks. Maybe it would be more accurate to say "we've never beaten Toronto FC" because we fielded as many or more Canucks than they fielded, so maybe we weren't really playing Canucks at all. Maybe we're the Canucks.

Anyway, last year Toronto was a doormat, so we naturally lost to them in Toronto and tied them in a scoreless draw here in Houston when they had to play with 10 men for more than half the match. This year Toronto is playing some good ball, which means they're a better team, which means we're more likely to get a point or 3 off of them.

Don't know if Dichio will be playing. He's listed as questionable. Edu and Guevara won't play as both are with their respective national teams. That's a good thing. Just about everyone is back to healthy again on the Orange side, although E-Rob will be out because of the league-imposed special punishment for "fouling while wearing orange."

On Sunday, Toronto might have problems with our 12th man: the humidity. It could kill their attacking spirit, particularly if Dichio isn't playing. Still, the next goal we score against them will be the first goal we score against them.

Kersten Mullan's story
Did you catch B-Fall's article on why Mr. and Mrs. Mullan are strong supporters of the Ronald McDonald House? It's a good story and a good charity.

DC trip half a success.
Well, the DC game was rained monsooned out on Wednesday, but the team was still able to visit the White House. Ching said, "It's always a very special honor to meet the President. I can't wait to get up there and shake his hand again." Oliver Luck blogs about it too. "This trip was anything but 'been there, done that.'"

A wonderful vacation story

I get tired of hearing about people's trips to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, blah, blah blah. BO-ring! I know how to vacation. Here's my story. Don't get jealous!

The excitement begins yesterday. We have no air conditioning downstairs. The second story (where the bedrooms are) is quite comfortable. The ground floor (where everything else is): not so much. We call our friendly a/c repairman and he says he can come over at 8:30 AM today. I tell my boss I'm going to take a vacation day, get the air conditioning fixed, repair my fence gate latch at the same time, have a nice lunch somewhere with my wife, do something fun with the kids in the afternoon, watch the US take on Spain, then finish the day watching the Dynamo get their first victory in DC.

At 9:00 AM no repairman, so I call him. He's crazy busy, can he come later? Sure.

I spend the entire morning working on the gate. It takes the entire morning because I suck at basic carpentry. The only home repair technique I have mastered is basic profanity. I am sticky and not a little bit stinky. Still no a/c man, so I clean up my garage. A little. I still can't park either car in it. I am stickier and stinkier.

One o'clock and no repairman. I run quickly to Burger King and get a pre-processed burger to take home and scarf down.

Repairman comes at 2:30. He leaves at 2:40 to get the part he needs. He returns at 3:15. Air conditioner is fixed at 4:45. House is cool. I am poor. I have completely forgotten about the US game.

It's 5:30, so we call in wings from Wing Stop and we return with them just in time to see the pre-game. It's raining in DC. Ching won't play due to a hamstring issue. Lighting. They stop the pre-game and go to movie previews. Then at 7 they go to the game. The field is wet. People are flopping everywhere. The ball doesn't move. The ball doesn't roll. The ball can barely even be pushed. It can fly through the air okay though.

The picture goes out and Charlie Pallilo goes into radio game-play mode. He does a fine job. The picture returns in time to see the teams walking to the bench then to the locker room. Everything is wet.

Reno 911 comes on. Then some stupid sitcoms. Then B-Fall reports the game is canceled.

This vacation day just sucked from beginning to end. I am poorer than when I began. I am less rested. I didn't get to go to the Caribbean, Hawaii, or Europe -- just to blah. I am just plain irritable.

But at least I'm cool. And at least the Dynamo didn't lose. TGFSF.

Daggers in the house

So, as Mackeysgirl posited: what IS up with Daggers being back in Houston? Though he visited teammates, he's not here at the Dynamo's behest. B-Fall reports that when the Scot finished his 3-month stint with Kilmarnock in Scotland, his wife, Brandi, wanted to return to Texas. The dutiful husband complied and is "entertaining certain business propositions" in the Lone Star State. He also says he is not retiring just yet.

Dalglish's willingness to move back to Houston as summer approaches...well, that's a sign that he sure loves his new bride. Brandi better appreciate him.

As for the soccer side, he was clutch here for the Dynamo as the 2006 season came to a close, but he didn't do much in 2007: during the season, in our US Open match versus a USL team, and with our Reserves. Part of the problem might have been injury, but that doesn't explain the slump in its entirety.

So the Dynamo need a forward with pace who can (and will, dangitall!) shoot the ball. Dalglish is in town looking for a way to pay his bills. And he must still feel comfortable with the team since he took the time to visit his former teammates. Is this kismet? Or just a strange coincidence?

The idea of him returning has a certain appeal to me, but I don't know if the Dynamo want a guy who couldn't score versus MLS Reserves or a USL team. I wonder if Daggers isn't too old for the rigors of the MLS. But, could he serve as a mentor to some of the young strikers on the team? I don't know; but it would be cool if he could return and contribute to the club. We've never lost an MLS Cup while he was on the roster.

Finally, I hope he doesn't resent his wife for dragging him back to Texas. I'd hate to see a Las Vegas wedding end in divorce. Has that ever happened? Looking at the wedding photo, she's a little cutie. Looks like Paige Davis from Trading Spaces. Am I wrong? Yeah, I don't think he could resent her.

But can he score for the Dynamo? And would the Dynamo give him another chance? (The answer to the second question is probably "no." Not because of any hard feelings, but because that ship has sailed.)

Red Bulls fizzles in the heat of Houston

Beautiful soccer is a work of art, but grinding out a result is important some days. The Dynamo did just that last night. They began the game with several starters missing (DeRo, Onstad, Robinson, and Barrett), controlled possession in the first half but did not generate any dangerous threats, then managed to put together the whole package in the second half: control possession, set the tempo, get shots on goal, and get some shots in the goal.

Credit young guns Stuart Holden and Geoff Cameron for setting up the veteran Ching's goal. It came (natch) off a free kick. A restart, if you will. Maybe it will help restart the season as the Dynamo are now lingering at the top of the conference. Still, no one but San Jose is more than 3 points behind; the season is still a toss up, but we're near where we need to be. Now we need to stay there and keep rising.

To do that, we'll need to grind out some more results. And play some beautiful soccer along the way.

Media Roundup

Official recap is here.

Another article on the victory and the young guns responsible.

Some quotes. No particularly noteworthy quote was captured.