Soccer 101

Dynamo Houston hosted a soccer clinic tonight with a public viewing. The courses included:

1. Organizing a Defense
2. The Midfield: A Tool for Setting Up the Forwards
3. Let's Get Physical: Soccer as an Effective Contact Sport
4. Play the Odds: Shooting in Bunches and the Goals that Can Result
5. Chillin' & Killin': How to stay refreshed and end a match

And finally,
6. How to Create a Strong Franchise within a Budget.

The willing student were the Red Bulls-NY. I don't know how much RBNY picked up in class, but we obliged with much repetition to help with the learning. We ended the game 4-0, but it could've been 6-0 or more.

Sometimes it's hard to figure out this team. We always have solid defense, and our midfield is among the best in the league, but we're not always that good in the final third. Tonight we were. Ngwenya had two (with his head), Ching had one (with his foot), and Holden had a "cracker of a shot" (as the English are wont to say) to add to his 2 (and a half) assists. Ngwenya almost had another, Ching almost had two more (including an outstanding shot that hit the post), DeRo could've had two (a brilliant free kick and a powerful kick following his own dummy and a Ching backheel), and substitute Cory Ashe could've had two of his own as well. After the second goal, the team was so relaxed that they were playing confidently and creatively.

If memory serves, the first three goals were off corner kicks, right? (Ching's being immediately following one.) That right there is unusual for the team this year. And we didn't have to rely on a single defender to score for us tonight.

All this after a forgettable day at Frisco. I guess Houston still wilts under a harsh sun (who doesn't?), but humidity ain't no thang.

And the newbie, Nate? As a sub he laid off the pass that opened Holden up for his "CoaS".

I'm just going to sit back and bask in it all. I've got it taped, so I might even rewatch it. I may have to save it to watch after the DC game this weekend if that goes sour.

But if the team finishes on a regular basis like it did tonight, things won't go sour often, and we'll take the Supporters' Shield.

Other bits:

• Good to see Goldthwaite again. Second time this season we've faced him, and in his second uniform. Trading Goldie was good for his career, I think, but I feel for him not getting the chance to gel with one team. Hopefully he gels with the Taureaux Rouges. He didn't have a particularly good game tonight unfortunately (or fortunately for us). How nice it would have been for him to have his goal count tonight, with him returning to Robertson. We likely won't see him again, unless he gets traded again or we see him in the post-season.
  
• Speaking of former Dynamos, here's a nice article on Alejandro Moreno from the Columbus Dispatch.
  
• The "First XI" have been identified for the All-Star team. To have two center mids from the same club chosen as "the best" says a lot for the club's quality.
• Oh yeah: the US lost to Colombia. While we didn't look overmatched like we did against Argentina, this one hurts the most because of the fact that Colombia is not the quality of Argentina, that Colombia had to play with 10 men and a striker in goal for the final 3+ minutes of the game, and Guzan managed to save a PK and we still were outscored.

Go Dynamo!

Swapping Goldie for Mulrooney

It's official, Dynamo have traded Kevin Goldthwaite to Toronto FC in exchange for Richard Mulrooney (and a draft pick -- it doesn't matter which one because Dom doesn't seem to put much stock in the draft ... and there's no strong history in the MLS to suggest the draft can dramatically affect a team in the near-term, unlike in the NFL). We lose a future prospect in exchange for a veteran.

It's a bit of a risk, because we're losing a solid sub for Davis at left mid and for Barrett at left back -- and while Barrett can run all day (though he's not getting any younger), Davis' fortitude isn't always the best, though he seems to be finding his legs now that the season has begun. In return, we're getting a player who sat out most of the 2005 season due to a torn ACL and a good portion of the 2002 season due to a broken ankle. Furthermore, his primary positions -- defensive mid and right mid -- are already filled by solid players, Rico and Mullan, respectively.

Nevertheless, I am pumped about this trade. I agree with Glenn Davis that (barring injury) this trade means good things and more flexibility for the team. Mulrooney is versatile; in his career, he has played left back, right back, left mid, right mid, and defensive mid. He can score and provide the dangerous assist. He comes to us with the ability to provide solid service off the bench (or even as a starter) specifically as a defensive mid and right back. One of the major criticisms of this team has been its depth, which is going to be sorely tested with all of the matches we face this summer, and national team call ups (US and Canadian) could deplete us of key members of our starting 11. Mulrooney can definitely help when Rico departs. In fact, he can help out with at least journeyman abilities nearly everywhere on the field (save, perhaps, central defense and forward). When we're at full strength, he gives Dom the flexibility of shifting to a 3-5-2 or a (gasp) 4-5-1 when game conditions call for it.

He has the MLS experience that will bring immediate benefits to the team, yet he is also a good fit from a team perspective. The success of Dynamo owes much not just to the talents of its players, but the effectiveness of "the Kinnear system." Mulrooney played for Dom on the Quakes and played with many of the Dynamo starting 11 at that time. I've never met 'Rooney, but I saw him close up when I was sitting in Section 117 at the Rob last year when he took some corner kicks when FCD was in town. (I think it was the August 12 game, where Waibel scored the only goal of the match.) He seemed affable in his interaction with the crowd over there. Dom already knows how 'Rooney will fit psychologically with the team. Mulrooney will require no transition time, and he'll be a welcome presence in the locker room. Also, he's returning to Texas where he can be closer to his family, so he'll be playing with the confidence engendered by a happy domestic existence.

Mulrooney is available to us in NY/NJ this weekend. I'm sure he'll suit up and will be on the bench. Dom may even feel comfortable enough to give 'Rooney some time on the field, although I'd be a little surprised to see that.

Finally, I wish Goldthwaite the best of luck. I met "Goldie" briefly at one of Glenn Davis' on-site (meaning at a pub/bar) broadcasts, and he seems like a great guy. I think moving to Toronto will get him more playing time and help him develop faster...plus Toronto is technically "playing abroad" isn't it?