Another freakin' Moral Victory

One of the irritating things about soccer is that class and quality don't always translate into 3 points. Sometimes not even to 1 point. Last night, from the opening kickoff, Dynamo-Houston played like the home team. They were confident. They were creative. They played like professionals, particularly in the midfield. They controlled possession and territory. While Columbus was hesitant and forced to react to the play around them, and were left hoping for a break on a set play.

Well, you got that break, Columbus. Congrats on your 100th win, Sigi!

You think I'm a homer who is trying to paint the best picture of his team after a bitter loss? Well, you're right. But here's a quote from the opposing coach who apparently also realizes that the Dynamo are a class above his team: "We might have set a league record for blocked shots by a team tonight...They're a good team and when you look at it from a soccer aspect, maybe they had a little more of the game." At least Sigi's post-game soccer analysis isn't as myopic as Steve Morrow's is after FC Dallas games.

Here are some examples of the class of the Dynamo:

• Right on the 6:00 mark there's an excellent combination: DeRo on the right drops the ball to Mulrooney, who touches it square to Clark and falls back to create a good angle. Clark drops it to Mulrooney who passes it to DeRo who dummies the ball then breaks down the line. Mullan gets the ball and pushes it forward to DeRo down the line who is facing a very disorganized Crew defense, but a desperate sliding tackle from Moffat pushes the ball into touch for a Dynamo throw in.
• 10th minute: DeRo just left of center pushes the ball through to Davis on the left. A one touch pass to Barrett, then a Barrett-Davis-Barrett pass exchange opens up the defense a bit, then Barrett threads a pass to DeRo who makes a one-touch flick to an onrushing Barrett, who gets fouled right on the left boundary of the penalty box.
• A minute after the second half restart, an excellent 3-person passing combination freezes the Crew defense giving Clark an opportunity saved by Hesmer.
• In the 89th minute, a aerial cross to Ching is headed down to Holden, who lays it off again to set up a dynamite sliding shot by Barrett that was heading to the upper 90, only for Hesmer to make an outstanding jumping dive to catch the rocket.

These aren't the only chances we had, of course. We had 15 shots (to the Crew's 9), and probably another 10 more dangerous opportunities that didn't result in shots. Besides some of the plays mentioned above, there were:

• 2nd minute: Caraccio nods a free kick on frame, straight at the GK.
• 12th minute: An apparent Davis goal gets waived off due to an offside DeRo.
• 34th minute: Davis chips a ball in to Carracio. The ball is mishandled by Hesmer, and Caraccio tries to pick up the trash before a general scrum forms on the goal line. Hesmer is able to get his hands around the ball in the middle of the writhing orgy to stop the play. I've got a question on this: with O'Rourke and Carroll (and, admittedly, Caraccio) trying to play the ball while on the ground, how is a free kick not awarded to somebody?
• In the 63rd minute, Mulrooney picks up the pieces from a broken Dynamo free kick in the attacking third, gets an aerial to Ching who chests it and...well...how did he not do something better with that one?
• In the next minute, Mullan drives a ball to the far post that a sliding Caraccio is inches away from touching into the net.
• In the 69th minute, a DeRo rocket is bobbled by Hesmer, but the lack of follow up ensures nothing comes of it. DeRo has another dangerous shot in the 74th.
• In the 83rd, Ashe has an uncharacteristically awesome shot heading to the far lower net, which is saved by Hesmer. This makes perhaps the first game that both Barrett and Ashe (who are known for their other attributes) have some of the most impressive and challenging shots on goal.

This isn't to say that the Crew totally stole the game from the Dynamo. They had their chances, but they weren't the result of impressive play. In fact, as with much of the LA game, the Dynamo looked like a professional team playing against reserves. Still, this is the MLS, and individual brilliance or a well-orchestrated set play can make the difference.

In the 22nd minute, the Crew take advantage of the only corner kick they get in the first half. BoBo makes a booboo and kind of hangs out in no-mans land. As Clark and DeRo run by him with their respective marks, BoBo sees -- too late! -- that Marshall is free and keying in on the incoming ball. BoBo gets there -- too late! -- and the ball is headed in bouncy-fashion towards the goal. Ianni is there, deflects it, then tries to heel flick it out of danger before Moreno manages to pick up the trash and knock the ball past Onstad and Barrett. BoBo didn't really have that bad of a game, but he is responsible for this goal. And, ironically, if Ianni hadn't done what a defender is supposed to do (that is: block the shot), Onstad would have easily gotten the ball as he was perfectly positioned for it. Fate worked against us, though, and the blocked shot set Moreno up for a typically scrappy Moreno goal. One corner = one goal for the home team playing like a visiting team.

The Yellow Ones would have more chances -- In the 2nd minute the Dynamo handed the Crew a free freekick when Onstad picked up a back pass from Mulrooney (it came to naught); Padula had a rocket that just missed the mark in the 35th; a Houston defensive breakdown gave Onstad a chance to show his awesomeness with a flying save in the 47th; in the 55th minute Robbie Rogers dribbles down and gets off a shot that is easily corralled by Onstad (if that had been Moreno dribbling, he would have flown through the air as Mullan engaged him in the hopes of conning the ref for a free kick); in the 74th Moreno jumps around Ianni to head a corner kick on frame and forcing a goal line clearance by Barrett -- but they were mostly the result of individual talent or nicely executed set plays. Those are certainly components of good soccer, but not the definition of good soccer.

Of course, being shut out isn't anywhere in the definition of good soccer. Nevertheless, the Dynamo played inspiring soccer in every aspect but the scoring aspect. I'm sure many fans are tired of this. It's a moral victory, but an actual loss.

Let's switch to some off-the-field observations.

• When did the Columbus crew take out stands behind the north (?) goal to put in a stage. I guess that's the standard for Hunt SWICS (remember?: Soccer-When-It's-Convenient_Stadiums): kill some of the passion by placing a barren concrete platform that permanently reserves a quarter of the stands for non-soccer activities. Both Pizza Hunt Park and Crew Stadium sport this abomination. It looks like this happened between last season and this one. The Columbus Dispatch says: "The Crew appears to have lost few of its most ardent supporters, some who were supplanted from their home in the stadium's north end by the new permanent stage."
• Props to the remaining Crew faithful who made Davis' job difficult on those corner kicks in front of the supporters. Kudos to Davis for not succumbing to the pressure.
• Janette Fernandez is simply awful in sport interviews. Please, somebody, give her some prepared and intelligent questions for halftime and after the game.
• Chivas got skunked by LA last night. Maybe we'll be able to score against Chivas next week at The Rob. Last year's goalkeeper of the year (Brad Guzan) isn't doing much better than last year's defensive squad of the year (that is us, y'all).
• The League's bottom dwellers at this writing are today's San Jose and yesteryear's San Jose. Is that some sort of poetic statement?

Media roundup:
The MLS game review, and article.

The Chronicle article. And player ratings.

Going Back to Ohio

Dynamo-Houston trek to Columbus, OH, tonight. The Crew aren't their usual pushover selves, especially when Guillermo Barros Schelotto is on his game. In the 4-game history of the two teams, the Dynamo have won only once (in Columbus, not The Rob) with the remainder being draws. It's hard to predict who wins tonight, although one might think that Houston is due its first win of the season, but I don't think the odds work that way: adding up until a particular game is a gimme. You could easily argue that the Crew are due their first win of the Houston/Columbus series. Maybe a draw is the most likely conclusion.

All's I know is that Alejandro Moreno will probably score a goal; he has netted one every time he's faced Houston since his departure from Houston. And I will say unequivocally that Moreno will earn his team at least 2 dangerous free kicks. That's how he rolls. Still, I feel that Houston should win if they play like they have been. Here's hoping for a game like the first half versus LA, only with more scoring for the orange.

Here is the MLS game preview.

Caraccio has been a long-time admirer of Schelotto. Tonight is a great chance for the young gun to impress the old maestro.

A brief note about the defensive line. This will be the first time this season our back line will have the same personnel lining up in consecutive games.

Did you know that Sigi Schmid coached The Dom on the USNMT years ago? Sigi said Dom was on the "World Cup Team" but Dom wasn't on the final roster for the 1990 team. Maybe Sigi was the assistant coach and Dom was with the team through the build up, then was cut before the final roster was made?

Also, do the Dynamo want to be the team that gives Sigi his 100th win? (Read the fourth bullet under Item #5 here. Also, Item #1 talks about the weird knuckling action of the MLS ball; could unfamiliarity with the MLS ball be the reason for Caig's slow start? That would be nice if it were true; and it might explain why his last few games have been better. But: (1) that wouldn't explain one of his apparent weaknesses, which is his hesitancy as to when to come off his line and (2) it wouldn't explain the performance in Saprissa, where they don't use the MLS ball and he still struggled.)

A final (?) word on Donovan and His Angry Face
Shaka Hislop has an interesting take on the Dynamo's reaction to Donovan's vocal showmanship last week: the complacency is a sign that all is not well in Dynamoland. He feels Ianni should have confronted Donovan and the Dynamo should have supported their teammate. Instead, Donovan "had to be led away by one of his own team-mates - all the while, no one from Houston, not even Ianni, cared to confront the LA forward...It portrayed a real lack of camaraderie from within Houston's ranks, which is very concerning given the pre-season favourites' precarious position at the bottom of the Western Conference, without a win to their name." Personally, I think Ianni handled the incident quite professionally, and camaraderie is one thing that doesn't appear to be a problem with the Dynamo. I do agree with Hislop's later accolades about The Dom.

Another factoid from the Hislop piece: In Portsmouth "the fans are famous for their vehement support, so much so that the number 12 was reserved for the crowd - no player would wear the No12 shirt." Cool tradition, that.

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!