Lots of good stuff going on with the Orange, so much so that I've not blogged. I've been trotting around enjoying other blogs though, leaving my opinions sprinkled about as I go. It's a good time to be a Dynamo fan ... and a US fan for that matter. The US has had its ups and downs, but the Dynamo are undefeated since my last post...maybe I shouldn't post...
To recap what's happened since my last post:
May 23 - We said "See Ya!" to Nick Garcia and his fellow Quakes. Nick was impotent and proven to be the "mental midget" as the MIO crushed the Quakes 3-1. Ching scored in the 4th, Kamara in the 12th, Waibel (!) in the 50th, and San Jose's Johnson (assist by Cam Weaver) in the 53rd.
May 27 - The Dynamo pick up Dominic Oduro from the Red Bulls. Oduro spent 2006-2008 with FC Dallas.
May 30 - DeRo comes to town for the only time this season. Davis-Kamara-Holden each score a goal from minute 20 to minute 24, and Hainault and Onstad are the only Canucks with three points after the 3-0 victory.
June 1ish - Clark leaves for the USMNT, where he plays in a WCQ 2-1 win over Honduras, then the Confederation Cup Tournament in South Africa. Ching departs as well, but comes back injured before the WCQ match.
June 5 - The MIO travel to Chicago. Holden scored in the 3rd minute, but the Dynamo are mostly outplayed and concede numerous chances, but the lone goal stands and they leave with 3 points. (Chris Wondolowski came on in the 75th minute in what turned out to be his final game as a MIO.)
June 7 - Cam Weaver sits on the bench in Dallas as San Jose leaves with a 2-2 draw. Six days later Cam would return in Orange and score a brace.
June 8 - Cam Weaver comes to Houston from San Jose, while Orange Reserve mainstay Chris Wondolowski heads home to San Jose. We wish Wondo well with the Quakes.
June 9 - San Jose say "C'ya" to Nick Garcia and ship him to The Great White North.
June 10 - Chivas USA comes to town and is completely out-classed, but we eke out only a 1-0 victory...but at least it's a victory. Holden gets the goal, with Cam Weaver getting the assist in his first game as a MIO. It was a nice flick-on from an Onstad goal kick in the final minute of the first half, and it fell in front of a streaking Holden who side-stepped the goalie and slotted the lone goal in. Cam Weaver also got a legit goal, but it was illegitimately called off for being offside (which he wasn't). Luckily we didn't need the goal, but it hurt Cam's stats.
June 13 - Pooped from the arduous Chivas match three days before, the Dynamo travel to Frisco to face an inspired Dallas. The ex-Burn played perhaps their best match, but the Dynamo, led by our new Cam Weaver's 2 goals and a blistering shot from distance by Mulrooney, go up 3-0 before conceding a late goal to leave with a 3-1 win, 3 points, and El Capitan. My wife and I were able to enjoy this at the Dynamo viewing party at the Hooters on Kirby.
June 20 - It was a weird match all in all when RSL came to town. There was an early injury to Waibel that caused him to be subbed out 7 minutes into the game, a water break for the teams around the 25th minute, an OG by Bobby Boswell 50 seconds after the restart, an OG by RSL that was called off because Hainault was offside on the freekick (but was he part of the play?), to a free kick pass-back to the RSL keeper that Rimando picked up but the ref allowed the kick to be retaken, to a halftime substitute that brought in Ching (has Dom ever made 2 subs by the 46th minute? Or even the 60th minute?) to a red card to RSL's Olave for a stupid delay of game when he had a yellow already, to a missed PK by Brad Davis, to a late brilliant play by Ching to fly through the air to score and give us 1 point. There were highlights: such as in the 13th minute when the Dynamo had six 1-touch passes among 4 people to set Kamara up with a fast break from the left side. Also in the 87th, second half sub Ching (who had been out with an injury since the Toronto match) made a long pass from the center to Mullan on the right, then sprinted up the middle for Mullan's return cross, skying in the air and driving the ball into the net to give his side the tie they so desperately earned but looked to have been denied. There were also lowlights (beside the reffing): the 16 uncontested passes by RSL after the water break, then a cross and a backheel pass that led to a poor shot on goal that Boswell knocked in with his knee.
So now the Dynamo are alone in the Supporters' Shield position, and Dom is set to coach the MLS All Star Team versus Everton.
Tomorrow, we venture to LaLa Land to face the Galaxy without Hainault (Canadian National Team), Waibel (injury), Barrett (injury), and Clark (USMNT). Hopefully our cobbled-together defense can hold off LA's weak offense...
Go Dynamo!
Showing posts with label San Jose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Jose. Show all posts
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Garcia "I talk trash because I play like trash"
In a stunning development last week, the Dynamo were able to score on a 10-man team. The MIO have an easier time scoring on 11-men than they do versus 10-men, but they did it. On the road. On green asphalt.
The story of the game was really about our bench providing a spark when it was needed. The score was set up by a nice turnover in our half of the field (Boswell or Cameron was responsible for that), then a pass to Davis, who got the ball to a streaking Ashe. Ashe had speed on his side, but it was his curling cross that was really the story. And a sliding Wondolowski got on the end of the cross to net his 2nd goal of the season (and the 7,000th goal for the MLS). With 2 goals and an assist, Wondo is behind only Ching's 3 goals for our team. The young pup is making a case for a starting role, or at least for coming in off the bench sooner.
When we got that goal, I thought the game was over, based on our ubiquitously solid defense and the match's general run of play. Unfortunately, a defensive miscue led to a corner kick, which was not defended correctly, and John Wolyniec demonstrated excellent composure and technique to bring down a blind ball, turn, and get it past Onstad to split the points with the Dynamo.
Now the Dynamo are amongst a group of 5 teams fighting to catch up with Chivas-North. We can help keep the trailers down in the cellar when we meet up against San Jose tonight at Robertson. San Jose has only one win so far, and it was against us, natch. We have a little dark cloud that lingers around us when we play the Quakes, but let's hope we can shake that tonight.
In other news, Garcia says he compensates for his lack of skill by getting in the head of his opponents. One has to be good at something I presume, and he has been successful at manipulating officials and the system to get Kamara off the field. We'll see if he is successful at that tonight.
Soapbox: I do like the physicality of the MLS and the fact that we don't have soft defenses that exaggerate the skill of forwards. However, I do wish the MLS had an environment where technique and creativity would be rewarded slightly more than force and destruction are. To do this, we need the officials to call a game in such a way as to create this environment, and we'd need to see more defenders who have the vision and acuity necessary to compensate for the fact that physicality is no longer their trump card. In the end, I think this sort of environment would help develop better defenders, help develop more creative attackers, and generate more exciting gameplay.
Of course, whenever officials try to temper physical play, then we start to see more flopping by the attackers, so as with everything in life, there could be a downside.
But tonight I think we're going to see too physical teams hammering each other to attrition. Let's hope that the Dynamo come out unscathed and with 3 points.
Go DYNAMO!
The story of the game was really about our bench providing a spark when it was needed. The score was set up by a nice turnover in our half of the field (Boswell or Cameron was responsible for that), then a pass to Davis, who got the ball to a streaking Ashe. Ashe had speed on his side, but it was his curling cross that was really the story. And a sliding Wondolowski got on the end of the cross to net his 2nd goal of the season (and the 7,000th goal for the MLS). With 2 goals and an assist, Wondo is behind only Ching's 3 goals for our team. The young pup is making a case for a starting role, or at least for coming in off the bench sooner.
When we got that goal, I thought the game was over, based on our ubiquitously solid defense and the match's general run of play. Unfortunately, a defensive miscue led to a corner kick, which was not defended correctly, and John Wolyniec demonstrated excellent composure and technique to bring down a blind ball, turn, and get it past Onstad to split the points with the Dynamo.
Now the Dynamo are amongst a group of 5 teams fighting to catch up with Chivas-North. We can help keep the trailers down in the cellar when we meet up against San Jose tonight at Robertson. San Jose has only one win so far, and it was against us, natch. We have a little dark cloud that lingers around us when we play the Quakes, but let's hope we can shake that tonight.
In other news, Garcia says he compensates for his lack of skill by getting in the head of his opponents. One has to be good at something I presume, and he has been successful at manipulating officials and the system to get Kamara off the field. We'll see if he is successful at that tonight.
Soapbox: I do like the physicality of the MLS and the fact that we don't have soft defenses that exaggerate the skill of forwards. However, I do wish the MLS had an environment where technique and creativity would be rewarded slightly more than force and destruction are. To do this, we need the officials to call a game in such a way as to create this environment, and we'd need to see more defenders who have the vision and acuity necessary to compensate for the fact that physicality is no longer their trump card. In the end, I think this sort of environment would help develop better defenders, help develop more creative attackers, and generate more exciting gameplay.
Of course, whenever officials try to temper physical play, then we start to see more flopping by the attackers, so as with everything in life, there could be a downside.
But tonight I think we're going to see too physical teams hammering each other to attrition. Let's hope that the Dynamo come out unscathed and with 3 points.
Go DYNAMO!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Another blah beginning
The Dynamo are now 3 games into their fourth season and still searching for a win...just like last season! We're alongside fellow winless clubs FC Dallas and LA Galaxy from the West, and from the East last year's MLS Cup opponents: Columbus and RBNY. In fact, going back to last season and the CONCACAF tournament, Dynamo-Houston has won only once in their last 11 matches, and have lost five of those 11.
The results of the past three MLS matches have each been irritating in their own particular way: we gave up the equalizer very late in our home opener, we got two goals against San Jose and couldn't get even a point out of it, and we conceded a goal vs an average DC squad and were shut out even after United went down a man. (Being shut out versus a 10-man squad is a Dynamo tradition, unfortunately.)
The team isn't playing particularly poorly, but they are leaking goals at an un-Dynamolike pace. We are very slow in the back, except for the virtually untested Julius James, who has yet to mesh with the starting 11. I wouldn't be surprised, though, to see James play this weekend when we face RBNY and the speedster, Dane Richards, who virtually single-handedly tore us up and kicked us out of the MLS Cup playoffs last season.
So we'll just wait this one out before we start panicking. We have faith in Dom; he's bound to get this team on the right course or make the changes necessary to at least get us into the post-season. We're excited about the potential Ade Akinbiyi has for this team in a league such as this. We're confident in Stuart Holden's ability to assume DeRo's mantle; he has the chops and he's comfortable with the team, and he's bound to be better than an aging and disgruntled DeRo would have been had he stayed. Plus we have some pretty capable players all around – Boswell, Clark, Ching, Davis, Mullen....
In the media:
J Hutcherson likens Houston's post-championship rebuilding to those of DC's past. He questions how Akinbiyi will help the team, but has good things to say about Ching. Courtesy of television angles, most fans not seeing him in person miss what Ching can bring to a squad. He's one of the few players in MLS that trends towards the smart play from the opening to the 90th minute. He'll play himself out of an attacking move if he sees a better option.
Last month, Goal.com had a preview of the Dynamo season. Nothing particularly new there. They have a fairly optimistic, though safe, prediction that Houston should fare well in the Western Conference, but I wonder if they are more pessimistic now after the recent results. Reporters always seem to place significant importance on the first few games of any season, and most seem to shift their opinions after even the briefest of trends.
Closer to home, Fanblogger Lark was a bit cynical after the home opener, and with good reason. He even used the "C" word, a title that Houston sports fans know too well.
The results of the past three MLS matches have each been irritating in their own particular way: we gave up the equalizer very late in our home opener, we got two goals against San Jose and couldn't get even a point out of it, and we conceded a goal vs an average DC squad and were shut out even after United went down a man. (Being shut out versus a 10-man squad is a Dynamo tradition, unfortunately.)
The team isn't playing particularly poorly, but they are leaking goals at an un-Dynamolike pace. We are very slow in the back, except for the virtually untested Julius James, who has yet to mesh with the starting 11. I wouldn't be surprised, though, to see James play this weekend when we face RBNY and the speedster, Dane Richards, who virtually single-handedly tore us up and kicked us out of the MLS Cup playoffs last season.
So we'll just wait this one out before we start panicking. We have faith in Dom; he's bound to get this team on the right course or make the changes necessary to at least get us into the post-season. We're excited about the potential Ade Akinbiyi has for this team in a league such as this. We're confident in Stuart Holden's ability to assume DeRo's mantle; he has the chops and he's comfortable with the team, and he's bound to be better than an aging and disgruntled DeRo would have been had he stayed. Plus we have some pretty capable players all around – Boswell, Clark, Ching, Davis, Mullen....
In the media:
J Hutcherson likens Houston's post-championship rebuilding to those of DC's past. He questions how Akinbiyi will help the team, but has good things to say about Ching. Courtesy of television angles, most fans not seeing him in person miss what Ching can bring to a squad. He's one of the few players in MLS that trends towards the smart play from the opening to the 90th minute. He'll play himself out of an attacking move if he sees a better option.
Last month, Goal.com had a preview of the Dynamo season. Nothing particularly new there. They have a fairly optimistic, though safe, prediction that Houston should fare well in the Western Conference, but I wonder if they are more pessimistic now after the recent results. Reporters always seem to place significant importance on the first few games of any season, and most seem to shift their opinions after even the briefest of trends.
Closer to home, Fanblogger Lark was a bit cynical after the home opener, and with good reason. He even used the "C" word, a title that Houston sports fans know too well.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Holden it in until the end
The Dynamo apparently have a lock on late-game heroics.
Tonight, twice a Dynamo forward knocked the ball into the post, and twice Stuart Holden was there to clean up the mess -- in the 6th minute Stuie started the scoring and in the 93rd minute he sealed the game. (Recap.) In between, the Dynamo played 80 minutes with 10 men after Kei Kamara was red carded, but it was the Dynamo who looked comfortable and confident on the pitch. They controlled the game and should have had another goal on several occasions. In the first half Ashe was 1v1 with Joe Cannon but hit the ball into the GK, later Ashe completely juked Hernandez (at Right Back) and put a sweet cross across the goal that Stuie touched just wide, later Cameron fights his way into the box and is tripped from behind but gets no call, throw in some missed headers off corner kicks (Boswell had an open header on one corner, and in the second half had a shot from 40 yards that almost caught Cannon away from the nets), and later Mullan and Jaqua had a 2v1 with Nick Garcia (who was booed the whole game after his role in getting Kamara ejected) but a bad pass allowed Cannon to snuff the chance. Funny thing is, Jaqua and Mullen looked dead-legged in this poorly executed play, but being late subs, they were the freshest guys on the field.
Besides these opportunities on goal, possession and penetration favored the MIO ... that is until about the 60th minute when I think fatigue starting eroding the Dynamo's usual punch. It's tough playing a man down, and the Dynamo began conserving their energy and relying more on counters for offensive output. Fatigue probably also affected Robinson's decision making when he made that bad back pass that led to the Quakes' equalizer in the 68th minute.
But Stuie saved the day in dramatic fashion. We're now 5 points ahead of Chivas USA. We need to only tie one of our two remaining games (vs LA and at Chivas) in order to clinch home field advantage through the playoffs -- which is crucial for this team and for its fan base.
First we host the Beckhamless Galaxy this Saturday. We'll need to do so without Robinson (yellow card accumulation) and Kamara (red card), but luckily Stuart gave us some breathing room tonight.
Get some rest, boys.
Tonight, twice a Dynamo forward knocked the ball into the post, and twice Stuart Holden was there to clean up the mess -- in the 6th minute Stuie started the scoring and in the 93rd minute he sealed the game. (Recap.) In between, the Dynamo played 80 minutes with 10 men after Kei Kamara was red carded, but it was the Dynamo who looked comfortable and confident on the pitch. They controlled the game and should have had another goal on several occasions. In the first half Ashe was 1v1 with Joe Cannon but hit the ball into the GK, later Ashe completely juked Hernandez (at Right Back) and put a sweet cross across the goal that Stuie touched just wide, later Cameron fights his way into the box and is tripped from behind but gets no call, throw in some missed headers off corner kicks (Boswell had an open header on one corner, and in the second half had a shot from 40 yards that almost caught Cannon away from the nets), and later Mullan and Jaqua had a 2v1 with Nick Garcia (who was booed the whole game after his role in getting Kamara ejected) but a bad pass allowed Cannon to snuff the chance. Funny thing is, Jaqua and Mullen looked dead-legged in this poorly executed play, but being late subs, they were the freshest guys on the field.
Besides these opportunities on goal, possession and penetration favored the MIO ... that is until about the 60th minute when I think fatigue starting eroding the Dynamo's usual punch. It's tough playing a man down, and the Dynamo began conserving their energy and relying more on counters for offensive output. Fatigue probably also affected Robinson's decision making when he made that bad back pass that led to the Quakes' equalizer in the 68th minute.
But Stuie saved the day in dramatic fashion. We're now 5 points ahead of Chivas USA. We need to only tie one of our two remaining games (vs LA and at Chivas) in order to clinch home field advantage through the playoffs -- which is crucial for this team and for its fan base.
First we host the Beckhamless Galaxy this Saturday. We'll need to do so without Robinson (yellow card accumulation) and Kamara (red card), but luckily Stuart gave us some breathing room tonight.
Get some rest, boys.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Between Quake events, and After the Hurricane
I hope Hurricane Ike has had as minimal of an impact as possible on you, your family, and your property. As for me and my household, we lost several tree limbs but had no property damage. We are still without power, but we have water and gas, so we can cook on our gas stove and take comfortable showers with our gas water heater. If the cool front hadn't come through, we'd be absolutely miserable without air conditioning, but the weather has complied to make for pleasant evenings. We count ourselves very lucky and hope you can do the same.
(One of my neighbors stated that God gives us these challenges to help us grow and to test us. I replied that God must have a low opinion of my character under duress, because He went easy on us this time. Or maybe He thought we already had our hurricane test since we lost everything to Hurricane Andrew when I was a newlywed young Ensign stationed on Homestead AFB. Either way, I'm grateful for the minor inconvenience we've experienced this time.)
Still no power at home, but at work we have power. You might surmise that this means that I'm spending work time on personal blogging. I will not confirm or deny that.
I missed the Dynamo-Earthquake match this past weekend. (Official Recap.) We had no power at the time, and while I could've listened to it on the radio, I was actually asleep on the couch having stayed up most of the night watching the storm and spent most of the morning keeping our street gutters free of debris to prevent street flooding. I watched the highlights, though, and they suggest that we were lucky to leave San Jose with a point. We may have had better possession (I can't tell from the highlights) and may have been unlucky to not convert a few more of our chances, but the Earthquakes had several 1-on-1 shots on goal that weren't converted. After a botched header by ERob, Onstad made two desperate point-blank saves in a row in the first half. Not long after, Onstad displayed more heroics on another point-blank shot. In the second half, a point-blank header found Barrett's chest at the goal line. In fact, Ronnie O'Brien's goal that opened up the scoring in the 50th minute -- a blistering shot from just outside our box, taken from Onstad's left and ending up in the far right netting -- was more difficult than these four shots that Onstad and Barrett saved.
Of course, we had our chances too. And how about the spunk shown by Ching after he scored the equalizer, when he ran over to remind the feisty Earthquake fans where their 2 stars came from? Reading Ives' blog, at least one Quake fan thought that was a classless display and has decided to instantly despise his former hero. I think Ching was merely responding in kind; it was defiance to counter spitefulness and it was only directed at the fans who were spouting vitriol, not to the fans who were merely supporting their (new) players.
ERob got ejected yet again, this time for getting two yellow cards. From what I could see, though, ERob's second yellow came when he was fouled from behind. Either I missed something or the ref completely blew the call. Or both.
We now have 39 points, 6 points away from the Supporters' Shield that I want so badly. We only have 6 games to make up the difference, and the next match is versus the very same Earthquakes this Saturday. With the generous post-Ike deal sponsored by the Dynamo and the University of Houston (free parking? free tickets for kids under 14? $10 adult tickets? Wow!) we hope to see a big turnout to root for the Dynamo, hope to equalize the Quake series (now at 0-1-1), and hope to get to 42 points (10 less than last year's final total, only 4 less than 2006's final total).
UPDATE: No game and no deal this Saturday, at the request of the City of Houston. This is going to really cram the Dynamo's remaining schedule, and the make up date falls on a FIFA World Cup Qualifier match day for the US and Canada. The media notes that the postponement could hurt the Earthquakes' momentum, but do we care?
Go Dynamo! (And take care out there, fellow Texans!)
(One of my neighbors stated that God gives us these challenges to help us grow and to test us. I replied that God must have a low opinion of my character under duress, because He went easy on us this time. Or maybe He thought we already had our hurricane test since we lost everything to Hurricane Andrew when I was a newlywed young Ensign stationed on Homestead AFB. Either way, I'm grateful for the minor inconvenience we've experienced this time.)
Still no power at home, but at work we have power. You might surmise that this means that I'm spending work time on personal blogging. I will not confirm or deny that.
I missed the Dynamo-Earthquake match this past weekend. (Official Recap.) We had no power at the time, and while I could've listened to it on the radio, I was actually asleep on the couch having stayed up most of the night watching the storm and spent most of the morning keeping our street gutters free of debris to prevent street flooding. I watched the highlights, though, and they suggest that we were lucky to leave San Jose with a point. We may have had better possession (I can't tell from the highlights) and may have been unlucky to not convert a few more of our chances, but the Earthquakes had several 1-on-1 shots on goal that weren't converted. After a botched header by ERob, Onstad made two desperate point-blank saves in a row in the first half. Not long after, Onstad displayed more heroics on another point-blank shot. In the second half, a point-blank header found Barrett's chest at the goal line. In fact, Ronnie O'Brien's goal that opened up the scoring in the 50th minute -- a blistering shot from just outside our box, taken from Onstad's left and ending up in the far right netting -- was more difficult than these four shots that Onstad and Barrett saved.
Of course, we had our chances too. And how about the spunk shown by Ching after he scored the equalizer, when he ran over to remind the feisty Earthquake fans where their 2 stars came from? Reading Ives' blog, at least one Quake fan thought that was a classless display and has decided to instantly despise his former hero. I think Ching was merely responding in kind; it was defiance to counter spitefulness and it was only directed at the fans who were spouting vitriol, not to the fans who were merely supporting their (new) players.
ERob got ejected yet again, this time for getting two yellow cards. From what I could see, though, ERob's second yellow came when he was fouled from behind. Either I missed something or the ref completely blew the call. Or both.
We now have 39 points, 6 points away from the Supporters' Shield that I want so badly. We only have 6 games to make up the difference
UPDATE: No game and no deal this Saturday, at the request of the City of Houston. This is going to really cram the Dynamo's remaining schedule, and the make up date falls on a FIFA World Cup Qualifier match day for the US and Canada. The media notes that the postponement could hurt the Earthquakes' momentum, but do we care?
Go Dynamo! (And take care out there, fellow Texans!)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Win vs Soca Warriors gives us 9 pts in 3 games
Nice game by the Americans, though I think our job was made easier by a timid (whether through mentality or personnel availability) T&T team. Recap.
Ives has a take on Brian Ching. He isn't a goal-machine, and he isn't making anybody forget Brian McBride, but he can still serve a purpose on this team. Some folks get caught up in him being a target forward and thinking that the current U.S. team isn't equipped to provide service from the flanks to make Ching effective. This ignores the fact that Ching is better with the ball at his feet that some realize, and he's great at holding up the ball for teammates to make runs off him. The job should eventually fall to a player like Jozy Altidore, but for now, Ching doesn't do a bad job.
Jeff Carlisle gives both of the Dynamo boys a "5" rating:
[Ching's] hold-up play was typically solid, and he deserves credit for being well-placed to score his goal. But for the most part, his play in the box was subpar, in that he either failed to convert some clear chances or wandered offside.
[Clark's] fresh legs were certainly needed, but his overall performance was erratic, as some sharp passes were mixed in with some careless giveaways.
I didn't see many of Clark's giveaways, maybe because I was doing other things at that point in the game, I guess. I did see his diving header that almost resulted in a goal.
As for Ching, I think Carlisle's rating was a little low (for Ching contributed greatly to the win through his holdup play), but it WAS irritating to see his missed opportunities and the lack of awareness that resulted in several inopportune offside calls.
And that reminds me that we might be lucky to have won 3-0. The replays of the first goal sure suggest that Ching and Bradley were still offside at the time that Donovan struck the free kick -- great outside of the foot volley by Bradley though. The replays of the second goal show that it began with a turnover when the ball hit off Gooch's arm -- great through ball by Beasley and strike by Dempsey though. The last goal was a gimme for Ching, but it may have been the only goal that wasn't tainted by a foul or offside. (John Harkes initially said that he thought Ching was offside, but replays show the Hawaiian clearly wasn't.)
Nevertheless, we took the 3 points and it was well deserved. Bob Bradley may feel more comfortable now, so he might stop playing conservatively and starts looking at experimenting a little. Maybe the USMNT will feel loose enough to play joga bonito style soccer...
Good luck with Hurricane Ike, everyone!
And go Dynamo! (I hope we have power to watch your game vs San Jose on Saturday.)
Ives has a take on Brian Ching. He isn't a goal-machine, and he isn't making anybody forget Brian McBride, but he can still serve a purpose on this team. Some folks get caught up in him being a target forward and thinking that the current U.S. team isn't equipped to provide service from the flanks to make Ching effective. This ignores the fact that Ching is better with the ball at his feet that some realize, and he's great at holding up the ball for teammates to make runs off him. The job should eventually fall to a player like Jozy Altidore, but for now, Ching doesn't do a bad job.
Jeff Carlisle gives both of the Dynamo boys a "5" rating:
[Ching's] hold-up play was typically solid, and he deserves credit for being well-placed to score his goal. But for the most part, his play in the box was subpar, in that he either failed to convert some clear chances or wandered offside.
[Clark's] fresh legs were certainly needed, but his overall performance was erratic, as some sharp passes were mixed in with some careless giveaways.
I didn't see many of Clark's giveaways, maybe because I was doing other things at that point in the game, I guess. I did see his diving header that almost resulted in a goal.
As for Ching, I think Carlisle's rating was a little low (for Ching contributed greatly to the win through his holdup play), but it WAS irritating to see his missed opportunities and the lack of awareness that resulted in several inopportune offside calls.
And that reminds me that we might be lucky to have won 3-0. The replays of the first goal sure suggest that Ching and Bradley were still offside at the time that Donovan struck the free kick -- great outside of the foot volley by Bradley though. The replays of the second goal show that it began with a turnover when the ball hit off Gooch's arm -- great through ball by Beasley and strike by Dempsey though. The last goal was a gimme for Ching, but it may have been the only goal that wasn't tainted by a foul or offside. (John Harkes initially said that he thought Ching was offside, but replays show the Hawaiian clearly wasn't.)
Nevertheless, we took the 3 points and it was well deserved. Bob Bradley may feel more comfortable now, so he might stop playing conservatively and starts looking at experimenting a little. Maybe the USMNT will feel loose enough to play joga bonito style soccer...
Good luck with Hurricane Ike, everyone!
And go Dynamo! (I hope we have power to watch your game vs San Jose on Saturday.)
Friday, June 20, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Earthquakes on the Hero's Journey
Tomorrow, the Dynamo meet Dallas in Frisco in the quest for El Capitan. But before we look to the future, let's wallow around in the past for one more post.
The San Jose Mercury News has a post-match analysis of the Earthquake victory over the Dynamo.
There's nothing particularly insightful regarding the match itself, but there's some neat stuff nonetheless.
For instance, "It was not only a win, but a win against the old Earthquakes," said forward Kei Kamara.
This quote suggests a mentality some have about sport. For these folks, sporting events are more than just a fun time or an impressive spectacle of athleticism; for them, sport can be a metaphor for life. Often it's a simple metaphor, like an underdog defeating a superior opponent; but sometimes the message is quite complex, like the one here where the new Earthquakes defeat the old Earthquakes. Here, we're treading on mythological ground in the mold of Joseph Campbell. Sometimes a hero cannot assume his rightful place in life until he has defeated (usually killed) the one who currently is in that position. "Killing the one who is before" sometimes takes the narrative form of a hero defeating a king to ascend to the throne, a son killing a corrupt father to assume the leadership position, or a Jedi-apprentice having to kill his father, Darth Vader. In reality, the message is hearkening to more psychological notions, such as by suggesting one cannot find oneself until one has killed one's own ego. If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha, if you will.
So, in other words, the Earthquakes defeat of the Dynamo was more than an expansion team beating a league champion. It was a timeless tale with mythological undertones that suggested to the insightful that the Earthquakes have defeated their predecessor -- have killed the Buddha -- and can now continue as a soccer club on equal footing with all others, rather than living as a lesser club.
Of course, we all know that the real reason for the loss isn't because of any archetypal construct, but because the Dynamo weren't focused on the task at hand until too late.
Besides suggesting mythological archetypes, the Mercury News also discusses the MLS as a "theater of the absurd" by summarizing the stadium situations for San Jose and Houston. "Apparently, AEG's ineptness (unlike the championship banners) stays with the franchise, no matter where it goes."
Another post-mortem article, this one from B-Fall and the Chronicle, has a great quote by E-Rob. "Our movement off the ball was pretty pathetic; our decision-making was bad; possession was awful. We were complacent. I really hope the guys look at how they played and are a bit embarrassed about it."
The San Jose Mercury News has a post-match analysis of the Earthquake victory over the Dynamo.
There's nothing particularly insightful regarding the match itself, but there's some neat stuff nonetheless.
For instance, "It was not only a win, but a win against the old Earthquakes," said forward Kei Kamara.
This quote suggests a mentality some have about sport. For these folks, sporting events are more than just a fun time or an impressive spectacle of athleticism; for them, sport can be a metaphor for life. Often it's a simple metaphor, like an underdog defeating a superior opponent; but sometimes the message is quite complex, like the one here where the new Earthquakes defeat the old Earthquakes. Here, we're treading on mythological ground in the mold of Joseph Campbell. Sometimes a hero cannot assume his rightful place in life until he has defeated (usually killed) the one who currently is in that position. "Killing the one who is before" sometimes takes the narrative form of a hero defeating a king to ascend to the throne, a son killing a corrupt father to assume the leadership position, or a Jedi-apprentice having to kill his father, Darth Vader. In reality, the message is hearkening to more psychological notions, such as by suggesting one cannot find oneself until one has killed one's own ego. If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha, if you will.
So, in other words, the Earthquakes defeat of the Dynamo was more than an expansion team beating a league champion. It was a timeless tale with mythological undertones that suggested to the insightful that the Earthquakes have defeated their predecessor -- have killed the Buddha -- and can now continue as a soccer club on equal footing with all others, rather than living as a lesser club.
Of course, we all know that the real reason for the loss isn't because of any archetypal construct, but because the Dynamo weren't focused on the task at hand until too late.
Besides suggesting mythological archetypes, the Mercury News also discusses the MLS as a "theater of the absurd" by summarizing the stadium situations for San Jose and Houston. "Apparently, AEG's ineptness (unlike the championship banners) stays with the franchise, no matter where it goes."
Another post-mortem article, this one from B-Fall and the Chronicle, has a great quote by E-Rob. "Our movement off the ball was pretty pathetic; our decision-making was bad; possession was awful. We were complacent. I really hope the guys look at how they played and are a bit embarrassed about it."
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pouting in my blog after a defeat -- keeping that tradition alive too
I think I'm coming off my stupor from last night. Like millions of Americans do every Thursday night, I played the John Harkes Drinking Game where you sip your beer whenever Harkes says "As Well". He squeezes that phrase into any sentence, even when it doesn't make sense. Harkes was in rare form last night, so I, as well, finished a whole 6-pack by halftime and had to make a beer run as well to keep the game going. Now that I'm sober, I find I'm still miffed at the loss to San Jose as well.
Our forwards & midfield as well had their typical anemic attack for most of the game. That's no surprise. The uncharacteristic play came from our midfield as well, which couldn't control possession much less territory, and our defense, which was unfocused and indecisive as well. Despite all of our deficiencies on the field, we still could have pulled of a tie if our defense stayed focused. The problem is that, while the defensive lapse is unusual, it wasn't all that rare just a few games ago. I had hoped that the disorganization had been fixed. This repeat performance suggests otherwise. Maybe we'll just hope it was a one-time relapse caused by the background circumstances surrounding this particular match.
But rather than lingering on the continuing troubles up front, and the surprising troubles in the middle and the back as well, I will say that the Davis-to-Ching goal was top notch. I'll leave with that positive thought before going to the...
Media roundup
The Chronicle has another B-Fall-less recap. It says this about the crowd reception: "It was easy to tell which Dynamo starters did not play in the franchise's San Jose incarnation. They were the three booed in pregame introductions. The rest got cheers from a Buck Shaw Stadium crowd of 10,046 willing to relinquish allegiance from the squad that left for Houston after the 2005 season in favor of the expansion San Jose Earthquakes, version 2.0."
Here's the generic AP recap. "For at least one night, the expansion San Jose Earthquakes were better than the champions they replaced." And the fans? They "chanted 'You're not Earthquakes any more!' and other game-specific songs."
The San Jose paper has an article that merges the AP recap with some of its own writing. Ching says here "I think (the rivalry) is more for them. They're out to try to prove something to us, and we saw that tonight. They came out with an intensity that we didn't match and that was the difference." That's not an inaccurate statement.
Goal.com has a nice, succinct game summary. They also have an essay by Kelly Gray, who is back in San Jose, his fourth team (incl. Dynamo, Galaxy, and Colorado) in two seasons. I didn't realize this, but "There are basically three main agents who have the large majority of players on their client lists: Richard Motzkin, Lyle Yorks, and Patrick McCabe." He lists LA, Toronto, and Houston as the teams with the best community supports. "In Houston, the Dynamo is the only winning team in the city. Because of this there has been a tremendous response from the community. All of the players are well known wherever they go."
The MLSNet has one article that ends with Kinnear's surprising commentary on the Earthquake fans. "The one thing I can say is that I was pretty surprised at some of the things that were said to the players and the staff (by the San Jose fans). A lot of these guys put a lot of effort to put those stars on (the Earthquakes') jerseys. Anywhere around the world, when players have had good careers, at other places when they come back, they get a good reception. I understand rooting for your team, I totally agree with that, but some of the things that were said, really kind of caught me by surprise. I'm disappointed. And I think the guys should feel slighted by the way they were treated. The time that they spent here really made (the Earthquakes) franchise a super success in the early 2000s. The players didn't ask to leave. The players had nothing to do with it. I understand you have to vent your frustrations somewhere, but to vent it at the players that were here and won championships and went out in the community and made friends, I think it's really disappointing and very, very unfair."
And here's another MLSnet recap. "The first half saw Houston struggle to get forward against a physical San Jose defense, and fortunate to go into the locker room scoreless after 45 minutes." Yup.
But what a great goal by Ching, as well!
Our forwards & midfield as well had their typical anemic attack for most of the game. That's no surprise. The uncharacteristic play came from our midfield as well, which couldn't control possession much less territory, and our defense, which was unfocused and indecisive as well. Despite all of our deficiencies on the field, we still could have pulled of a tie if our defense stayed focused. The problem is that, while the defensive lapse is unusual, it wasn't all that rare just a few games ago. I had hoped that the disorganization had been fixed. This repeat performance suggests otherwise. Maybe we'll just hope it was a one-time relapse caused by the background circumstances surrounding this particular match.
But rather than lingering on the continuing troubles up front, and the surprising troubles in the middle and the back as well, I will say that the Davis-to-Ching goal was top notch. I'll leave with that positive thought before going to the...
Media roundup
The Chronicle has another B-Fall-less recap. It says this about the crowd reception: "It was easy to tell which Dynamo starters did not play in the franchise's San Jose incarnation. They were the three booed in pregame introductions. The rest got cheers from a Buck Shaw Stadium crowd of 10,046 willing to relinquish allegiance from the squad that left for Houston after the 2005 season in favor of the expansion San Jose Earthquakes, version 2.0."
Here's the generic AP recap. "For at least one night, the expansion San Jose Earthquakes were better than the champions they replaced." And the fans? They "chanted 'You're not Earthquakes any more!' and other game-specific songs."
The San Jose paper has an article that merges the AP recap with some of its own writing. Ching says here "I think (the rivalry) is more for them. They're out to try to prove something to us, and we saw that tonight. They came out with an intensity that we didn't match and that was the difference." That's not an inaccurate statement.
Goal.com has a nice, succinct game summary. They also have an essay by Kelly Gray, who is back in San Jose, his fourth team (incl. Dynamo, Galaxy, and Colorado) in two seasons. I didn't realize this, but "There are basically three main agents who have the large majority of players on their client lists: Richard Motzkin, Lyle Yorks, and Patrick McCabe." He lists LA, Toronto, and Houston as the teams with the best community supports. "In Houston, the Dynamo is the only winning team in the city. Because of this there has been a tremendous response from the community. All of the players are well known wherever they go."
The MLSNet has one article that ends with Kinnear's surprising commentary on the Earthquake fans. "The one thing I can say is that I was pretty surprised at some of the things that were said to the players and the staff (by the San Jose fans). A lot of these guys put a lot of effort to put those stars on (the Earthquakes') jerseys. Anywhere around the world, when players have had good careers, at other places when they come back, they get a good reception. I understand rooting for your team, I totally agree with that, but some of the things that were said, really kind of caught me by surprise. I'm disappointed. And I think the guys should feel slighted by the way they were treated. The time that they spent here really made (the Earthquakes) franchise a super success in the early 2000s. The players didn't ask to leave. The players had nothing to do with it. I understand you have to vent your frustrations somewhere, but to vent it at the players that were here and won championships and went out in the community and made friends, I think it's really disappointing and very, very unfair."
And here's another MLSnet recap. "The first half saw Houston struggle to get forward against a physical San Jose defense, and fortunate to go into the locker room scoreless after 45 minutes." Yup.
But what a great goal by Ching, as well!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Losing to bottom feeders -- keeping the tradition alive
A moment of candor here: My actual prediction for tonight was a 1-0 win for San Jose. I've mentioned many times this season, last season, and the season before, that this team gets weak results versus weak teams. I don't know if we ease up when facing bottom feeders, or if the bottom feeders are particularly revved for us. Or both. Actually, both of those reasons seem a bit too simplistic and both have holes in their logic...but I'm at a loss as to why we seem to have this slump versus mediocre teams.
I couldn't admit my dark thoughts to you, so I went with the 1-1 prediction. Apparently the one-goal loss was the correct way to go, although I really didn't think San Jose would get two past Onstad.
The sad thing about this game is that we deserved to lose this one. San Jose were aggressive with the ball. When we had the ball, they pressured us wherever we were, from our defensive third all the way upfield. In the midfield they successfully blocked up the passing lanes. That tiny field didn't help our passing either. (Is the field smaller than Robertson? Is that possible?)
So except for three problems, we played extremely well. Those problems as I see 'em:
1) Up front: absolutely no coordination in the off-ball movement. I think The Dom may not start Caraccio for much longer.
2) In the middle: too many turnovers and an inability to establish a good possession rhythm. Holden was stymied most of the night on the left, although he did have some good opportunities on goal. Davis had better luck, perhaps helped by San Jose sitting back a bit after their first goal.
3) In the back: hestitant, ball-watching defending like we saw in the very beginning of the season and at times during the pre-season tournaments.
The first problem kept us off the score sheet for 88 mintues. The second problem also kept us off the score sheet and led to one of the two goals. The third problem contributed to both of the goals and almost led to one or two more in the first half.
We let slip the opportunity of taking first in the West. It seems we did the same thing at the end of the season last year. I suppose it's better to get that out of the way early rather than late.
So we remain mid-table and the Quakes remain at the bottom. (Well, they're ahead of DCU at least. Bully for them.) Dynamo help San Jose earn its first home win -- is that irony? And The Dom's record versus his mentor slips to 2-2-3.
Okay, Orange: shake it off. Just focus on the final 5 minutes of the game and try to expand that by a factor of 18 to give us a full 90 of confident, aggressive soccer. And that goal by Ching was out-freakin-standing. Our first GOTW-potential candidate since Geoff Cameron's game tying goal versus FCD (and that one won the GOTW).
Speaking of FCD, we face them next. In Frisco. On Wednesday. I wonder if they'll be in a state of confusion due to the coaching instability, or if they'll be playing for their lives -- each driven to excel to ensure his survival in the turbulent time of their club. At least we should have our starting keeper -- despite national team callups -- this time we face Dallas. We need at least a point in Frisco since we gave away 2 when we hosted them. A draw at Frisco and a win at home when we face them on June 26 will return El Capitan to Houston.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just focus on getting into a better rhythm, creating more opportunities, and finishing better. And then let's snatch the full 3 from the Frisco lads.
Go Dynamo!
I couldn't admit my dark thoughts to you, so I went with the 1-1 prediction. Apparently the one-goal loss was the correct way to go, although I really didn't think San Jose would get two past Onstad.
The sad thing about this game is that we deserved to lose this one. San Jose were aggressive with the ball. When we had the ball, they pressured us wherever we were, from our defensive third all the way upfield. In the midfield they successfully blocked up the passing lanes. That tiny field didn't help our passing either. (Is the field smaller than Robertson? Is that possible?)
So except for three problems, we played extremely well. Those problems as I see 'em:
1) Up front: absolutely no coordination in the off-ball movement. I think The Dom may not start Caraccio for much longer.
2) In the middle: too many turnovers and an inability to establish a good possession rhythm. Holden was stymied most of the night on the left, although he did have some good opportunities on goal. Davis had better luck, perhaps helped by San Jose sitting back a bit after their first goal.
3) In the back: hestitant, ball-watching defending like we saw in the very beginning of the season and at times during the pre-season tournaments.
The first problem kept us off the score sheet for 88 mintues. The second problem also kept us off the score sheet and led to one of the two goals. The third problem contributed to both of the goals and almost led to one or two more in the first half.
We let slip the opportunity of taking first in the West. It seems we did the same thing at the end of the season last year. I suppose it's better to get that out of the way early rather than late.
So we remain mid-table and the Quakes remain at the bottom. (Well, they're ahead of DCU at least. Bully for them.) Dynamo help San Jose earn its first home win -- is that irony? And The Dom's record versus his mentor slips to 2-2-3.
Okay, Orange: shake it off. Just focus on the final 5 minutes of the game and try to expand that by a factor of 18 to give us a full 90 of confident, aggressive soccer. And that goal by Ching was out-freakin-standing. Our first GOTW-potential candidate since Geoff Cameron's game tying goal versus FCD (and that one won the GOTW).
Speaking of FCD, we face them next. In Frisco. On Wednesday. I wonder if they'll be in a state of confusion due to the coaching instability, or if they'll be playing for their lives -- each driven to excel to ensure his survival in the turbulent time of their club. At least we should have our starting keeper -- despite national team callups -- this time we face Dallas. We need at least a point in Frisco since we gave away 2 when we hosted them. A draw at Frisco and a win at home when we face them on June 26 will return El Capitan to Houston.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just focus on getting into a better rhythm, creating more opportunities, and finishing better. And then let's snatch the full 3 from the Frisco lads.
Go Dynamo!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
On the road to San Jose
Ah, lovely San Jose. Much will be made of the first official face-off between the ex-Quakes and the neo-Quakes. Certainly there will be background interest, with the fan support likely being a little more vociferous. That might spur the neo-Quakes a little more, but the neo-Quake players (save Ryan Cochrane and maybe Ramiro Corrales and, to a lesser degree, Joe Cannon) have no vested interest in the historical significance. They just want to win. The ex-Quakes might be slightly distracted by nostalgia; and don't forget, it's also mentor (Frank Yallop) versus pupil (The Dom). Still they (The Dom and his players) are professionals so the effect of distraction should be only minimal.
On paper, and given the recent run of form, it should be an easy victory for the Dynamo. Which is why I see a draw; probably at 1-1.
Why would I say this? Not because of any ex-Quake vs neo-Quake bubbling of emotions. I think a draw is the likeliest outcome because the (neo-)Quakes are a mediocre team and the Dynamo tend to get mediocre results against such teams. The 2006 season saw us get two ties versus the average Columbus Crew and a 3-1 loss to pathetic RSL, as well as a failure to score versus 10-man teams on more than one occasion. In 2007 we had a loss and a tie to bottom-feeder Toronto (and the 0-0 tie was after Toronto played with 10 men for more than half the game). We also lost to pathetic RSL and Colorado consecutively, and to the Beckham-less Galaxy in our final regular season home game.
The MIO do well versus talented teams, which is absolutely fantastic because it would be difficult to correct this flaw otherwise. An easier flaw to correct is the failure to get full points versus struggling teams, and the Dynamo need to be better in this regard. Winnning against top-tier teams is how you win high-stakes championship games (which is what the Dynamo do); but winning against the bottom-feeders is what builds up your point total so you can earn the "body of work" accolades, like the Supporters' Shield.
Hopefully the Dynamo step out of character and earn the full three from San Jose.
Here's is Jeff Carlisle's preview of the game. "De Rosario remains the player most teams try to stop, with two defenders often being thrown at the Canadian the moment he collects the ball. As a result, De Rosario has struggled to put up the numbers that made him an MVP candidate back in 2006. But Kinnear feels that by simplifying his game, De Rosario can get back to his swashbuckling ways."
Here's a piece from USA Today. Mulrooney on the San Jose fans, "They remember what we did for them in terms of winning a couple of championships, and we remember what they did for us in terms of giving us unbelievable atmosphere and memories we'll never forget. But living in the past is sometimes dangerous."
And here's an article from The Californian. Ryan Cochrane on the Dynamo, "They're going to come after us and get crosses in, because that is their strength. They're very similar to a lot of teams in that there are not a lot of holes and they are solid all the way through." And on the "Old vs New" story that will no doubt be reiterated endlessly by ESPN on Thursday, "We played them in the preseason and got that whole 'Old Earthquakes-New Earthquakes' thing out of the way from a player's standpoint. Now it's just another team."
Some final Chicago Fire observations
In an article with the cool headline "Rain, Wind, Fire Can't Slow Dynamo," The Dom says the Toyota Park field was perfect even with the rain. That surprises me. I saw several players slip, even when all alone with the ball and no pressure being applied. That made me think that the field must not be at the standards set by, say, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, which has an impressively immaculate field even when wet. If the problem doesn't lie with the field, maybe it lies with the Dynamo equipment manager who didn't have the players wearing cleats with long enough studs.
Also, here are the game summaries of two supporters. The Chicago supporter opines thusly "It’s clear to me that anyone in the East who wants to wrest [the] MLS Cup from Houston’s grasp is going to have to do it themselves at the Home Depot Center on November 23rd." I hope that holds true.
Outrageous Observation of the Week (OOW)-inaugural edition
You've heard by now that Dallas has fired its underachieving coach, Steve Morrow. He wasn't the best of managers, so I'm not surprised that he was let go; but the timing this early in the season is a surprise. Maybe it's because they have their eye on someone already. But who? It would have to be someone notable.
I've had an epiphany. My outrageous suggestion: Hugo Sanchez.
Yeah, I know: silly. But hear me out.
Sanchez is an ex-Dallas player. He played for the Dallas Burn in the first year of the MLS. So he has ties (albeit weak ties) with the club. This connection also gives him familiarity with the MLS environment. The familiarity is a bit dated, true; but it's better than the familiarity held by any other coach with recent experience managing a national team.
Dallas would want "Hugol" because of the celebrity. They have a history of bringing in Latinos with name recognition (Denilson last year, Davino this year). Most importantly, they are hungry for success on the field (which Sanchez might bring) and are especially eager to fill seats (which Sanchez would do).
Sanchez, for his part, would want the job because it would be a good start as he seeks to rebuild his credibility as a coach after a lackluster stint at his dream job: coaching the Mexican national team. Dallas would get him back into the industry, and has the added benefit of being outside of the intense scrutiny he'd face with a Mexican club. Yet he's still close enough to Mexico to snipe from close range, as he is wont to do.
Chalk it up as my wild prediction of the week.
On paper, and given the recent run of form, it should be an easy victory for the Dynamo. Which is why I see a draw; probably at 1-1.
Why would I say this? Not because of any ex-Quake vs neo-Quake bubbling of emotions. I think a draw is the likeliest outcome because the (neo-)Quakes are a mediocre team and the Dynamo tend to get mediocre results against such teams. The 2006 season saw us get two ties versus the average Columbus Crew and a 3-1 loss to pathetic RSL, as well as a failure to score versus 10-man teams on more than one occasion. In 2007 we had a loss and a tie to bottom-feeder Toronto (and the 0-0 tie was after Toronto played with 10 men for more than half the game). We also lost to pathetic RSL and Colorado consecutively, and to the Beckham-less Galaxy in our final regular season home game.
The MIO do well versus talented teams, which is absolutely fantastic because it would be difficult to correct this flaw otherwise. An easier flaw to correct is the failure to get full points versus struggling teams, and the Dynamo need to be better in this regard. Winnning against top-tier teams is how you win high-stakes championship games (which is what the Dynamo do); but winning against the bottom-feeders is what builds up your point total so you can earn the "body of work" accolades, like the Supporters' Shield.
Hopefully the Dynamo step out of character and earn the full three from San Jose.
Here's is Jeff Carlisle's preview of the game. "De Rosario remains the player most teams try to stop, with two defenders often being thrown at the Canadian the moment he collects the ball. As a result, De Rosario has struggled to put up the numbers that made him an MVP candidate back in 2006. But Kinnear feels that by simplifying his game, De Rosario can get back to his swashbuckling ways."
Here's a piece from USA Today. Mulrooney on the San Jose fans, "They remember what we did for them in terms of winning a couple of championships, and we remember what they did for us in terms of giving us unbelievable atmosphere and memories we'll never forget. But living in the past is sometimes dangerous."
And here's an article from The Californian. Ryan Cochrane on the Dynamo, "They're going to come after us and get crosses in, because that is their strength. They're very similar to a lot of teams in that there are not a lot of holes and they are solid all the way through." And on the "Old vs New" story that will no doubt be reiterated endlessly by ESPN on Thursday, "We played them in the preseason and got that whole 'Old Earthquakes-New Earthquakes' thing out of the way from a player's standpoint. Now it's just another team."
Some final Chicago Fire observations
In an article with the cool headline "Rain, Wind, Fire Can't Slow Dynamo," The Dom says the Toyota Park field was perfect even with the rain. That surprises me. I saw several players slip, even when all alone with the ball and no pressure being applied. That made me think that the field must not be at the standards set by, say, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, which has an impressively immaculate field even when wet. If the problem doesn't lie with the field, maybe it lies with the Dynamo equipment manager who didn't have the players wearing cleats with long enough studs.
Also, here are the game summaries of two supporters. The Chicago supporter opines thusly "It’s clear to me that anyone in the East who wants to wrest [the] MLS Cup from Houston’s grasp is going to have to do it themselves at the Home Depot Center on November 23rd." I hope that holds true.
Outrageous Observation of the Week (OOW)-inaugural edition
You've heard by now that Dallas has fired its underachieving coach, Steve Morrow. He wasn't the best of managers, so I'm not surprised that he was let go; but the timing this early in the season is a surprise. Maybe it's because they have their eye on someone already. But who? It would have to be someone notable.
I've had an epiphany. My outrageous suggestion: Hugo Sanchez.
Yeah, I know: silly. But hear me out.
Sanchez is an ex-Dallas player. He played for the Dallas Burn in the first year of the MLS. So he has ties (albeit weak ties) with the club. This connection also gives him familiarity with the MLS environment. The familiarity is a bit dated, true; but it's better than the familiarity held by any other coach with recent experience managing a national team.
Dallas would want "Hugol" because of the celebrity. They have a history of bringing in Latinos with name recognition (Denilson last year, Davino this year). Most importantly, they are hungry for success on the field (which Sanchez might bring) and are especially eager to fill seats (which Sanchez would do).
Sanchez, for his part, would want the job because it would be a good start as he seeks to rebuild his credibility as a coach after a lackluster stint at his dream job: coaching the Mexican national team. Dallas would get him back into the industry, and has the added benefit of being outside of the intense scrutiny he'd face with a Mexican club. Yet he's still close enough to Mexico to snipe from close range, as he is wont to do.
Chalk it up as my wild prediction of the week.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
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:
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.
The MLS game review, and article.
The Chronicle article. And player ratings.
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.
- 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.
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?
The MLS game review, and article.
The Chronicle article. And player ratings.
Monday, November 05, 2007
The final home game of 2008
So we get our wish and face KC in the Western Conference finals. This was our wish not because KC is a pushover, but because we get to play them in Houston. This doesn't make the game any easier (we've yet to beat them at Robertson), but it makes it a game that we fans can attend -- and that's really what's important, right?
Yeah, we've never beaten KC here. The first Dynamo game I attended was versus KC, our second game for the franchise. We lost 1-2 off a late Goal of the Week bullet from Burciaga. This year, we managed to eke out a 1-1 tie (Johnson got the opening goal, then taunted the fans). Our only win versus "the Wiz" came this year in KC, with Ianni -- yes, Ianni -- getting the lone goal of the match. We haven't had much offensive production against the Midwesterners.
What does this mean? Well, nothing we don't already know. In order to move on to the MLS Cup in DC, we're going to have to work hard, control the possession at midfield, be prepared for the fast breaks by Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy, close down Burciaga well outside the penalty box when he comes forward, and, most importantly, finish the opportunities we create. It's pretty much the same as with any opponent we face; just the names and jersey colors have changed.
As Jimmy Conrad, ESPN web-comedian/commentator and KC's captain and defensive talisman says, "They're playing at home so they're probably excited about that. We played them well during the season but it's just a one-off game. They're going to have their fans but we dealt with the Chivas fans tonight and that'll give us confidence."
With our defensive prowess, we can probably limit KC's goal-scoring, so it's really our goal-scoring ability that's going to decide this. That's not brain surgery, I know.
Here's hoping that Dynamo-Houston isn't complacent and plays with the edge it has whenever its season is on the line. Anything can happen in a single game, and let's hope that the quality of the Dynamo is the deciding factor.
Regardless, I'll be there cheering. Hopefully we have a good turnout given that this game won't have the Beckham-package tickets filling out the stands.
San Jose Watch
In other news, Frank Yallop has resigned as head coach of the LA Galaxy. This is good for Frank. This is good for San Jose. Heck, it may be good for LA if they can get a coach like Jurgen Klinsmann -- he might be able to overcome Alexi Lalas' cluelessness.
It's also good for Houston: Dom won't be leaving now. We just need to make sure they keep their hands off our players...
Yeah, we've never beaten KC here. The first Dynamo game I attended was versus KC, our second game for the franchise. We lost 1-2 off a late Goal of the Week bullet from Burciaga. This year, we managed to eke out a 1-1 tie (Johnson got the opening goal, then taunted the fans). Our only win versus "the Wiz" came this year in KC, with Ianni -- yes, Ianni -- getting the lone goal of the match. We haven't had much offensive production against the Midwesterners.
What does this mean? Well, nothing we don't already know. In order to move on to the MLS Cup in DC, we're going to have to work hard, control the possession at midfield, be prepared for the fast breaks by Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy, close down Burciaga well outside the penalty box when he comes forward, and, most importantly, finish the opportunities we create. It's pretty much the same as with any opponent we face; just the names and jersey colors have changed.
As Jimmy Conrad, ESPN web-comedian/commentator and KC's captain and defensive talisman says, "They're playing at home so they're probably excited about that. We played them well during the season but it's just a one-off game. They're going to have their fans but we dealt with the Chivas fans tonight and that'll give us confidence."
With our defensive prowess, we can probably limit KC's goal-scoring, so it's really our goal-scoring ability that's going to decide this. That's not brain surgery, I know.
Here's hoping that Dynamo-Houston isn't complacent and plays with the edge it has whenever its season is on the line. Anything can happen in a single game, and let's hope that the quality of the Dynamo is the deciding factor.
Regardless, I'll be there cheering. Hopefully we have a good turnout given that this game won't have the Beckham-package tickets filling out the stands.
San Jose Watch
In other news, Frank Yallop has resigned as head coach of the LA Galaxy. This is good for Frank. This is good for San Jose. Heck, it may be good for LA if they can get a coach like Jurgen Klinsmann -- he might be able to overcome Alexi Lalas' cluelessness.
It's also good for Houston: Dom won't be leaving now. We just need to make sure they keep their hands off our players...
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