Road trip to Dallas

Yesterday, the family took a trip to Pizza Hut Park for the first time. It was good to see live soccer again for the first time since last year, although both teams looked rusty. There was very little rhythm, very little creativity, and few passing combinations. The massive gusts of wind probably had a lot to do with that, and it also messed up the freestyle team from Toronto that performed at halftime. We sat in the NW corner, row 9, section 102, directly across from the Texian Army.

FCD probably had the more dangerous opportunities, while the Dynamo probably had a bit of an edge in the possession dept. Neither team worked through the midfield much. It was a game determined by individual spurts of genius and physical play.

Having said that, Chabala's first professional goal was one of the examples of good teamwork, starting with Davis passing through to Oduro who laid it off for Chabala who did a sliding strike on goal. Two minutes later, Hainault left his mark, Atiba Harris, who then proceeded to make a run, got the ball on the left flank about 25 yards from goal, did a quick cut in to wrong-foot Boswell, then made a sweet curving strike past Onstad.

Oduro proved again that he's got speed but no touch or form. Waibel looked scary even walking around the sidelines. ERob went down with an injury in the first half. That forced us to burn a sub (Cochrane) and also stinks because ERob is now sidelined like he was all last season.

As for the stadium, I liked it from a soccer standpoint, but not from a design standpoint. Here's what I thought:
The bad:

• From the outside, the stadium had all the appeal and uniqueness of a strip center. It was, frankly ugly. Dynamo stadium needs more appeal from the outside. It needs to sell the team to the outside community and needs to tie into the architectural vernacular of the region.
• On the inside, the stage provided a huge, lifeless zone, not that there are enough FCD fans to fill up stands if they had stands there.
• Pavilion roofing would be nice to hold in the acoustics and shield from the sun, which has to be oppressive in the summer.
• Needs viewscreens on the south side of the stadium for folks to view the replays down there.

The good:

• The field is absolutely gorgeous.
• The surrounding practice fields and youth tournament fields are also gorgeous.
• It was cool having a pub, Firehouse subs, and other restaurants within walking distance of the stadium.
• The whole area might have been sterile, but it was also clean.
• The seats were comfortable and had cup holders. We weren't worried about knocking over drinks, although the lady in front of us nearly put her elbow in my daughter's cup.
• The south-goal seating were bleachers, which is perfect for a supporter's group wanting to make noise, but seats ruled the sidelines, where the "mainstream" fan sits.
• The luxury seating is probably a good revenue generator, which is good for the club, but didn't adversely affect the affordable seating.
• Nice viewscreens on the north side. We were right by the screen on the NW side and could see every replay with ease.
• Two words: free parking!

I can't believe FCD has their own stadium with free parking, and they get only 8,000 people to their home-opener versus their in-state rival. The club is just sad, and their supporters are passionless. The stadium erupted when FCD scored, but other than that, the Texian Army was louder than the FCD group, which just stood there, frozen, watching the game; not even waving their flags. The only chant I heard was after the game, when some adolescent flag-waver on his way out of the stadium passed my family and shouted out to no one in particular "Go back to Houston! Get out of here!" Pathetic, really.

At least the host fans were very well-mannered. But there has to be a middle ground between passionless and volatile.

The Western Conference Championship + 30 minutes to get the Galaxy in the Cup

While I've been following the Dynamo all season, I have kept my comments to the various blogs (particularly Benardo Fallas and Glenn Davis) and haven't spent time on mine. Worse: I've attended only one game this season. That's primarily because my weekends are spent coaching my son's Divison 2 team, and that's proven very time-consuming.

The past two months have been painful because the Dynamo drifted into a malaise, and their game looked tired and uninspired. Even so, if they had won only one more game they would have earned the Supporters' Shield. This is actually the prize I wanted the most this year. When that went to The Crew, I shifted my hopes to the MLS Cup.

I was pretty pessimistic about our chances to get past the Sounders, but the excellent result at Seattle made me hopeful, and the Dynamo ended up closing out the series in style with an awesome extra time goal by Ching.

We match up fairly well against LA, so I was more optimistic than I was about our Sounders series. Several Dynamo and non-Dynamo fans suggested that the Dynamo would have to beat LA and the refs (and Don Garber and ESPN...) in order to get through to the final. I thought these fans were either paranoid Dynamo fans, or spiteful Galaxy-haters. Turns out they were right.

The Dynamo controlled the game in the first 18 minutes, other than a couple of dangerous forays early on by LA. After the blackout in the 18', the Galaxy asserted control. The MIO worked their way into the game again, but halftime took off their edge and the Galaxy again controlled the game after the break. Thankfully with the 2nd blackout in the 55th minute, the game became the Dynamo's again. They controlled the final 30 minutes or so, and looked like the only team on the field for long stretches. Then they get the only goal of the game off a Hainault header after a LA player takes out Ching and another LA player. Houston wins 1-0.

Except that the ref decided the Dynamo shouldn't have let the LA player take out his teammate and Ching. So no goal. A few crossbars later, and we're into Extra Time. Credit to the Galaxy for playing a solid 30 minute overtime, but it shouldn't have gotten to that. It was an illegitimate act that put an unequal hurdle before both teams. Turns out, you had to have the LA crest on your chest for your goal to count. We weren't aware of that stipulation prior to the game.

The Dynamo have nothing to be ashamed of. They acquitted themselves well for the 90 minute match and proved they were the better team. Fatigue and weak bench support proved to be their undoing when they were forced to play an illegitimate extra 30 minutes.

Question doesn't the Skunk-headed one make enough money to buy some maturity? He whines like a spoiled schoolboy. Does he always whine at every official? Does he always exchange whiny words with the opposition once the competition is over? He did versus Chivas USA, and now with the Dynamo.

It seems to me that the MLS is hurting its credibility with potential American sports fans by immersing itself more and more into the atmosphere of suspicious officiating, like seen with the NBA. I long ago gave up on basketball and I get physically ill whenever I see it on TV. It's an off-season YMCA conditioning exercise that they turned professional with all of the competitive legitimacy of professional wrestling. The MLS seems to be heading in that direction too, with their bush league referees and their rule-bending for the gender-bending Becks and his LA Gals.

I still support the Dynamo. They are the best organization in the MLS and, while physical, play a style of ball that other MLS teams only sometimes toy with. Coach Kinnear is the best in the league, and the players are class acts.

But I have slowly become a reluctant follower of the MLS in general, and have become a more and more infrequent watcher of the league. Furthermore, I worry that personnel changes and aging veterans will make the one bright spot in the league -- the Houston Dynamo -- a second rate team scrapping its way through the league next season as it waits on the next generation of talent to emerge.

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.

Post-Season & Post-DeRo Media Roundup

Here's a roundup of some Houston-related topics that have hit the media. They discuss what Houston needs to do next year,

Houston season review
ESPN has an article about the Dynamo still being strong contenders for 2009. It was written before the team unloaded DeRo. Here are some excerpts:

"Houston is still, hands-down, the best team in Major League Soccer," said former U.S. international Eric Wynalda. "This is not to discredit the accomplishment that the Columbus Crew had. They had a great year and terrific blend of players. But based on pure talent, pure ability, soccer knowledge, experience -- yes, Houston is better."

Go down the Dynamo's lineup, and it's clear why Houston is still among the league's elite. Houston has quality at nearly every position, with its midfield especially rich in talent. Not only are Ricardo Clark and Brad Davis still in their prime, but the likes of Stuart Holden and Corey Ashe are young players who have proven themselves ready for bigger roles. Then there is the considerable class offered up by Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Mullan.

That's not to say that Houston doesn't have some holes to fill. The departure of Nate Jaqua to Seattle once again puts the Dynamo in the market for a forward to pair with Brian Ching. With Bobby Boswell expected to head to Europe, the team will also be looking to bolster the center of its defense, and the aforementioned age issue is most apparent at fullback. While both Wade Barrett and Richard Mulrooney are solid performers, Kinnear will need to start planning now for their eventual departures.

Kinnear will likely go the trade route, a tactic that has served him well over the years. After the 2004 campaign, the departures of Landon Donovan, Ronnie Ekelund and Jeff Agoos forced Kinnear to rebuild a San Jose Earthquake side that eventually morphed into the current Dynamo squad, with Davis and Clark among his acquisitions. And Kinnear's Midas touch in the trade market hasn't diminished over time; the 2007-08 offseason saw him land Boswell.

"Kinnear's too smart; he'll find players," said Wynalda. "And his system is one that works, that really defines the positions well so he doesn't have to get creative. Guys can come and go out of certain position and not have a dramatic effect on the team."

The MLS Website also has a season review. Here are some excerpts, some of which may presage the departure of DeRo:

Waibel: "The greatest thing to take away from this season, on top of the results, is that we are still one of the best teams in this league and we have a bench that is as deep as any."

After their loss to the New York Red Bulls in the Western Conference Semifinal Series, Ching mentioned that he thought there would be some big changes with the team, but failed to elaborate when pushed. Kinnear sidestepped the question and said the team next year would be fine. Waibel acknowledged the possibility of a shakeup, but didn't dwell on the potential breakup in chemistry the team has relied upon since Day 1.

"But I don't think anyone on this roster is banging down the door trying to get out of here. I think everyone that has been here and left is banging on the door trying to get back in." [Well, it seems that DeRo was, in fact, banging down the door trying to get out so he could return to Toronto.]

As for goals in 2009 for whatever players might don the Orange and White next year, that's easy.

"The season is over," Kinnear said. "But our goal for next year is set already, and that is to win MLS Cup 2009."

The DeRo Trade
Ives voices his opinion on the DeRo trade, and whether the Dynamo got a fair deal:

The deal happened because the Dynamo came to the realization that they had to revamp a roster that was showing vulnerabilities that didn't exist when the team was winning MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. The departure of Nate Jaqua, potential departure of Brian Ching and likely departure of stalwart defender Bobby Boswell forced the Dynamo to consider how to revamp their roster without tearing it apart.

As much as all parties involved [Houston, Toronto, DeRo] needed the trade to happen, Toronto FC still came away the clear winner. TFC director of soccer Mo Johnston ... has set Toronto up for a big 2009. Add De Rosario to three first-round draft picks in what is considered a strong upcoming draft in January, $800,000 in allocation money as well as a designated player slot the team is expected to use, and you realize that Toronto had the resources to pay more for De Rosario but didn't.

Johnston managed to land one of the league's best midfielders and a renowned clutch player, and he did so without giving up a key starter or any of the team's three first-round draft picks. Throw in that Houston accepted what sources say was an allocation less than $200,000, and you get the sneaking suspicion that Toronto FC played hardball and Houston relented.

Toronto's reward is a player who will boost a Toronto attack that struggled at times. Whether TFC groups De Rosario with Amado Guevara and Carl Robinson in a 4-5-1 formation or plays De Rosario as a withdrawn forward in a 4-4-1-1, the prospect of having the creative tandem of De Rosario and Guevara working together is a scary proposition. Especially if you consider that Toronto is expected to use its designated player slot on a forward.

The lingering question that stands out when looking at this trade is, why did Houston deal De Rosario for seemingly so little? The reality is that there wasn't a huge market for De Rosario because of his salary, his desire for a new contract and the leaguewide knowledge that he wanted to play only for Toronto. With only one team to deal him to, Houston was left with poor bargaining position, and it showed in what most experts will call a lopsided deal.

Although that may be so, a closer look at the deal reveals that it could help Houston on a variety of fronts. In swapping De Rosario for James and between $150,000 and $175,000 in allocation money, the Dynamo gain a potential net of up to $350,000 of salary-cap space. Houston is expected to use that cap space to use its designated player, with a marquee forward at the top of the team's list of needs.

James also is very high on the lists of several MLS clubs that considered him the best defender in the 2008 MLS draft. Although James did struggle at times as a rookie for Toronto, he still boasts the athleticism and toughness that many scouts believe could help him turn into an elite defender.

In the end, Houston won't regret this deal if Holden flourishes, if its DP signing isn't a flop and if James is a standout defender. But if more than one of these doesn't break right for the Dynamo, critics will look back on this trade as the real beginning of the end for the Dynamo.

As for TFC, the club landed the player it has long coveted and is one step closer to completing a rebuilding project that will see it go from missing the playoffs to winning a title. For Johnston & Co., 2009 is a make-or-break season, and Friday's trade is a major step toward Toronto's establishing itself as a legitimate force next season.

The Chronicle covers one cool aspect of the DeRo trade, and that is that Stuart Holden will be at the heart of the team:

Last week's trade — the biggest in the Dynamo's short history — might have been all about outgoing midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and incoming defender Julius James. But come next season, it might be all about Stuart Holden.

"I’ve always thought that (attacking mid) was my best position," Holden said. "This year I got to play most of my minutes there, and I think I proved to (coach) Dom (Kinnear) that I can play in central midfield, and not only play but score and be a threat."

The team is confident, too. So confident that it is in talks with Holden about a long-term deal — one that is bound to include a significant pay increase —despite him having a season left in his contract.

The Chronicle later takes the position that unloading DeRo may help the team in the long run. DeRo was filling a position where we already had a capable substitute. We needed to make the moves to fill gaping holes in our lineup. Out of the deal we get a young defender of the future, and the money to pursue a solid forward ... possibly Luis Angel Landin, a young Mexican First Division forward from Morelia Monarcas (and Pachuca before that) "with exceptional size, name recognition, incredible potential, and, better yet, an attractive price tag."

Happy Thanksgiving

It was good to start off the weekend with a final Dynamo home game. It ended as I thought it would with a Dynamo win, but I was disappointed that the Dynamo didn't handle Firpo better. (Recap. Recap 2.) They should have had a second goal in the first half, and should have done a better job of creating opportunities that could lead to a second goal in the second half. In the end, they made the match a lot harder on themselves and a lot more anxious for their fans by playing down to the competition.

I know that's soccer at times; but it happens a little too frequently for my tastes with this team. Of course a lot of the problem was the gamesmanship used by FIRPO to compensate for their incompetence, and the inconsistent officiating didn't help either. I think a substitute was called for earlier in the second half, but many of our off-the-bench talent was already on the field, and with Holden, Davis, and Cameron out, we didn't have a good option to help out in midfield, where we were struggling. Kei Kamara was a good sub when he came on.

Kei was an example of the best of the Dynamo that night. I loved how Kei twice waved his arms at the crowd to energize the stands. That was his way of saying "We're in a tight one down here, we need your help, guys." After the game, he and his teammates took to the center circle and applauded all four sides of the stadium. That was much needed, and much appreciated by the supporters. Soon after, my sons and I were walking behind the north goal on our way out of the stadium, when we saw Kamara walking down from the El Batallon section. I don't know what he was doing there, but I figure he had been showing his appreciation for the season-long fervent support.

(In addition to Kamara, Frankie Hejduk also knows how to get the supporters energized.)

While intermingling with the supporters groups is above and beyond the call of duty, the applauding of the fans is the sort of fan-feedback that a team should provide on a regular basis. It acknowledges the fans and is recognition that should be demonstrated by any player who expects fans to be cheering for him. I did notice that all three players subbed out (Jaqua, DeRo, and Ching) applauded the fans as they came off the field. The cheers for Jaqua, and his response, were a little more ardent due to the fact that we all knew that was his last appearance in Orange. He'll be wearing Seattle Emerald next year.

The game had a weird vibe to it. Maybe it's been too long since I attended a CONCACAF match. They didn't do the Star Spangled Banner after the line ups. The players didn't stand facing the crowd while the line ups were announced (they had moved to the shaking of hands, flipping of coins, and posing for pictures). And I didn't spot the Dynamo Girls even in the stands. I don't remember a confetti canon when Ching scored either. It was a no-frills game, I guess.

My sons and I were sitting in Section 203 for the game. We took the seats from a co-worker of mine who had season tickets but was heading out of town for the holiday. It turns out, the seats are right next to those of a former co-worker of mine. I worked with him from 1995-2000 and hadn't seen him since. It was good to catch up with him, but he did tell me a story about the Dynamo players that disturbed me. One day he came to a Dynamo Reserves match, and he saw Holden, DeRo, and another player (I can't recall who he said) watching the game from the goal line seats. He decided to go sit not too far from them. He didn't bother them -- he didn't even speak to them -- he just wanted to take in the game and watch some Dynamo first teamers root as fans too. Well, they called security on him and forced him to move. (He said he thought it was Holden, of all people, who called security.) I thought that was a pretty crappy thing for players to do at a game. It wasn't like they were out on the town; they were at a Dynamo game. If they wanted privacy, they should go to one of the boxes. It wasn't like he was bothering them anyway. I hope that my old friend just misunderstood the situation and it was security -- and security alone -- who saw him and decided to relocate him.

At any rate, the Dynamo players did show their fan appreciation on Wednesday, and they were definitely the classier of the two teams on the field. Overall, they gave us a season of quality and came close to bringing home some silverware in the Pan-Pacific Cup and SuperLiga. They had also positioned themselves well for completing the nearly impossible three-peat. However, this year, for the first time, they brought home no awards -- not even El Capitan for the first time ever. Still, they're better positioned than most teams for a solid 2009 campaign, and they're the only MLS team heading to the quarterfinals of the Champions League Cup.

A few moves off-season should ensure a good 2009 -- and hopefully a better start than 2008. We also need to get that stadium situation settled (and find a way to do so WITHOUT allowing football lines on the damn grass). If $10 million really is the difference between a downtown stadium or none, you'd think that Anschutz would pony it up since they'd easily make that back with a stadium located in the Central Business District.

Maybe such gifts are better discussed around Christmas time. Right now we're enjoying Thanksgiving and we should be thankful for what we have.

Thanks for a great season, Dynamo and Dynamofans. Here's hoping for an even better one next year.

Dynamo battered by Battery

Well, we see that MLS Reserves can compete versus a top-tier USL team, but they cannot beat a top-tier USL team. Dynamo-R were the second best team in the first half. They managed to improve their play in the second half and, 15 minutes after the Battery went down to 10 men, Dynamo-R managed to find an equalizer. After the Battery went down to 9 men, Dynamo-R were out of creative ideas and the 11 only managed to give about as much as they got from the 9. That's nothing to be proud about.

Yes, this was the Dynamo-R, not the Dynamo. I'm completely fine with that choice of personnel. A reserve squad losing to a good USL team in PKs is completely understandable. Losing to a 9-man team (who still looked like they could score with those 9 men)? That's a sign that our Reserves have a lot of maturing to do. I also can't help but wonder why The Dom didn't make the moves in extra time that could have taken advantage of the 2-man advantage and prevent going to PKs. I believe the US Open Cup allows a lot more than the traditional 3 substitutes.

Once the PKs start, the result becomes a crapshoot. And, unfortunately, the USL players were the ones who looked confident and composed when taking their kicks. The Dynamo-R did not. That is completely unacceptable for an MLS club.

How did New England Revolution (who schooled us in our two meetings this year) fare with their reserve squad? They beat the Richmond Kickers 3-0. Taylor Twellman (just off injured reserve) and (maybe) Kenny Mansally are the only names you'd probably recognize on that reserve squad, yet they managed to take care of business.

All in all, a very disappointing indictment of the status of the Dynamo Club and the Club's development system. Let's hope a good result comes on Thursday to wash the bitter taste of this result out of our mouth. Without the possibility of winning the US Open Cup (and we're not even sniffing distance from the Supporters' Shield), we'll need to win the MLS Cup or come in second in the MLS Cup if we wish to compete in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. Slowly but surely, we're trimming our options by losing key matches. Being destroyed in the Pan-Pacific final, losing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, embarrassed in the league opener, held winless through the month of April and being the last team to record its first win, losing El Capitan, losing to a 9-man squad in the US Open Cup...it's time for the MIO to man up and succeed at something this season. And quickly.

Hmm. I guess I'm bitter.

Addendum, the morning after...
First of all, I'm less bitter, but still bitter.

Here is the official recap of the game and an anecdotal recap of the game. Charleston used four subs, the Dynamo used a paltry two. "Paltry" because you are allowed more than the typical three in the US Open Cup, and the MIO-R had played 120 minutes.

The Chronicle has its own post-game article. The Battery again had more juice than the Dynamo.

Another ESPN match for the Dynamo tomorrow, so Soccernet has a preview of the game vs RSL. Houston hasn't been horrible in the season's first three months. In fact, the team is tied for the fewest losses in MLS. But the Dynamo have found it difficult to beat teams, and their league-high seven draws have meant that the defending champs have gone sideways for much of the season.

Go Dynamo!

A new low in the Season Of Mediocrity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until then...Go Dynamo!

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

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

Let's REstart this season, yo.

It's a new season and the Dynamo begin yet another "title defense" with its ceremonial Disappointing Performance. Time to shred the season tickets my friends. The season is over. No MLS Cup Championship. No tournament trophies. Our defense can't keep a Twellman-less Revs to fewer than 3 goals, or a J-League Osaka to fewer than 6. That's it man, game over man, game over! Maybe we could build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh?

Or not.

It's hard to take any underlying truth from yesterday's game. Despite having the better, more challenging pre-season schedule, the Dynamo looked to have no chemistry for most of yesterday's match. The first half saw little rhythm, plenty of disorganized defending, and absolutely no offensive production. Great free kick by DeRo in the closing moments though.

The second half saw better play, but little in the way of solid opportunities. Much of our success might be due to switching to a 3-5-2 late in the first half. Though the half saw improved play, our defending was still shaky and we turned the ball over too often. And we had only 3 shots on goal to the Revs' 13. Sheesh.

The only thing we can definitely take away from this game is that none of this means anything except that the parity of the MLS means any team -- even so-called top-tier teams -- can and will lose. (Did you see DC United's loss today? They're still one of the most talented teams despite losing to KC 2-0. Did you see the sexy LA Beckhams lose? Broke your heart, I'm sure.) Sure, we've got to do better. And you know what? We will. Yes we need to get better rhythm in the midfield. Yes we need to get more creative up front. And, yes, we desperately need to get better organized in the back -- for the love of all that is holey (holey like your back line was yesterday), help out your GK, guys!

Besides the blithe "one loss isn't that bad," is there anything good that came out of the game?

Why, yes...
Dom is disappointed and will likely work on solutions. "We deserved to get beat tonight," he admits. E-Rob, the heart of our defense, is also not a happy soul; and he will work on the locker room solutions, no doubt.

Stuart Holden looked sharp for the most part, I thought. DeRo didn't command the game, but was dangerous. Ching didn't get hurt.

The ref was incompetent enough that we can complain about someone other than our defenders. How was Stuart's tackle, the one that resulted in Steve Ralston's departure, a foul by Stuart? I believe that call lost us the game right there. Or something.

Pat Onstad made some outstanding saves, including the two shots that rebounded to our defense. But wait! Where's our defense? It doesn't look like they're interested in getting to the rebounds? What are those blue shirts doing getting to the rebounds first? That is OUR penalty box, right? Aaaand, there's two goals right there. Game, set, match. Thanks, defenders. Oh, sorry, this is supposed to be the list of good things, which is that Pat did well and...uh...LA lost 4-0. Word.

Another good thing: Dick's Sporting Goods had an amusing commercial. Nonetheless, it'll be overplayed by next weekend, I'm sure.

There's no reason the pain should linger. The best way to move on from this loss is to win versus Saprissa at Robertson on Wednesday. We must win that one before we head to Costa Rica for the second leg. Also, and this is important: we host the vile FC Dallas in between the two CONCACAF matches, and we simply canNOT allow them to get their first ever win -- or even a draw -- in Houston. And that is the gospel truth, y'all.

I still believe

As I was traveling through America's heartland, I was unable to see the Dynamo-DC United match this past weekend. I did read the various synopses of the game, as well as Glenn's take, but I can't comment on the match with any specificity.

It does look like Dynamo acquitted themselves quite well, particularly in the second half, but still are having trouble getting the goals they need. DeRo misses a PK (argh!), but creates a goal to end the D-H scoring drought, but not our winless streak. (Here's a link to all Week 8 goals, including DDR's.)

Glenn Davis reiterates his claim that our troubles stem from conceding the first goal, then being unable to pry open the bunker teams fall into when protecting their lead. I agree with Glenn that chasing the game is always difficult (the only time we've succeeded this season was on Colorado's big pitch), but that's not the whole story of course. I wish I could say what the "whole story" is, but I think it's really just a combination of individuals being off their game (DDR at first, Ching later, the wingers intermittently), difficulty with the newbies (Ngwenya, who could have introduced himself to his new city and turned around our fortunes by taking advantage of some of his 1-v-GK opportunities), poor set-pieces, and bad luck. After the early collection of poor showings, the team has played solidly as a unit, so despite some individual blunders, there seems to be no systematic problem.

So what's the solution?

Some denizens of the Internet state that Dynamo need to spend money on a Designated Player because we need a bigtime striker that can finish what the team hath wrought in the first two-thirds of the field. Others say that Dynamo has stayed the same while the league has improved.

I don't buy either observation. Dynamo are not being played off the field -- in fact, we've looked to be the better team in every match since the RBNY match. Defensively we're solid. Offensively, we're possessing the ball well and creating chances. We have top quality in every position; we don't need new blood (the only exception being perhaps the #2 striker). The team only needs to work on bolstering their confidence, improving their free kicks, and becoming a little hungrier (even reckless) in the penalty box. Practicing set-pieces, in-box finishing, and long-distance strikes would help, but this is no secret -- Dom is already taking these necessary steps -- nor is there anything magical in the recipe. The team needs to continue working on these areas to refine their skills and (perhaps more importantly) improve their confidence so they don't waste time second-guessing themselves come game time. They have the skills, they just need to get their heads into the "zone" when under game pressure. (More of that Zen stuff I keep mentioning.) After the successes come, the confidence will return and we'll be back to our old winning ways.

Thankfully, our slump coincides with a lack of results throughout the Western Conference, so we're still in the fight even in the midst of our doldrums. Furthermore, 4 of our next 6 matches are against Western Conference opponents, giving us ample opportunity to gain ground. Hopefully the tide turns this weekend against our rivals of the I-45 corridor. I can't think of a better time to do it.

Two observations from the midwest:

• I saw no sign of the Wizards while I was in KC. The team was in New England this past weekend, and there was no other visible proof that the city had a professional soccer team. My in-town relatives were only casually aware that there was a team in town.
• As I was driving in Southern Oklahoma, I was passed by a 90s-era jalopy that had an FC Dallas sticker on its rear window. It seems FCD has some presence at least.
  
  

It's a Sophomore Slump

The slump continues. I'm disappointed with the results, but I really have little to quibble about regarding the quality of the team's play. Versus Chicago and TFC we played well enough to win, but lost; tonight we played even better than in those games, and we lost.

Our losses:
RBNY: 1-0
Chicago: 1-0
Toronto: 1-0
New England: 1-0

The key stat in all those instances: 0 goals for the good guys. And of these games, the RBNY game was the only one where we looked outclassed, and that was against a 10-man team.

Still, tonight's loss to the Revs is even more disappointing. Everyone talks about how we dominated possession, and we did, but that's not always a telling stat and can be deceptive based on the type of game being played by the opposition. Tonight, in addition to possession, we saw bucketloads of other things that hearken to a great team:

• Creative passing, takeovers, and combination play
  
• Changing the pattern of play & tempo
• Going through the midfield and working the short passes and also by-passing the midfield with the long ball
• Great free kicks by Davis
• Vertical and diagonal runs with and without the ball
• Ching headers in the box
  
• Contributions from the bench (particularly Ashe)
• Keeping the other team out of the penalty box
• Solid work rate from the team with a sense of urgency
  

Tonight I believe the loss is truly a factor of bad luck, bad juju, or the wrath of the gods. Perhaps it's just a test of our resolve as fans and our team's endurance. Whatever it was, the loss was not a factor of bad soccer.

The lack of finishing still buzzed around us, but we created the threats and had the shots -- some poor, yes, but others of complete quality. Ching had some good headers, and Clark had an excellent chip of the GK after a nice passing combo with Ching (and flick by Ngwenya) in the 67th and made a shot from distance in the 79th that barely went astray, Davis had a precise bending free kick that couldn't beat Reis, Ashe had 3 great crosses (two on the carpet, one in the air) in his short tenure, and Mullan has a dangerous cutback pass in the 93rd that caroms wildly in front of the goal before landing at the feet of a Rev defender (natch).

Ngwenya continues to be a threat, but can he score? He worked better with the mids tonight, but still seems out of synch with Ching.

I thought subbing in Ashe and Holden was a great move. Ashe did outstanding on the attack, less so defending, but that wasn't a worry since the Revs had gone to 11-man defending since before Ashe walked on the field. Holden provided some good service and might've tallied a goal in the 90th had his first touch been better when the rock fell to him at the top of the box. I question Dom taking out Ngwenya if only because we didn't insert any true forwards in replacement at a time when we were jonesing for some goals. Subbing Gray for DDR was out of necessity, I believe, due to DeRo's hamstring; but it further hampered our attack at a time when we needed creative attacking the most. Luckily, Ashe's energy on the left seemed to fill the void DDR's absence created in the middle -- but not enough to change the result.

The team is getting frustrated. Indeed, Ching and DeRo both received needless Yellows because of their emotional outbursts born of frustration. Frustration is understandable and may be a good thing if it turns into determination; but if it leads to exasperation, then the team could start playing tight and disjointed, which won't make goals come any faster.

So, how can Dynamo Houston break this curse? They could seek guidance from the infallible Internet, where you can find all sorts of wisdom. Or they can continue doing what they're doing for two-thirds of the field, while concentrating on improving their play and expanding their tactical repertoire in the final third. They also need to continue getting Ngwenya (or the healed Dalglish) incorporated into the coordinated attack better, or Nqwenya/Daggers need to do better on their own when the chances fall to them.

Final thoughts:

• The new grass looked horribly patchy, and sand flew up all over the field. I hope the pitch improves before the next home game.
• I like the all-orange kit. I'm surprised the team hasn't worn it before, since they have both pieces (the home jersey and the away shorts) already in their gearbox.
• Kudos to the 18,000+ who showed up to root for the home team. The supporters sounded great. I think that we need to stop booing (like the crowd did at the end of the first half), because it sounds like we're booing our team. I would guess that everyone was booing the officiating at the end of the half, but I'm not sure. Also, I think we need to learn a chant or cheer or song to ring out in support of the good guys whenever the opposition scores. We can't boo when the other team scores because booing, again, sounds like we're condemning our team's performance, but silence is exactly what the other team wants to make us do. We instead need to voice something that rejects the visitor's smugness and inspires Dynamo Houston. Just a thought.
• Both Coach Nichol and Matt Reis acknowledged that Dynamo Houston played the better soccer, and they both acknowledged they were lucky to have the 3 points. That's no consolation of course. I noticed in his interview that Reis was drinking from a Red Bull water bottle. I think the Rev supporters should pitch in and buy him a bottle that doesn't promote one of their Eastern Conference rivals. Or maybe they could buy him a bottle with a DC United emblem on it.

Don't worry Dynamo fans: this, too, shall pass.

Dynamo looking DynaLESS

Maybe I've been a Houston sports fan for too long, because I'm not at all comfortable with the Dynamo's current run of form. A fan from some other town might chalk this up to a rough patch and comfort himself with knowing that his team is good so good things will happen. Well, I'm Mr. Glass Half Empty after tonight's match.

It was a poor performance all around. Giving up the goal didn't bother me that much. On a wet field with a good dead ball specialist behind the ball, such things might happen. We're still at the top of the league in terms of goals conceded.

Let's get on to what does bother me:

• A continuing inability to score. We have scored in 2 of 6 games. That means we've been shut out -- shut out, I say -- by 4 teams. We have 2 goal scorers. We now have a speedy forward, Ngwenya, who can run to the goal faster than Moreno, which enables him to fluff the shot quicker than Moreno would. On the 1v1 with the keeper, Ngwenya looked exactly like Moreno at the end of the first leg of the Pachuca match. If you're earning a paycheck as a forward, you've got to get those in. Here's hoping that Ngwenya does better with his chances in the future. We weren't patient with Moreno doing the same...but at least we're paying less for the same results. Ching had very little service from the wings and his best work was working the middle or the flanks with his feet. When THAT is happening, the game plan has broke down. We had a few shots from distance, but little that threatened. And this is versus a keeper one year removed from the USL. And versus an expansion team. And a team coached by Mo Johnston.
  

• Disappearing DeRo. The problem with DeRo isn't that he doesn't care or that he's going through a work slowdown and pouting until his contract issues are resolved; no, the problem is that he cares too much and is working too hard. Whenever he wants to show the world his quality, whenever his heart is aching for everyone to realize that he truly is among the elite -- so he will get the raise he deserves, so the foreign managers will see him as a worthy adversary, so his hometown will see the boy grown up -- he struggles. Why? Because his skill, as masterful as it is, is instinctual and visceral. He cannot command his flair into submission. He is a player who must feel the play and just flow into the action. Don't condemn him for not trying; his problem is that he's trying too hard. Yoda could teach him a few things, but basically DeRo needs to come to terms with Wu Wei and return to being the Taoist Soccer Master that he is.

• Conceding a goal on the road isn't a cause for concern, but there was no excuse for how open Welsh was on the free kick. Lapses of concentration on defense hurt us last year at times, and is all the more dangerous because of our impotent offense.

• Cochrane has been shaky all season. I don't remember being nervous with him on the field last year, but this year he seems to get out of position, lose the ball, and concede fouls too often for a starting defender on a top flight team. Did he commit the foul that led to the goal? I'm not for sure, but it's not a far-fetched guess given how much he fouls. Waibel was a bit shaky at the altitude of Pachuca, but other than that he looked as good as Cochrane if not better. I don't understand why Waibel is being benched; I worry less with Waibel on the ball than I do when Cochrane is there.
  

• Apathetic coaching. I'm not one to clamor for massive replacement of starters, and I'm perfectly at ease with Kinnear's preference to let the Starting XI solve the problems thrown at them by the opposition, but when the starters aren't cutting mustard, you sub them out to (1) offer someone else a chance to excel and (2) let the starters know that they are going to have to work for their positions. Using only one sub, Kinnear failed to allow anyone else the chance to help the cause, prevented the possible development of bench players, and told his starters that mediocrity is acceptable. I thought Stuart Holden was a fine sub, and I thought that pulling Ngwenya was not unwarranted given the newbie's misfirings, but a middie for a forward is not a particularly aggressive sub. It does not say "we need a goal, guys." Ngwenya at least was penetrating the opposition (and THEN blowing it, yes), while Mullan, who moved up when Holden took the wing, did little more than get called offside about a dozen times when time was precious. I think Dom should have done more to light a fire under our guys.
  

• But mainly it's that thing about a lack of goal scoring that really ticks me off. If you're going to lose, at least score a bit so opponents have to open up the game to outscore you. I've called out Cochrane in this rant, but he has nothing to do with this, the greatest problem facing the 'Mo. The problem lies with the service from our middies to Ching, and with the on-ball abilities of DeRo and the non-Ching forward. Until the five players in this aspect of the game become consistent, we will struggle mightily.
  

Since I'm crabby, let me gripe about other things, none as important as my gripes about the Dynamo's offensive impotence, but here it is:

• I haven't been very impressed with the refs this year. They missed another handball in the penalty box tonight. Worse than that was their lack of accuracy on the offside calls. I, for one, think the call should be like the "tie goes to the runner" call in baseball. If it's close, err on the side of attacking soccer and let the play unfold. If it results in more goals for all teams, then whoopee. I don't think that's a sin. I also hope the league's director of refereeing, Esse Baharmast, does a little refresher on the "advantage" too. As an aside, one of the four professional refs, Terry Vaughn, was the official tonight. Seems like some professional training is in order.
  
• I listened to Steve Mark, the voice of the Dynamo, on 790 for the first 10 minutes of the game. He has a good voice and is good on the pre-game, halftime, and post-game activity, but needs to listen to soccer on the radio and practice on how to describe the play to as it happens. I had very little idea as to who was doing what on the field for those 10 minutes. Steve Clarkson seemed to be a good color guy though.
• Toronto is a Canadian team, no? This Johnston clown fields only two Canadian starters, Sutton and Brennan. Is that really the best an entire nation can produce for its team? At least all three subs were Canuckistanis.
• I like the Glenn Davis-Charlie Pallilo team in the booth. Pallilo calls a good game and Glenn is solid in the analysis. Yes, they're biased for the home team; but that's because they're H-Town announcers. They're supposed to be calling from the local team's perspective. It's not a breach of etiquette like when the FSC crew led by Max Bretos pleads on camera for Toronto to win, like they did in the TFC-Fire game last weekend.
• I hate divers. On a related note: Eskandarian should not be allowed to wear #10. No one on Dynamo-Houston wears #10, and only DeRo would warrant it. No one else has the hubris for such garish self-aggrandizement.
• Right now we're tied for 8th in the 13 team league. Mid-season slumps are much easier to stomach than beginning of season slumps. This slump better end soon.

On a brighter note: That Onstad is a rock. And how about that Dynamo Stadium news?

Paying the Piper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's switch to something positive.

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

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

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

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