Preseason: Houston Dynamo v. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Wednesday, February 19

It's game day.

 

Wish I could see this. Would be fun to scout the Hounds.

 

I know. I usually skip these things, and just work, but I'll head out to this one today. Looks interesting.

 

I've aways loved the commercial where the guy says 'RELEASE THE HOUNDS!'

 

Blah. Need to leave my house now if I want I make this game. Woke up 2 minutes ago. #offdayproblems

 

Hounds Starting XI:
Gilstrap, Obodai, Flunder, Marshall, Fekete (trialist), Vincent, Dallman, Ngwenya, Kerr, Arteaga, Angulo

 

weather held out, maybe 40 ppl on sidelines.

sherrods pace and movement were good but he is timid with his passing touch

euan had a couple of impressive runs from leftback

28 still impressive while Serrvnavnavonao still not so much

also the Pittsburgh Goalie seemed really tall?

 

Alexander Lopez showed really good vision, and passing today. He's a playmaker.

Holden is a physically strong defender. I like what I saw.

Brunner looked good. Good passing, and composure.

 

I would sign both Seone and Holden IMHO.

I disagree that Brunner looked good. I think he looked OK at best. Pitt's goal was a cross into an attacker standing right on the spot who headed the ball home from short distance. That goal + the numerous times the two CB's failed to win 50-50's had me concerned.

I think you loan Cochrane, Arena, Salazar, and Johnson or Sherrod to Pitt. IMHO you don't need Johnson at left mid and I think Sherrod is playing the better at forward, so I would say keep Sherrod and move out Johnson. You still have three games to decide that one though.

Alex Lopez is going to be just fine as well IMHO. He is making 2-3 plays a game (in just 30 minutes today) and the one he created today was a goal for Cummings. Also struck a clearance out of the air from about 30 yards out and didn't miss by much.

Bruin is doing all the little things right. I hope he gets some momentum going in Carolina in the goal column. Regardless, I think he will have anywhere between 8-10 games to start the season to try to figure things out depending on how the team performs.

Cummings looked good as did OBG in central midfield.

But it was against PITT and not an MLS side. Let's see how things look in Carolina.

 

I like Seone, but the Dynamo have an abundance of good midfielders. I like him, but don't feel he is needed as much as Holden.

 

Wasn't it Servando who got beat on the goal? I thought one of the CBs got pulled out wide and the other was in the six.

 

It happened so fast honestly that I didn't think that one of the CB's got pulled out --- but it was bang bang so I could have it wrong. Whenever a cross comes in from the wing and the goal is scored from the penalty with a free header --- you can also blame the d-mid along with the CB's so I have no problem blaming Servando who I thought was a little soft on the defensive side of the ball today.

 

Two defenders we're beat on the wing. The Pittsburgh player went all the way to the touch line on the wing, chopped it, came back up the wing, faked it, then crossed it in. It was a good play.

 

MORE HERE​

 

I understand what you're talking about here. But seriously, coming off of last season, and now not scoring much in pre-season when there are several other guys with multiple goals... I don't really want to hear about his "little things." He either starts putting it in the net, or send him to the RiverHounds until he figures out how to do it. The team really can't afford to give him 8 or 10 games if he's not producing. He's supposed to be our number one striker.

 

1. He will never be sent to PITT. He will be traded first.
2. Why not? Look what the team did last year without him scoring? It can easily afford to give him 8-10 games (and you are crazy to think that he won't be given those games by Dom). Cascio is scoring goals, Barnes is scoring, Cummings is scoring. As long as the team isn't failing to score generally, he will be given a long rope.
3. I think he will get off the snide soon enough that it won't matter.

 

Replay shows Brunner did slide over leaving Horst and Carrasco.

 

Given the way guys are playing I'm not sure what my preferred lineup is right now. I'm very curious, because it seems like so many options are out there right now.

Here are a couple that I was thinking about:

Cummings-------Bruin----------Barnes

-------Davis---------------Boniek-----

----------------Clark--------------------

Ashe------Taylor------Horst-------Sarkodie


or...


---------Bruin-------Cummings-----------

----------------Barnes----------------------
Davis-------------------------------Boniek
------------------Clark----------------------

Ashe-------Taylor-----Horst-----Sarkodie


The CB fight is not close to set, but I really like what I've seen from Horst in the games I've seen so far. Cascio, Driver, and Lopez provide a lot of attacking options off the bench. Its really tough not to put Cascio in the starting lineup right now because he couldn't have had a better preseason, but I'm not sure where he goes? This would be most likely if we get him in, but then Cummings has looked good too:

------------Bruin------Barnes----------------
------------------Boniek-----------------------
Davis-----------------------------------Cascio
--------------------Clark-----------------------
Ashe-----Taylor---------Horst------Sarkodie


Bruin doesn't really have time to start slow, because both of those guys have earned a chance to prove their worth this preseason.

 

That was Sito's last game as a Dynamo...

 

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