Ok, so it is about time for my seasonal review of where we stand as a team, not specific to any one game. I sit down and think of this about this time each year which is a month prior to the summer transfer window. So here we go: Position in the table: I will start with this one based on the strange start to the season. Mathematically we are in good shape. We averaged over a point on the road and 2 points per game at home so far. That puts us solidly in the playoffs at the end of the season. Can we keep up that pace? Defense: In generally, extremely solid. We have moved pieces in and out and done well. People can argue Taylor over Ashe, but let's be honest, it is a good problem to have. I wouldn't change a thing. That being said, the mental lapses have got to stop as they have cost us points. Midfield: It is what it is, and honestly not too dissimilar to last year. Moffat is a beast, but I like what Sturgis brings in terms of composure. Camago is looking better and more creative but he is probably trying too much given our forward line. As before, everything goes through the left side. Without a solid right wing, we will be average at best here as teams close down Brad. Forward: Uhh, well, you see, uhh. I like a lot of the players we have individually and on paper you would have expected one or two to step up as I am sure Dom hoped for. However, as a unit they are just not getting the job done at all. Sure Bruin looked good for a quick stretch, but he did last year too and then disappeared. I like him and I think he will be a player in this league for years, but right now we have no one that is finishing or even putting it on net with consistency. Summary: Honestly, a Dom team is a Dom team built around defense, dead balls, and high motor pressure. It works but isn't always pretty. That being said, we have always had some offensive threats in the past that have been able to score (younger Ching, DeRo, a host of forwards that have had a year of success here). We do not have the firepower right now, and while our defense is good you are asking them to be perfect lest they cost us a 1-0 game. This summer must find a forward that can consistently put the ball on net. Notice I don't say score because a lot of factors go in to actual goals but a guy who ball on frame will find the net. We also need a RW, but frankly this is secondary in my mind because through the first third of the season we HAVE created chances and not capitalized. A forward and a RW make us a title contender. Without either I think we struggle to make the playoffs. Now, this isn't news to anyone, simply a confirmation of what we knew going in and maybe a recognition that our current crop of forwards isn't quite cutting it today.
Good summary. Does seem like we have a little more depth this year. Hopefully the guys up front start finishing. There were some good looks a few times last night and Perkins made a few good stops
How would Macoumba Kandji do on the right wing, you think? What type of striker do you think fits the team? A Chicharito or a Rooney?
Great summary @troutseth and agree with most points - we're doing well but not excellent. We sure could use a bit more offensive power to avoid these type of underwhelming, stagnant games.
Right wing - it depends. I don't think any of our current guys fit nicely into Dom's traditional style of play which is get out wide and swing the ball in. That doesn't mean a Kandji can't be successful out wide, he would just bring a different style to the position which is taking folks on and cutting it into the middle. I think one of the things that has made Dom's style a success is that with a Brad out wide, defenders are pulled out to him and it opens up our forwards in the middle to receive the cross. With a different style of cutting it back you would need guys that can create small openings and make opportunities with the ball at their feet. We are not set up for that. As for forwards, Chicharito and Rooney have found success in similar ways (and on a smaller scale similar to a young Ching) in the fact they both are able to find separation. That would work well with our attack from the wings. Of the two, I Chicharito is a player that can play the ball at his feet a little better and attack down the middle while Rooney is slightly better with service from outside. *fact is give me either* But, given the subtle difference I would lean toward a Rooney type in Dom's traditional system. However, if we go with more of a slashing RW, then a Chicharito type would be necessary to make that successful.
Agreed on the depth and I honestly think a true finisher alone would make us competitive with the top of the table. You figure we would have 4-6 more points right now if we had a true goal scorer (even without an upgrade out wide).
Mac on the wing would be a disaster. He's a good target F. As to what kind of striker-neither. We have not had a true poacher since Ale left. I'd like to see a pairing of Mac/Ching with a poacher and then bring Bruin or Carr in the second half to stretch the defense. Poacher-think Saverese., Wolyniec, Leinhart, Gordon, etc. Someone that has the uncanny ability to get every loose ball in the area and get it in the old onion sack. Heck that is what made Wondo's career, but now he can actually use some finesse and make some nice skill shots now-which makes him deadly. We need that kind of guy. We put so many balls in the box, that seem to get loose and no one can put it home. The nice thing is-you can generally find poacher sin the Nice Price bin.
One of the things I like about Kanji is his speed and abilities to take defenders one-on-one which are important for a winger. I'm not sure how he hits targets though.
Yeah to me that is what would make it a slight departure from our current style although not too dissimilar to Mullan.
Anyone else think that Clark, in limited minutes, was more than serviceable on the right wing last night?
argh . . . tough one for me. What made Clark such a great player before the injury was his ability to take players on. He doesn't do that any more with success. So I am left wondering, can he play the game that Brad does as a left footer on the right?. I don't think so. Can he get back his confidence from pre injury ? I don't know. To me right now he is just average. * If you don't remember him pre-injury, see his goal on this clip (second one)
He simply needs to get more into the attack. I finally saw a little bit of that from him last night and it is what we desperately need. Davis can't be the only player to provide quality service or it will be a long season.
When I 1st saw Camargo's highlights in Brazil, I saw a defensive midfielder. He's playing a new position.
We're looking for Brian Mullan, vintage 2006-07, for the right wing. Haven't found them yet. Interesting discussion about finding a Wondo-type poacher (just to insult Wondo's scoring we'll call him a "poacher"). For whatever reason Ching doesn't seem to get as many of the one-touch lunge or scramble type goals (in fact he's misfired on a good number thus far). I was envisioning a Paul Dalglish sort of fellow who isn't going to carry it 40 yards and score but can put a few moves on and snag some goals with limited pace.
I think that's exactly what this team is missing, someone who isn't afraid to go at players 1v1 and create his own chances. We really don't have anyone particularly creative in the attack outside Camargo, Davis qualifies to an extent but he doesn't have the pace to really go at a defender. Clark shows flashes of that but yeah, he definitely isn't back to what he was (yet at least). If we could add that person either on the right wing or as a striker I think it could really open up our attacking.
Macoumba Kandji may be the type of player you are looking for. He has quick feet, very good on ball skills, and seems to crave 1v1. His tall skinny frame fools defenders and when they come in to shoulder him, they often end up on their posteriors. I watched the game again last night and saw that he can cross the ball a little as well. I just haven't seen a whole bunch of Kandji, but from what I have seen the last few matches, I have really liked.
I like what I've seen from Kandji so far, I've been surprised at how fluidly he moves for being a tall, lanky guy and he does show good skill with the ball at his feet. He is also more physical than you expect him to be based on his build, definitely interested to see more of what he can do.
I agree with most of your thoughts as to where we stand at this point. Overall tone was somewhat more optimistic than I would have been but I think you summarized quite nicely. I feel like two things happened over the past year which really set us back: 1) Catching fire in the postseason and making it to the final. This allowed the front office to gloss over the three-quarters of the season during which we were mediocre at best and played nearly unwatchable soccer. Had the season ended on a less positive note there would have likely have been greater demand for changes. 2) The sense that the Dynamo HAD to have Brian Ching running out on the field in orange to open the new stadium. Our big offseason move became retaining an overpriced, past-his-prime striker. The decision was emotional and not tactical. Net result is our difficulty finding goals while Ching is looking like he's ready for that front-office job sooner rather than later.
A very good point. Re - Ching. Do people feel that he will retire this year or has more in the tank? Some people get the impression that he could retire this summer, not my point but reference for spread in opinions. Is this early retirement even possible?
With respect to the counter-view on this, I just am not seeing the same thing in Brian Ching that you folks are seeing. I think he is still far better than any other option and better than many other forwards in MLS. I think he is better than Chris Boyd. Bruin gets a side-foot half-volley goal (easy finish) and folks miss the fact that Brian Ching did the real work there with his near post run to clear the space for Bruin. I sincerely believe the Dynamo are not as good with Ching off the field. I think his whole career has featured him doing a ton of dirty work that makes a team win that few folks recognize. Many folks just can't get it if there is not a stat for it. I see Brian Ching as still defending very effectively on opposition corners and set pieces. This is so important in MLS with the big centerbacks that come forward for set pieces. I see Brian Ching still making thru balls like his pass for Bruin against Chicago. He is still working hard off the ball to create a numbers advantage in a part of mf, then getting into the box for service. Brian Ching has always been a player who contributed by making those around him better. There is no stat for it. It does not always result in goals. He is an incredibly smart soccer player. I realize that the goal count is low so far this year and it is natural to turn to the forwards and heap blame. But you have to give the team some more time at home before you judge their offensive performance. We know that road play hurts offensive production.
Brian Ching is a legend and knows how to score goals. He just isn't scoring them much due to age/injuries. He still plays hard though. I wish the goals would come more often, but most predicted that offensive output would suck if the Dynamo didn't cough up money for a goal scorer.
I'm assuming that you mean far better than any other option currently on our roster. If I had to pick between Bruin and Ching I would take Bruin. It would at least be deserving of a discussion. If you could only keep one of them for the rest of the season who would you choose? Claiming Ching is far better than Bruin at this point is a little much, IMO. You may be right about Boyd... time will tell. I have always admired Ching's workrate. It's what's made him so good for so long. It's not like he's ever been an incredible athlete or a lethal finisher. Plenty of us recognize that there is more to playing forward than scoring goals. My point was that making the reaquisition of Ching the centerpiece of our offseason activity was not good enough. At some point in a career having a great soccer mind and a high workrate isn't going to be enough. Agreed You make a good point about the road play. My points are less about Brian Ching and more about the front office's approach to improving the team. It seems that every top table team makes significant improvement every offseason while we typically shuffle the deck with some retreads as our aging stars get one year closer to retirement. They will say that they went hard after Kris Boyd this year but where in the world was their backup plan?
It is not my purpose to defend a "stand-pat" improvement strategy. My purpose was to point out why I disagreed so strongly with the "dump Brian Ching" meme that was resonating within this thread. The team tried to get Boyd and that Central American MF. I think it is true that they tried on some other targets as well. So that suggests to me that the strategy was not just about getting Ching back. In fact, they refused to get him back unless the deal left room for two more quality additions. Seems to me that there is room to question why execution is so often not working. One does get the impression that the Dynamo have an unuseually hard time landing acquisition targets. It is worth contemplating why. It is also fair to ask why, even when targets are acquired, that many have not worked out the way was hoped. But I would hope such questions are put into the context of all MLS teams and how many acquisitions are working out league wide. And also look at succesful acquisitions. It is also worth contemplating if it is really as big a problem as we all think. Dom's strategy of changing the team up as little as possible, focusing on team attitude and culture, and trying to be careful with acquisitions has produced damn good results. Five of six years the team has been competitive. To me, they look competitive again this year and there are two open slots to fill with money to fill it. So -- I think it is way premature to panic and start talking about players that are too old or too bad or too anything. Just my ever so humble $.02.
I'm liking the Camargo acquisition, and that one took a crap team all the way to the MLS Cup. I think the problem is huge for the Dynamo. At this point, with a new stadium, they better try to fill the seats, and the best way to do that is to score goals and win games. There are some good players out there, but they are going to be expensive. It all comes down to money.
