Houston Dynamo v. New York Red Bulls, Saturday, April 1

Going for a Dynamo win....shocker, I know.

2-1 with Cubo and Clark scoring for us.

 

gotta prepare for the over the top ball to BWP

 

They might not even let us have the ball. They play the high press fairly well.

 

The quick counter can kill the high press. CBs are pushed so high in NYRB's formation that Ellis and Quioto and Cubo will be able to get behind them. Game will be interesting to say the least.

 

I'm hoping for a win as always, but most of all a quick turnaround rectifying mistakes made last week. There's a part of me that wants this team on the road for this just to see if there's potential for adjustment. Last week looked like noone had any real leadership to focus the team on the same page in that 2nd half. We looked so unorganized and everyone wanted to look like they were doing something. Coaching wise the subs were late as well. I guess he wanted to see how mentally tough we were to get ourselves out of that hole. On the down side It looked instead like we hunkered down to hold the lead and our defense got hammered for 35min non-stop.

 

I will be looking at Sashapoo to see how much he plays for the USMNT and if the translates to any fatigue for this game.

The cows can be had and we have the speed and quick transition to get them.

This outta be a good one!

 

A Dynamo win followed by 23 posts from JC about how we are terrible and destined for relegation.

 

Reports say Quioto is out for 6 weeks, so we may end up seeing what Manotas looks like out wide in a 4-3-3.

 

This is an excellent thing. It gives Wilmer plenty of time to see how it works before the Gold Cup and plan accordingly.

 

i personally wouldn't describe it as "excellent" but i get your point. I am in no way excited to see a break up of the starting 3 up front that have given us the production that we've seen so far.

Although I'm no fan boy, I am intrigued by seeing what Manotas can do. His speed is unquestionable and I hope he can use these games to gain a bit of experience and culture to add to his quickness.

Will Quioto get Wally Pipped? Doubt it, but would love to have a true controversy as to which 3 of the 4 players should be starting.

 

Quioto is potentially getting Wally Pipped (do people realize he was hitting .230 60 games in the year he got replaced)? Really? Best player on the team right now and has the most goals run of play. His potential replacements are generally the people who we felt bound to upgrade from previous seasons. I am curious what games some of you watch.

His flawed front line mates are the more likely candidates for platooning/ replacement/ experimentation. Elis doesn't defend enough on his wing and Torres I won't belabor my point.

I do agree that we have more front 3 talent than we are fully using, that could be deployed in more creative fashion as well. Manotas was your leading scorer last season, burying him behind Torres is the sort of stubborn pigeonholing this team recently loves to do. Elis played as central striker for Honduras against us. Also Wenger and Boniek (and perhaps even Holland). I am sure there is some creative stuff we can do with the front 3 rather than moping Quioto is out and just rotely filling his slot.

We will have to make defensive subs many weeks so you can't use everyone, but I haven't felt like WC has made full use of the resources at his disposal.

The real question is what increment between last season and this we can maintain without our best player. There may be fall off because Quioto rather than Torres is the goalscorer on the frontline. I don't think Manotas is a tablesetter wing and that we have that simple a solution. Wenger or Boniek would be better suited to the role, and had plenty of production last season.

Personally I'd run out Boniek Elis Wenger with Manotas and Torres off the bench....people would then be like but you like Manotas, but I think we need a speed element in Quioto's absence

 

Quioto really isn't all that great, it's the system

 

I like Manotas as a forward, I'm not sold on him as a wing but maybe we will see...

 

That's part of the reason I am like, sit down, look at the available parts, and think about what the best lineups are while we cope. I think we tend to be a bit robotic, ok, who is the next guy up, not think through how the dynamic works.

That being said, I feel like we have a tendency to Xerox lineup cards and pigeonhole players in specific roles and I'd like to see what Manotas and Torres and Wenger and Boniek (and even Holland) could do in a variety of roles. It'll be a useful exercise for us because WC seems to fight subbing at all and struggle with ideas how to do it effectively.

 

Some flawed posting going on here

 

Not complicated, if they deny Quioto is hurt or question the outcome -- and I am sure he wants to play if he can -- then Honduras gets to keep him through the game. If Honduras admits he's as hurt as he looks like he was, then we have the right to immediately pull him back. Honduras is playing games.

I trust the announcements today he will be out for as long as his injury suggests he will be. Honduras took him to a MD and the MD didn't clear him. I think the press comments to the contrary from earlier were Honduras playing for time since they are now the NT in big trouble of not going to Russia. Rather than admit he separated a shoulder and put him on a plane, "we won't know til he sees the MD." He sees MD, rubber hits road, end of game. Technically following the rules on callups, they'll say.

 

JC youre one of the folks who thought Jozy and Mike played poorly against Honduras arent you?

 

Dear god when you win 6-0 i ain't complaining about sh*t

 

Ought to be an interesting game based on recent contests between the teams. Based on last year. just like Portland, you need a game plan to get to the final whistle.

I'll be curious to see who starts and how they hold up since we had several callups, besides Quioto, who've been flying around and playing some minutes.

 

Really hope Quioto's injury doesn't hurt the Dynamo chances of reaching the World Cup.