What I'm saying is that we are not leaps and bounds away from being a contender, if we are in the mix next year it might be a good thing to have him around. Now, if we do nothing next year and he leaves on free then I totally agree with you. He is hard to handle late in the game, just seems to have more stamina than most.
I say we are leaps and bounds from being a contender but maybe it's from all the studying, research, reports, etc.... We need to upgrade in so many positions before we contend.
That's the danger of the team finishing with a few wins, it lets the front office continue to believe and sell that concept. Worst thing that has happened to this team was going on an unbeaten run in the last 8 games or so of 2017 and thereby going from absolutely sucking, to managing to sneak into the playoffs and reach the conference semis. That allowed them to say "we're right there". Then they sucked last year and it was, "well, if Cabezas didn't get injured". Now they suck this year. It's time to embrace the notion that being crap for 2.5 of the last 3 seasons doesn't happen by accident and make real change.
Good thoughts. Although the "announced" attendance was 15,145, they probably know how bogus that number is and expected about half that amount to show up and staffed assuming only one-third would show up. Saved $652 in labor costs. I watched about 20 minutes of the first half, it was dreadful. I see on the highlights they came back with 2 quick goals. I also noticed that in the first half the camera crew did everything they could not to show the upper deck and and endzones to avoid showing so many empty seats.
This was posted on reddit, it's a peculiar and also striking visual to see one of the owners in North end zone dressed that way. @dynamotheory Nice to see one of the owners hang out with the Texian Army tonight. That's a good way for ownership to get involved. pic.twitter.com/1cEdkKTUyf— Joshua Buckley (@joshuabuckley) September 22, 2019
I think this all depends on the definition of "contender". As a true championship-level contender like an LAFC or Atlanta, not even close. As a 5th-7th in the West type of team with a chance to pull off an upset or two in the playoffs, we probably aren't leaps and bounds away. But then neither is the rest of the league. One thing the expanded 7-team playoffs have done in each conference is keep almost every team mathematically alive until the final 10 days of the season. The 2019 Dynamo have LOST more than half of their games 90% thru their season and are not yet eliminated from playoff qualification. 22 of 24 teams are still mathematically alive to make the playoffs with only 2 weeks left in the season. That's nuts.
Yeah, but part of that is the stupid uneven schedule. For example, if New England had played their 32nd game and won then everyone below the line but Chicago would’ve been eliminated.
Not really, look at NE's last 3 games, - @POR, NYCFC, @ ATL. Thats a tough run in. Yes, they are the outlier keeping 4 more teams alive but Week 14 of the NFL season doesn't have 28 teams still alive for the playoffs.
These podcasters still whining about lack of coverage - yeah, great they beat an Orlando team with even less wins than the Dynamo but no one cares in the middle of college football and Astros and HS football. It would have mattered if the Dynamo hadn't lost a whole bunch of home games in the summer. After a huge comeback win by OUR @HoustonDynamo over @OrlandoCitySC, @FOX26Houston @KHOU, @abc13houston had nothing about it in their websites. #whatashame #ForeverOrange— The Peel (@thepeel05) September 22, 2019
Right, the news covers what a lot of people are interested in. The Dynamo have a small fanbase and the news isn't going to put much effort into it. Now, if we can grow that base by winning, we will be on the news more. I dream of a massive parade one day. I think it will happen, I might be retired by then but it will happen.
WHAT A FUN NIGHT BACK OUT DOWNTOWN AT BBVA!!! What a comeback win! Honestly did not think that was in the cards! When our guys go down so early, one could easily envision another home loss. But our guys actually stuck with it and found a way to score two goals in three minutes of each other. I will also content that our boys found that the sound n song from the drums and our singing helped to see the day through. One feeds off the other. The harder we sing for our players, the harder they run, the harder they run the more goals they score! The more goals the score, of course the louder and more furious an hinchada will sing! It is a wonderful thing this pro soccer! More folks would love this experience. However, this club of ours couldn't form a team to improve on recent seasons nor sell water in the desert. I am going to miss playoff lines down on the field and the chance to have games at BBVA where it has finally cooled back down here in Gulf Coast U.S.A. Spot on. I noticed that his engine is one of those that he is fast but as well he is the same fast at 10 minutes as he is at 90 minutes. Which as an old player, this trait is very rare. More so for a man that is willing to put his body through this test and know that his effort might not be reciprocated by his very own teammates. Elis really has become one of our club's best footballers. Just his shear goal scoring exploits, swagger and willingness to run for days outta midfield into attack. He is our Honduran Mullan. HA!
Again, I find all the time out on the town of people that of "heard" off our Dynamo. Perhaps even recall Ching or the like from news spots over the years. But our FO has allowed all the good, honest traction that was earned from the get go to rot away in similar form to the core fan base. In a sport that continually needs to be sold to Americans, the same goes for selling and or marketing the sport to why care, on top of what association football is. Our MLS HQ and our own FO need to market better the civic pride that is associated with the beautiful game as knows and cherished the world over.
I'm happy over the last couple of games. First half here was awful, but they turned it on in the second half. Usually had the opposite under Cabrera. I'm cautiously optimistic on Ramirez and think we can build around a two forward system (also maybe side benefit of making Pena relevant). Overall happy we've moved on from Cabrera. I'll agree that the team could have had a better season. That said, I don't think the talent is here for us to be legitimate contenders and wins against a terrible Orlando team and a Minnesota team gutted by international absences doesn't really prove much. The overall roster I think is good enough to make the playoffs, but that doesn't mean much because over half the league makes the playoffs. Also, again, is there any reason Memo shouldn't be a day-in, day-out starter at this point? He's clearly better than McNamara and Quioto is persona non grata. Either play him on the wing here or use him as a solution to the lack of the center mid offensive oomph (Boniek and Vera combined have a whopping two assists).
Only tangentially related to this, the one thing I've seen people raise as proof the Dynamo could contend this season has been San Jose. I've had a number of people say to me, "see, San Jose doesn't spend that much more than us, and all they had to do was get a good head coach and they are now a serious contender". My retort has been they spend just enough more to make a difference, but let's wait and see how things fare between now and the end of the season because mid-range teams have been known to go on runs (plus as we know, a lot of this relates to schedule and things even out in the long run), but can they sustain it? Of course here now we sit with 3 games to go and they have fallen into a tie with Portland for 7th.
Yup! Memo not starting down the spine of our team is just odd on every level one looks at it. He is better suited to play the #10 role that Martinez just cannot do. He is quick to pass and moves off the ball well better than anyone on our team and lastly he has the legs and engine to see an entire 90 minutes out. He is not the biggest man or fastest but he appears to be the man that can be our best player in the center of the park. Also, Memo at centermid allows Martinez to play up top with Manotas and still have Elis play out right. I would like to have a bigger line up and have Martinez and Manotas play more running towards goal over playing with their backs to the goal and up on the opponent's backline's hip, the offsides line. Thus, Pena is the back to goal player playing off the opponents back line. ---------------------------------Pena ------------------------Martinez------Manotas -----------------------------------------------------------------Elis --------------------------Memo--------------Vera ----Beasley-----------Figueroa------Struna---------Swede
I recorded the Orlando game from Saturday and I just finished watching it. #1 I don’t ever want to see #10 Martinez in a Dynamo Jersey ever again. #2 I don’t think Lundquist is going to get any better - I don’t want to see him in a Dynamo Jersey again. #3 I really want us to sell Elis as he is just too one dimensional and completely wasteful with his gifts. We would have to massively upgrade everyone around him to cover up his liabilities. If we can’t sell him fine keep playing him but at least try. #4 I never want to see Macnamara start over Memo when he is 90 minute fit. #5 Weneed to keep Manotas if we can and Ramirez is the true #9 we need
Manotas - Is on a $1million TAM supported salary and got a new contract last year. He is definitely good enough to play in Europe and the Dynamo need to let him go for the right amount. If there is an offer, and he is not let go, that will only serve to affect his attitude. I think that if the rumors were correct on offers, the Dynamo would be making a huge mistake to try to keep him.
Given the fact that I don't trust the Dynamo organization to find and recognize talent to replace a talent like Mauro - I would prefer not to let him go. Wilmer Cabrera was fired for stubbornly sticking with his 'discovered talent' in Martinez. Manotas and Elis were the only reasons why he kept the job as long as he did. Of course all the Cabrera defensive disaster additions by Cabrera like the defender from Colorado and De La Garza - along with Jordan's sprinkles of Pena, Seitz, Senderos, Lundquist, the Spaniards, and the worthless drafts helped as well...
In a league like MLS, when a player says they are ready to make the move to Europe and you don't allow them to do so (which would be the second time since Elis wanted to go last off-season), you run the risk that players stop wanting to come to your team. You also run the risk that once their contract expires, they bolt and you get absolutely nothing. This is a selling league now, Garber has made that clear, and that fact enables getting better players out of South America who see the potential to do like Almiron - come play here a couple of years with a good quality of life and good salary (that actually gets paid) and then get your big European payday. If the Dynamo can't replace players, that's on them as an organization, but keeping players too long is counter-productive.
In case anyone missed it, Manotas has said the viable offer during the window came from a "big club in Russia" and only reason it didn't go through was there was not enough time before the window closed to finalize it. With the interest there is right now, and coming off of a good season for him personally, I'd be floored if he is still here come kick-off next season.
I'm in the camp that thinks the team could have competed with a better coach at the head. Not saying that they had a legit shot at winning the Cup, but there's no reason they couldn't have nabbed a low playoff seed and got hot and progressed against an unlucky team. I don't think better coach cures all the Dynamo ills or makes them a consistent contender, but I do think it's probably the best bang for your buck to effect immediate change.