I dunno about yall, but I still can't process this one. I would definitely have to agree that Onstad looked off and scared out of his wits. I'm used to seeing him pissed off and cursing at everyone on where to be and what to look for. After a game like that we finally know what the MLS feels like when they play Houston. Gamba played our exact game to the T. Quickness agressiveness, hard defense and even harder counterattacking. Not to mention they had defenders coming all the way to the opposing penalty area to make plays. I swear to God it was like watching us incarnated in another team, goalkeeper included. What sealed the deal for me in this thought was when the commentator mentioned this team has many years of chemistry with a lot of the same guys playing together for a little under 10 years with this coach. This team is our Japanese twin basically. The only difference is this year the amount of injuries and loss/aquisition of players took its toll tonight. Also the way we breezed through Sydney and the pace Gamba showed against LA really got our head a little big for this one. Hopefully we strap our pair on tighter for the CCC and redeem ourselves.
Here's a few perspectives on it: Bare had the defense figured out and he beat them again and again. Take him out of the equation and it was a 2-1 loss. Good for Bare. Bad for Houston Houston's aggregate score for the tournament was 4-6, which isn't great, but also, not humiliatingly bad. They had a bad game. I hope they got it out of their systems before CCC and the regular season. I'm glad I was there to see it. As the guys walked off the field, I waved the Dynamo flag and told them I'd see them in San Antonio.
One of the things I wonder about the J.League is how they think they'll ever catch on with names like that. Don't they know they need to have euro sounding names if they want any respect? (kidding, man i wish our league had cool names like A and J have not moldy old euro crap...) We need to make that grounds keeper an offer as soon as we get our house built. If our field looked like that the rest could be a dump as far as I'm concerned. If last nights game is repeated by those two, it would require 1) a Jedi Mind Trick 2) the lingering effects of several massive head injuries and 3) narcotics to get anyone other then Lalas to make that deal. I think we need to get a SuperMod or SysAdmin to look into this. Pretty clear to me that someone jacked his passwd. Yeah it was pretty even until we started flailing around trying to get some offense going. (pretty obvious we were going to get countered to death after that) And dude, this isn't "sky is falling" stuff today. Wait until we're in season and we have more the three games without a win. Even if it's three ties in a row it gets nuts in here.
Hey guys, I had this aweful nightmare were we had lost a game by 6 to 1. silly me. What?? it's true?? I told you guys we should've picked up Ultraman and Giant Robot in the off season, but nobody listens to me, and yea, I know Giant Robot has iron legs. but he has nails as tough as missiles, and we need that type of metal in our players. Oh, well. Congrats to the first Pan Pacific Champion. OSAKA. p.s. Thanks to cisco80 and Shovy87 for your replies.
Last time there was a slaugther like this one was at the little big horn. I think Onstad felt like Custer.
Ok, now that that's I've had a chance to sleep off most of the curse words I wanted to say, there were a lot of things we learned last night. First off, pray ERob doesn't get called up or injured during the season. Ianni and Boswell need a lot more practice with a fully-healthy team. They need to practice more against Mullen & Ashe's speed and be ready for the counter, which left a gaping zero-sized hole in our pitiful defense last night. Who would have thought we'd be complaining about our defense? Our backline was complete and utter shit last night. I hope Kinnear tore them a new one after the game, because you can bet that MLS teams watching that game will now be focusing on using the counter against us. Most goals scored against us ever, biggest margin of defeat ever. I keep trying to tell myself "it's preseason" and "it's a meaningless tournament," but that doesn't make the loss feel any better. Hopefully it's a wakeup call for the team and they can use that in the CCC in a few weeks. It was good to see Davis back, though he was still rusty, particularly on corner kicks. I had gotten used to Holden's pin-point accuracy and was annoyed by Davis' first two kicks that sailed over the entire box and harmlessly went out for a goal kick. That will get better of course with time. "It's preseason, nobius." "It's preseason." As for positives from the game, there were few. Ashe played a lot better. He must have read my post, because he actually took the ball downfield once and then cut back to the middle and passed it to someone. Rico looked good out there and was attacking more. Sigh. *Tivo* *Now Playing List* Soccer > PPC: Gamba Osaka vs Houston Dynamos > Delete Now
Baré had the backline figured out, slow and slower. Then he just kept doing the something until we figured out how to stop him. Unfortunately, it involved the ref blowing the final whistle. Hopefully the coaching staff will fix that leak before the rest of the MLS gets to try it. Good point about the score line, that's what got me through the second worst beating we've seen so far in stride. (Pachuca 5:2 Dynamo, 5:4 agg.) Really seriously makes me wish Pachuca would have go to this thing. It would have been interesting to see the FMF-J.L comparison.
I liked the tourney and all but I think we should change it up a bit. we can start by banning Osaka from playing next year, and hell, I sure don't my Dynamo playing the other two top teams in the J-League for that matter !!
(Just a question of clarification.) Thanks for the link, but I think you've got an extra "0" there - according to your link, it should be "at least ~$45K", not ~$450K. The wiki-link you gave says the minimum Pro-A contract is 4.8 million yen. A yen is "about" a penny, so 4.8 million yen is about $45K US. I think it would be great if the minimum salary for senior roster player in MLS was $45K. I like the Japanese approach to the salary cap too: no upper limit, but teams are required to spend above a minimum limit!! We should import that rule into the US (especially baseball!). About the game. Whatever. The J-League is under-rated (I lived in Japan for a few years and went to lots of games), but mostly, it's preseason. That was an excellent training game and should provide a lot of motivation for the team (bench and starters alike).
Dammit next year put us up against Morelia, Pachuca, and Gamba Osaka. I want to beat them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dammit losing like this is an ugly thing for me. Thank God for this computer cuz I'm already an ugly bastard. Somebody make a banner with all the trophies we have had a chance of or have won and hang it from the sideline as a motivational reminder or inspiration. MLS Cup, PPC cup, Supporter's shield, US open Cup, CCC cup, hell even the FIFA World Club trophy. Dom said himself.I want to win ever damn trophy he can if given the chance.
Memories of a 1-0 road loss to RSL come to mind, where the 1 was a "Only people on our defensive half were Robbie Findley and Pat Onstad" goal. This isn't new, it just not commonly exploited.
Hmmmmm. Some interesting responses regarding our 6-1 preseason loss. Well here's another one for you. "Who cares?" No one likes to lose any match and certainly not on the receiving end of 6 goals but does it really matter? For me, all that mattered is that the players got a run out and are getting their fitness back while avoiding injury. Mission accomplished. Are we really going to see what our season's gonna be like on the back of a few preseason matches so far? No, we aren't. Are we really going to see how the players fit in together in two matches? No, not really. Let's get a little perspective here. If this was an MLS Conference Final or MLS Cup match, we'd all be up in arms, and rightfully so. But this was some made up preseason event that we had to be at so we showed up. Give the guys some time to get fit. Give the guys some time to get over injuries. Give the guys some time to play with each other (i.e. Boswell) and get up to regular season form. THEN let's pass judgement on based on results. Someone earlier said it best. We started the regular season off terrible last year and look at the end result. I remember quite a few of the threads and posts regarding that poor start but after winning an MLS Cup in their first season here, many felt the Dynamo should be given a bit of latitude regarding their form at the time. Well, now they've got back to back MLS Cups under their belt so I'd say that we give 'em time to work the kinks out. They've earned it.
First off, Congrats to Osaka. They played their game and we were overmatched and outclassed, period. No excuses about Pre-Season, Injuries, the surface or any of that crap. Some have said that Pat looked slow and scared? Are you kidding me? The way that our backline basically permitted Bare and Co to run at him with minimal interference was damn near criminal. The only positive is that almost all MLS sides lack the speed that Osaka showed. Boswell, if this is what we get out of him all year I am sure that DC is having a good laugh. Ianni, even Cap'n Wade were spun around more often than not. Midfield, Clark and especially Holden were about the only real positive. Forwards, hustle was there but when pretty much all you do is try to bring in high balls toward Ching that makes the defenders job even easier. For all intents and purposes, maybe a good a** kicking is what we needed and better now than rolling into Municipal like our kaka does not stink and leaving there 0:5 in the hole. Thanks to the Mezz for hosting us last night and good to see all those that showed up.
listen to this guy he follows the RedBulls, he knows about losing. just kidding , but he has a valid point. shame on you fkrs that are crying like little btches on this thread. standing where i was standing at the Mezz i heard some shtty comments from some of the random Dynamo members that showed up (in other words, non-TA members) about our boys in orange. that's the reason TA members started to sing even more when we were down 1-6. i'm a Mexico fan and a Tigres fan so i always expect the worst (don't type it Anderson...i know what you're thinking), but if I would of abandon my teams at the first bad-loss i wouldn't of gotten of this game back when disco dancing was huge. some of yous have a lot to go before you become 'true supporters'. i've told you that i met an englishman at a client's office who had followed Chelsea since the 1970's and he told me that he wished Chelsea would be relegated to the Coca Cola league, so he can #1 find a ticket to watch a game when he goes back home and #2 so all the glory-hunters who hadn't suffered with the team when they almost made it down to the English 3rd Division could take of HIS jersey. this is only the Dynamo's 3rd bad loss and some of you are acting like the ship is sinking. sermons over. ' check yo self'.
Well, enough doom and gloom -- remember it's only the 2d competitive match. A few observations: 1) Boswell hasn't played with these guys for more than a couple of weeks. I'd say that a lot of those through balls were more a function of bad communication -- blown offside traps, uncertainty as to responsibility -- something that will get better over time. Better communication and positioning will make the lack of speed less of a problem. 2) because the center backs kept getting burned, Barrett and Mulrooney began to stay back to help in defense, crippling the offense. Ashe can't beat a double team by himself without help / overlapping runs from Barrett. Holden was also left on an island in the second half. 3) Davis is not De Ro. When the flanks shut down, we didn't have anything in the middle. 4) The pitch was, in my opinion, an advantage for Osaka. They're a smaller, quicker team than the Dynamo, several of whom, particularly this early in the preseason, looked sluggish. Holden is skilled but not quick. Our strikers aren't quick. Davis is not quick. Because the pitch caused the passes to bounce a bit farther and create a little bit more space on the first touch, that allowed Osaka to quickly close down and take the ball or disrupt the flow. 5) We were missing our best central defender, second striker, right midfielder, and attacking midfielder. Osaka beat the Dynamo soundly by exploiting over and over again one big weakness (the central defenders) that caused a breakdown of the Dynamo's system. It's just not as bad as it looks.
on a lighter note, when do the Dynamo Girls get announced? LOL This is just the game we needed to play. Gamba really gave it to us. Hopefully it will be used as motivational tool to get our team prepared for other teams.
I think people are being too harsh about Ianni and Boswell. Yes, I understand that they performed terribly in this game. But we need to keep a little perspective about what positions they're playing and that it takes time to develop an effective central defensive partnership. The two central defenders play a joint role. They only play that role effectively with experience playing with each other. It's not just about what you're doing as a central defender, it's also about knowing what the other central defender is doing. It's a two-man job. Ianni and Boswell obviously haven't had enough time to develop that understanding. It's going to be rough for a while until Boswell integrates better with his central defensive partners. When Robinson gets back, he'll also need time to work with each of them in central defense. Eventually, they'll get it together and our defensive play will look more like what we've become accustomed to seeing. I'd also add that while Ianni, Boswell, and Robinson are all slow, we've usually had slow central defenders. Serioux had a bit more pace, but whoever paired with him in central defense was still slow. A central defensive pairing, regardless of how slow or fast the individuals may be, needs time to develop familiarity with each other. We've won two MLS Cups with slow central defenders and teams have won World Cups with slow central defenders. We have competent central defenders. They just need time to develop understanding with each other and their teammates. The other thing that's always helped us defensively is that Brian Mullan often has the critical intervention at the last minute. His timely tackles and constant tracking back defensively often bailed out our slow defenders. Mullan isn't just a team MVP type of player for his ability going forward and crossing. He really earned that reputation through his defensive efforts that consistently made a difference game in, game out. Mullan's absence combined with the central defenders' lack of familiarity with each other to create unusual defensive liabilities for us. To make matters worse, we faced a very skilled forward who had one of the games of his life. Osaka obviously focuses on playing through balls to Bare. That's what they did against the LAG in the first game. He just had a brilliant performance and showed exceptional finishing ability. Even if our central defenders had enough time to develop familiarity with each other and Mullan had been available to snuff out some opportunities, it would still have been very difficult to deal with him. We still have some time to work on the central defensive pairing and figure out how to adjust to Mullan's absence. I don't know if we'll be able to do those things effectively enough in time for the CCC. Maybe. But in any event, we still have a very good team with quality players. We'll get it together and we'll be fine as the year progresses. And congratulations to Gamba Osaka. They've obviously assembled a quality team with capable domestic players and well-selected foreigners. Good luck to them in their upcoming season.
Anderson that sounds great and all, but on the first goal the runner was between Wade and Ianni. Boswell didn't even figure in. Wade let the runner go and Ianni stood high. Either Wade needed to be pushed high so that the runner couldn't make the run (ie offside) or Ianni needed to pick him up. When neither happen we give up a goal. Ianni played a good bit last year and has been with the team for awhile. This isn't because Boswell is new. The same thing happened on three different goals where Ianni needed to pick up a runner and didn't and the Dynamo give up a goal. My concern is with Ianni's field vision and positioning. If those two are right this shouldn't be happening to him.
I hear they're making a remake of "Hawaii 5 0", it's called "Hawaii 6-1". Thank you, thank you, I'm here all season. Well, that sucked. First off, congrats to Osaka for a well played tourney. Secondly, people need to relax. I'd be freaking out if the team looked like total crap, but in the whole they didn't look that bad (and given the scoreline that's quite a feat). I'd rather take the beating now so that The Dom can sort out the wrinkles and get this thing going for CCC and MLS. I think I was as shell shocked as the team and as many of you. That was yesterday, today we regroup and tomorrow we come back fighting. Someday we'll get our revenge on the J-League, and hopefully Osaka. But we'll have to wait a while and win some Cups in between.
(sorry I was home sick last night) geez, rey, imagine what's going to happen the first time Hou is eliminated from the playoffs - I guess they'll need extra shifts at the suicide hotline...
I think Pat Onstad was shaking off a slight Mai-Tai hang over. Come on now you can't deny it. Christ he's 41 and it shows. The game would have been much closer with a younger keeper in the box. Aside from the 'ripper' in the upper corner, I think three of Bare's goals could have been saved. I wouldn't worry about your defense. I would however seriously consider picking up Chris Seitz from Salt Lake. Apparently he's being shopped. Hope Bob Bradley took note of Stuart Holdens performance. That kind of play deserves a call up.
I love the idea of adopting the Jleague salary structure.I cant wait until Mr. Garber deems that the league is solid enough financially to allow owners to spend.then and only then are we going to REALISTICALLY compete with the best teams from Mexico Asia etc.....for now we are the best MLS team under the MLS salary structure.Im proud of our team front office and fans.Its so exciting to see what soccer has accomplished in Houston in such a short time. I remember my stepfather taking us to the Dome as a kid and watching the Hurrincane play in front of 5,000 people . We are light years ahead of those days already and it will only get better.We ARE going to get a stadium.And the day will come when AEG sells the team and the new owner will be allowed to spend as the salary cap increases. Im sure scouting will take on a much larger roll and our youth academy will some day produce us a superstar.The future is bright for our Dynamo. And when that day comes that we can spend and scout and bring up players from the youth system,we will begin to compete internationally.For now we have to settle for being the envy of all of MLS.For having perhaps the best coach in the league.For having a class organization and great fans and back to back cup titles........ congrats Osaka..............................i am forever orange how about you? comeonyoudynamocomeonyoubacklinecomeonyoucaraccio
Upon reviewing this dreadful match film, Coach Kinnear will clearly see that Ianni does not belong on an MLS field....sucks, slow of feet & mind.
Ianni didn't have a good game, but Boswell looked worse. Ianni has a lot of potential and he's still young - give the kid a break. Even Barrett didn't have a great game (mainly because he was stuck with the task of trying to mark Bare) and he's been in the league forever. What IS clear is that we missed Eddie Robinson and that Ianni and Boswell won't likely see much time together on the field in the near future unless they figure some things out.
Ahhh... the old fallacy that somehow it is Garber that is "holding the league down" or somesuch. It's crap reasoning -- the owners aren't being held back by Garber, but rather the owners are holding back themselves. Every year, it is the owners who get together and decide to change (or not) the salary cap. Now the owners might disagree amongst themselves.