Anyone notice that as soon as they changed the defense around everything went to sh.. chabala had an awful game...i think hainault did much better on the left and mulrooney on the right seemed to be the best lineup we have had all season. Cameron was a beast, held the defense together ...but wtf happened to Boswell? he seemed very timid and not himself, maybe he was just unlucky. obadai did alot of dirty work in the midfield, when he came off ljunbag had his way with us. Not sure Dom made bad choices tonight with the subs, but our quality of depth is awful everywhere. All in all glad to see the Dynamo win, they had a determination about them tonight that was a breath of fresh air...reminded me of the glory days when they won the cups. (It was funny tonight watching the confetti fly everywhere, must have been saving it all season because nobody has been scoring. haha)
Relax, I was not by any means trying to say Ching was the problem because clearly after last night he is not. All that I was trying to say was that a player of his caliber typically scores the opportunties I posted. Not sure why you are so against the little guy.The kid is 20 years old with plenty of time to learn and improve. It was funny, last night while watching the game, I really did see a mirror image of one another on the wings. He is very similar to Mullan with room to learn of course. But he will get there need to keep him because he will be good. Kids 11 years younger then Mullan PLenty of time to be as effective.
Obadai had a good game against Ljunburgh Sux but he got hurt and had to come out. Too bad, cause he was shutting him down. Chabala, not so much.
re the 1st goal - maybe Pat could have gotten down on it a little quicker, but Carr should never have had that chance, to me it was on BB.com. It looked like he was trying to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick, that far out from the end line maybe just clearing into touch was the safer move. Julius James got killed on this board a couple yrs ago when he tried to shield Blanco off a ball at the end line, got blatantly fouled and Blanco fed Lowry for a goal. Once Carr took the ball from Boswell, that's a pretty close-range shot to react on for Pat.
The result is needed. The energy level and approach was good for one half -- the half Obodai was in. We had plenty of crossing and some finishing -- could have had about 6, and we still hit way too many over the top. When Hainault and Co. went back to kickballing and we made subs the team went off the boil and looked like the rest of the season. Glass slightly more than half full, although you saw plenty of the reasons it's nearly half empty (including that we had twice as much rest as the Fire and they came back on us). I liked letting Palmer have a go on his goal because we've lessened our danger by routinely crossing on dead balls. Keeps teams honest and ball-watching if we might just whack one on net. Cruz is becoming the right footed Corey Ashe. So many crosses, so few on target. Considering we now have the athletically challenged but technically gifted crossers Brad Davis and Steve Ralston both under the same umbrella, you'd think someone could teach the youngins to hit a cross. What happened to Boswell? Some defenders are better in formation than on an island. I mentioned his lack of speed midweek -- saying we should considering dangling him in expansion because he's so expensive -- and was criticized for it. But I think you saw on those two goals what can happen when he has to chase attackers. First goal he gave him room to turn and shoot -- though Onstad didn't help -- and the second goal was basically a desperation tackle that turned out bad. But it was Cameron that dominated back there. That sub for Carr by Chicago is the sort of thing I'd like to see.....us putting in an energetic, young player with technical ability with 30 or so to go. We instead tend to put in worker bees and hustlers late, reflecting a defensive mentality. That's why tactically I thought they came back on us. But we got yet another from Ching and emerged the right side of this one. Just food for thought.
The Nyarko and Carr subs were what I felt helped the Fire get going against us. I think our defense is stronger when compact and in formation but vulnerable when isolated and stretched. Should give Ching credit for another memorable goal in the manner of that DC bike.
Agreed Juve, and judging by last night lets have Ralston and Davis teach both Mulls and Cruz to cross because neither one crossed the ball well last night. Its just not there strength which I also agree is a problem when your an outside midfielder!
You mean Mulrooney, not so much? Chabala played left back when he came in, Mulrooney took Obadai's spot and took a lot of responsibility for Ljungberg. I might have been too busy noticing other things, but I don't think Chabala had a bad game -- quiet, maybe, but not bad, except for when he was beat by Conde on the tying goal on the header. Boswell is usually solid when paired with Cameron, so I hope this is an aberration. We seemed to do well with a Chabala/Cameron/Boswell/Hainault back line last year and I was a bit concerned with Chabala not starting this game but it seemed to work in the first half and against the Revs when he was suspended.
Davis off, Cameron on were the big diifferences to me. Midfield spacing was vastly improved without Davis following the ball. We actually had central and wing midfielders, not four guys in a bunch. Obodai and Palmer had space to carry the ball through the midfield. Ching saw more balls coming to him through the middle than he has seen in months. Crosses from Cruz and Mullan weren't the greatest, but the team was at least getting crosses from midfield rather than long balls from the back line. As others have said, Cameron rocked. Not only was he making plays himself but he was coordinating the back line in a way that no one else has been doing all season. BB had a couple of brain farts, and in a different season Pat would have stopped Carr, but it's not a different season. My biggest thought from the whole night...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE FO Do not let Geoff Cameron go the way of Stuie and Rico!!!!
I really thought it was Chabala who kept messing up, maybe it wasn't specifically against Ljundburg but I don't think he had a very good game. And Geoff was the old Geoff, he's amazing, he would attack a guy like a barracuda out of nowhere, and made a couple of quick runs upfield attacking with the ball. I'm sure Palmer is happy to have him back too, he's talked on Facebook about how he misses playing with him. At the end, after Geoff went down, I was never happier to see someone come back into a game.
A fact that probably no one else knows. The Dynamo are 5 - 0 (undefeated no losses or ties) on Faith & Family Nights since they came to Houston.
interesting this post comes after the game. i have no doubt the pilling on would have continued had ching not proven his worth, again, for the 100th time. and please read my post again and notice the side bar stating that i feel cruz is trending upward. after his horrible game last night, he has a long, long way to go, but i think he will get there. ashe on the other hand has peaked and will never be any better than he is now. also, i don't think cruz is similar to mullen because he never cuts in on the d, hardly looks to pass, and is far too spastic on the ball. again, i think many of these shortcomings will pass, but right now, he just isn't there. mulls had an above average game last night while cruz was shambles
100% agree. chewie, pat, and cruz were all minuses last night. boswell almost joined them as well, but did enough to even out imop. geoff, ching, mulls, obodai, and oduro (yes, even oduro) were the pluses. did it seem like after the 3-1 lead, from around the 60th -75th mnt that we completely bunkered? i know we lost obodai and nyarko and carr came on for chicago, but it seemed like our whole style changed. it wasn't until they tied it up that we opened back up. can't tell if it was a dom change or players not knowing how to play with the lead. also, anyone else notice the castillo and the swedish douche were not on the same page at all? chicago may have a huge problem on their hands. the douche might kill another team with his ego and needing to hog the spot light.
FYP. I think it has been so long (almost 4 months to the day) since a league victory that people here aren't sure how to react and just do what they've been doing for months: bitch.
If I remember correctly, the usual "Houston Dynamo Forum Member" was also bitching when we qualified easily, was also bitching when we won our championships. We love the sky is falling complex, this year it really is falling, but that is not why people are bitching, people bitch because that is what they do at internet forums.
exactly. Reminds me when I was in Bolton this summer and asked for a Stewie kit. The girl at the team shop was like-who? Never heard of him, does he play for the team? Are you sure you have the right side? I told her-positive, he's from Houston and I wanted a Bolton kit with his name on it since he wouldn't be there long. She said-so he's not that good. I said-no because your club is way too small for a player of his ability. Look at the bright side, at least your team will some money in few transfer windows from now. She was a little ticked-probably f'd up my shirt too-my D in Holden was pressed on right.
Wow, that's a great story to tell. Give him a year or two and Bolton will definitely know his name...
If they don't re-sign him this offseason going into his final year, then I would operate as if he is gone. However, unlike Holden or Clark, he doesn't have the National team appearances or a Euro passport so that may make things a little more limited for him. Canetti mentioned on Glenn's show this past week that they were going to approach him this upcoming offseason with a contract proposal. He also mentioned that they offered Holden 1.5M guaranteed over three years (he said three, I bet he meant four).
I know what you're trying to say so I'm not being intentionally stupid or anything. More money, bigger clubs, players will move on. But I sure hope that it's not already a foregone conclusion for the Cameron generation of players. At some point MLS absolutely MUST make one of these American guys an offer they can't refuse. There has to be a future for American kids. When I was signing a form at the All Star game to win some kind of prize at one of the sponsor tents there was a little kid next to me filling out the form. His address was in Arkansas!! I said, "WHOA! you came all the way from Arkansas to see this game?!?!" His mom was right there and said, "Yeah! It was a long trip, but he's a soccer player!" That kid was, of course, coming to see United as perhaps a once in a lifetime thing, but MLS has to recognize that it's in their best interest to give that kid an American hero. Rather than wanting to be like Wayne Rooney, he could realistically aspire to play soccer at the University of Rhode Island, and earn a spot in MLS like Geoff Cameron. And that kid was my response to all of the idiots on sportsradio who say only illegal immigrants play/watch soccer, and that it's not an accepted "American" sport. He was a little freakin red haired kid from Arkansas of all places!!! If they're playing soccer in Arkansas. And parents are driving their kids hundreds of miles to see one soccer match, it's an accepted American game, even if not on the scale of the NFL.
true, but i was thinking the Viking leagues or places like Austria were going to be his probable desinations. besides, if a team really wants you they can find you a Euro passaport even if they have to dig back 100 years. heck, i qualify for 4 passaports but alas no one is looking for my football skills. i get you brother, i get you. its just that modern football has made me a bitter and cynical person/fan.
Did anybody catch the interaction between Mullan and Ljungberg in the second half? I watch watch the play and one my my friends stated that Ljungberg trip Mullen and then appeared to step on him. Right after that the whole stadium started booing him every time he touched the ball. I'm not a fan of Freddy and I was enjoying the game. The guy has some great skills but I can't stand a player who can dish it out but can't take it. Every call against him was due to a Dynamo player diving, while every non-call against a Dynamo player involving him was capital murder. The guy needs to take off the panties and wear his big boy pants.
I don't think he'd leave for one of those leagues. As far as quality of play goes, we're not far behind (if at all). Sure, he'd make more money but he's closer to the national team radar here and eventually, if he starts getting games with the US, he'll be able to make the jump to a bigger league. I'm not going to worry too much about Geoff unless no offer is made this offseason and he ends up on the Gold Cup squad. One of my favorites parts of the game was when Ching tackled Ljungberg from behind, and Freddie's shoe went flying. Just a few seconds earlier, Freddie had decked Danny Cruz and the kid was slow to get up so I think Ching's tackle may have been a little retaliation. Freddie was so furious and Ching just walked by, waved his hand as if to say, "Keep talking," and walked away. He knew he was getting a yellow card, but the message was sent.