Dynamo 2021 Preseason

Like @Varus , I think this is the opening day starting XI:

Pasher-Urruti-Picault
Corona-Jones-Vera
Lundkvist-Parker-Junqua-Valentin
Maric

Junqua has looked surprisingly good next to Parker. I’m legit excited about this pairing.

The other surprise has been Pasher. Think Andrew Driver but with a tad more speed, handles, and leg.

 

RE'VREND!


Before our new FO rebranded us as some real football club, our FO used to plan cool drink parties at downtown and or midtown watering holes. We even used to have end of the year formal parties. All, like our Dynamo Girls have disappeared.
The meet n greets were very fun. Any and all Houston Dynamo junkies could turn up and meet any of our team's players and coaches that were in attendance. I got to share a bucket of suds with Driver and his hottie girlfriend one time. Just a class footballer and a sound dude to talk sports with over some cold beers.

 

I will see your Bajamich and raise you two 'sammiches'!

 

I guess we didn't win La Copita today. Watched about 10 minutes of first half, I dunno maybe we can surprise some folks this year with a few speedy guys and some Memo magic but really Dallas looked a class better.

I did see the below on reddit about the seating arrangements - I'm sure it was tough to try and do all the distancing nonsense and move people around. Problem the Dynamo have is that the Astros basically gave up on the distancing thing and the Dynamo are stuck with doing it for 6 games when across the street 80% of the seats are free to buy and sit and without restriction.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dynamo/comments/modqo1/dynamo_vs_fc_dallas_bbva_for_la_copita/

 

Tim Parker looked good in this game. That's about the only positive takeaway I can muster.

Tab Ramos has clearly lost the plot before the season has begun if that's his starting XI though. There's no reason that Quintero and Memo should be relegated to the bench. I had a sneaking suspicion that he would toss Memo there, but writing Quintero out of the line-up is completely out of left field. The only explanation is that we have a coach who has his head up his own ass about playing his "system" to learn anything from the results.

Based off this outing Memo needs to be on the field for set piece delivery alone. Everyone else was just absolutely awful about it.

The midfield in general I thought looked uninspired. Corona barely seemed like he was on the field. Vera had some moments going forward, but still seemed meh. Jones at least looked like he cared versus the first time I watched him, but still not sold.

I'm not sure where the goals are supposed to come from here. I gather that Ramos subscribes to the notion that you don't need a playmaker and can generate chances via high-pressing and creating turnovers, but uh no one on this team looks like they can convert.

I'll also voice my opinion again that a team playing outdoors in Houston is not going to be able to execute a sustained high-press like Ramos wants to do. We've seen this play out before because Coyle tried it and it resulted in the team being gassed by about the 50-55th minute and then getting crushed.

Say what you want about Cabrera, but he at least seems to have gathered this and focused on hitting teams on the counter and then tried (and failed) to create a more possession oriented team. I think that's where we need to be going.

 

https://www.fcdallas.com/post/2021/...ent-la-copita-3-0-victory-over-houston-dynamo

defense looks like crap

 

ramos has outright said we have two 8s and no 10

it's not just that we are low effort on 10, it's not part of the system

 

i will be curious what the opening lineup is. what i read didn't sound like the right XI to actually go with. but who knows. i would assume quintero is either hurt or being bubble wrapped until they count. i can't believe pasher wins that from preseason. he is the closest thing to a franchise player we have, but fairly old. memo is a more interesting question. i don't rate him like many do. i thought a lot of what he used to do reflected the attention paid to better forward companions than now. he would sneak in back post. this is no longer elis and manotas.

 

5-1 preseason is misleading. they played 2 MLS teams and squeaked the expansion team late and got their butts kicked by dallas at home. that does not bode well.

quintero would be the x factor but i thought we were doomed by the defense and the midfield before a ball rolled. i don't understand signing mids without a 10 and then not being accountable to how many goals we ship.

i think pressing is U10 gimmickery. basically bunch ball defense. i think i had about 15 goals one season in first grade just standing 10 yards away from the pack in space waiting for ricochets or passes. snobs never seem to pick up on how the best in europe tend to win because of their checkbooks and are differently positioned if they deploy a gimmick. when system actually wins it's usually something like porto or leicester, hard defense and counter. i don't get us imitating checkbook teams sans bank account.

 

more bluntly your bad sign is we shipped 2 to austin and 3 to dallas in the two mls games. we were able to outscore austin but you can't expect results shipping 2.5 G/game. no matter what they do with the offense.

i think they've missed the lesson that the 2017 defense -- old and mediocre as it was -- kept the GA down in the mid 40s. if you do that then a humming offense can get you positive GD and you can close out results. even the fading 2018 team could limp the cup games over the finish line with senderos.

and i am not trying to paint a rosy picture of those teams, some of those defenders sucked or were injury prone. seattle reamed us in the playoffs. i just think this group is even worse and that level is the minimum to be competitive. we aren't trying hard enough in terms of personnel.

i also think on our budget we should be more of a defense first team trying to negate the payroll discrepancy by marking well, but that's a different story. the trend of the moment in the US is 433 with wingbacks who can't mark and maybe some of the CBs and/or the 6 can defend. if you're going to do that why not sell out on offense and put out there multiple 10s as opposed to two way players. it's a weird mix of attacking vulnerable formation with defensive selection.

 

Teenage = 25

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50576699

 

He would have to fly here to play.

Zimbabwe advanced to Rd 2 of CAF WCQ, to be played this fall, and made ACN next February. He appears to be a regular for them.

CCL if we ever made that.

We also have to make roughly 2-3 trips to Canada and back each season.

He might want to fly home, unless he's gunning for a green card.

He had the problem before after like his second stint with them for ACN.

The basic problem is unresolved:

https://www.zimlive.com/2021/04/07/...fees-as-it-struggles-to-clear-256000-backlog/

It's not a "terminal" problem like Luke Rodgers but IMO it's likely to recur.

You could adjust by having his family come to visit him, or omitting him from certain travel rosters, but then we're already getting into it being "relevant" and "impactful."

 

Pumping the brakes a little from a credible source and not an "insider" account on Twitter.

What I am hearing about Teenage Hadebe:

The Dynamo are tracking him, perhaps even discussing a transfer with his agent, and the transfer fee of $1.5 million euros is not accurate.

From the sound of my source, nothing is anywhere near as close as those reports out of Turkey.

— Corey Roepken (@RipSports) May 25, 2021

 

the $1.5 million - unless it was all MLS allocation money converted to Garber dollars - seems so far out of character for a cheap owner to spend out of his own pocket a few months before selling.

 

Brener is selling the majority of ownership, not leaving the team. So this could be a sign of things to come if this deal has teeth. New investor wants current owners to get ready to spend to win right.

 

id be surprised, in deal like this usually the current owner agrees to only spend within certain limits until close. Not sure what the operating agreement looks like but outgoing owners of any business usually only lay out as much cash as required

 

It seems, and I'm probably overstating this, that there are a lot of B.S rumors out of Turkey. It seems like deals with Turkish teams hardly ever go through. Or maybe I'm just remembering the Elis to Fenerbache debacle.