We were the better team on the night so I don't feel bad about the gift, I just wish it wasn't Bruin because that's the sort of "hustle" goal that will make the FO re-sign him at an inflated salary. If he had done better earlier we'd have been up already. In watching the game, you could see we were more solid than usual, but our lack of finishing is still glaring. Garrido will probably never put up big numbers but can be a good defensive player in this league.
Boswell was also slow to help out on the cluster in the back. He probably didn't foresee the disaster but barely even moved when the problems started in handling the ball
Could have been 3 or 4 to zero SHOULD have been 2-0 if Bruin finished either of those headers. He continues to suck and I would really love to hear Dom fully explaining what Bruin brings to the team. If only we had NFL style media coverage! I like Garrido a lot. Solid defense and he is calm and aware on the ball. He made several nice passes both short and long. Beasley was Beasley. We knew what to expect from him and he didn't disappoint It was a better Dynamo effort all around than pretty much any other game in 2014
I'm happy to say my wife and I won the trip to the World Cup. Here we are at halftime of some Dynamo game this spring being introduced. Quite a thrill for my wife for sure, who is a big fan of big strapping legendary Hawaiian soccer players. I can tell you that there were a few logistical glitches we had to work through in getting the air part of the award, but in the end, we definitely are grateful for the luxury box seats at Switzerland-Honduras and the hotel being covered for us in a way overbooked Manaus. We covered our own tickets to the US games against Portual, Germany, and Belgium and all the substantial travel between cities. After winning this there's no way we say "no" to renewing our season tickets next season (not that we would, anyway). We put a blog together during the World Cup trip, and if anybody's interested in seeing the words and images from a couple of Houstonians in Brazil, shoot me a line and I'll send you the link.
The line up, and formation was what I was expecting. The first half was excellent from the Dynamo, moving the ball around, and getting into dangerous positions. I can tell that they ran out of gas in the second half, and weren't going to get a goal. They need to put those easy chances away early in the match. It would have been better to have won the match in the first 30 minutes.
As several people commented, Bruin should have scored earlier. A good forward should have gotten at least one if not all of those chances. I heard everybody say "Ching would have put that one in" "Boswell would have scored that header" "We need Hainault's headers" I'm with Westside, Bruin scoring is too little too late for me and I hope this doesn't mean we'll see him again next year. WE NEED A BETTER FINISHER, we need a consistent striker. We do not need Bruin, we don't need him at the high price he will command, we don't need him at the same price we are paying for him. @footyfool Dom would answer that what Bruin brings to the game is... "Bruin scored twice in the last few games. You are just an uneducated fan" Bench Bruin, play Cummings or even JJ or Tyler Derek next to Barnes. Barnes ran very hard, Rico ran very hard, they were tired. I like Barnes and Rico, they had a great game. Ass Eddie Johnson barely could touch the ball. He didn't win any header against Horst. I was so glad... that will teach him not to trash talk. CHING WAS RIGHT, Eddie got his contract and then he gave up. All he could do was snap at his own team! Ha, ha, ha, ha!! Horst's imposing presence intimidated Eddie. Garrido barely stepped out of the plane and played his first game already? And he had a GREAT game!!! That confirms how stupid we were for overpaying for Alex Lopez. And then we put him on the bench!!! Beasley was great. As people stated, Beasley is Beasley. He is a world class player (although he lost his head at some point and almost got carded). Unfortunately, the ball is not going to go in by itself. We still need a goal scorer. Great effort. Nice that we won (we deserved it!). Now, we need to do the same on the road.
Call me negative but I found this game to be misleading since DC was missing some starters and played with little bite throughout most of the game, the real test will be against Seattle. Sure I'm glad we won but the missed chances irked me since we won't get to face teams that we dominated in the air that often (until the second half were they challenged more) still credit to Hamid for being just about the only guy to show up for DC. Lopez not even making the 18 is very telling his days might be numbered unless they expect to loan him out next season.
i'm not very optimistic about the trip to Seattle, but will enjoy this win for right now. Hamid saved his team, but he should have come to save his teammate who was clearly losing control of the ball. Just enjoy this win right now, Grimmjow. We don't get too man of these.
stumbledore being stumbledore. loved garrido's work rate and positional awareness. ran line to line and was still going strong when other players got sapped by the heat (barnes, EJ, Kofi, etc) played like a true sweeper and even though this is a tiny sample size, he impressed with his first showing. Ashe was on the bench!!! all of my hopes and dreams are coming true. i hope i never see OTP (one trick pony) on the field again. now if we could only do something about that baffon at forward.... beasley was a man amongst boys last night. he still has tremendous pace, he works inward, overlaps and also feigns overlapping, wins headers and can see the game 20-30 yrds ahead of him. He and Davis are gonna be so much fun to watch together. even though Rico isn't a preferred AM, I actually think he's better at that role than Barnes. He isn't selfish and his vision to distribute is uncanny. He was mixing it up against the back line often and played some very key roles in opening up the chances we had. he worked box to box and seemed to trust Garrido to have his back even though they haven't played together. not having Ashe park so far behind him, Davis had the comfortability to not just pinch in but press high and it was positive. Watch him the rest of the year. Without having to babysit the back side of his line (because the Beas has it on lock down) he will have the energy to finish hard to the 90th and the confidence to take chances creatively moving forward. we may possibly see one of the best half years from him ever. we deserved the win. after taking 20+ shots, it would have been rough to not get any in. the clean sheet makes the win even more special. With this midfield, the D only needs to be average and the forwards slightly better than average to make a memorable second half run. PS Where were all the Palestinian supporters? Has that bandwagon all ready left?
I liked the changed. Beasley had some great passes that sprung players on the attack. It looked at times when he went forward Barnes and Davis weren't sure how to get him involved. I'm sure more playing time and practice will change that. Garrido was gritty and not afraid to get the ball. i liked it. he looks like a small guy but played big. So our attack had some hustle and flow last night.....and Bruin continues to look like the white boy that doesn't know the dance steps.
Will thinks headers have to go upper 90 to count, apparently. Atrocious attempts last night on those two. Beasley was great, Garrido was composed and positionally sound, and I thought Rico had a very good game as well. Boniek was a little off, Barnes was selfish.
Everyone at this level knows to head the ball down....except Bruin. He looks like he is just happy to make contact
I am by no means a Bruin fan, but to think Houston would be better off with Cummings or Johnson at forward is NUTS! In two years both have been backing up two wildly inconsistent players and neither have made a strong argument in their time that they are deserving of replacing Bruin. You want to put another player on, you put Barnes in the middle of the front three of a 4-3-3 with Ashe at LB, Beasley at left forward, OBG at right, and a Davis, Clark, Garrido interior three. You don't bring on Jason Johnson. Please list any accomplishment in his career in MLS? Highlight film play or goals scored? I know he plays out of position some and I know that he hasn't gotten the same amount of starts as Bruin, but Bruin at least pops up in the right spot - gets a ball and drives in towards goal only to flounder the opportunity or gets open on a header only to hit it right at the keeper. The reason you haven't been frustrated with Johnson on the same level is because to be quite frankly he is incapable of putting in the work rate/effort to get himself into position and is not capable of taking players one on one. Cummings hasn't shown me in a Dynamo uniform that he is any more capable over 90 minutes, but I could at least buy the argument (even though I would disagree).
He did push the defender to cause the stumble and confusion with Hamid to allow Cummings to pass it back to him for the tap in! #JustSaying #SetUpHisOwnGoal
Just wanted to give a gold star to Ownby for his effort last night. He's a bit raw, but you have to like the energy he brings.
"Just wanted to give a gold star to Ownby for his effort last night. He's a bit raw, but you have to like the energy he brings" I agree, I think he can work on his 1st touch and his crosses a bit but definitely a good spark off the bench.
Yes, but one big thing: with less than a minute to play do not cut-in back to the middle of the field. You take it to the corner and you sit on the ball and wait to be fouled or earn a corner kick. By Ownby cutting back-in possession was lost and you gave DC 2 more chances to tie the game at the end. Things like these drive me bonkers.
Well.....my thoughts are, well, meh. Yeah we got one in the end and only because All Star Hamid had a mix up with his defender. As a defender, you're taught to do one thing, hoof it out. Get it out of the danger area. The CB got a bit too cute and put Hamid in a bad position. You can see why Hamid is an All Star this season. Great game by him. Other than that, I'm still a bit irked because this team insists in dribbling in to the area to get the better shot rather than whipping the ball in at first opportunity. When you get that ball into mixer, anything can happen. Score a goal, get a goal on a deflection, get a penalty, an own goal, anything can happen. But we insist on getting it down on the flank and then pulling it back out and swinging it around to the other flank only to....you guessed it, play it back and swing it around again. Once that's been defended, then someone at least tries to dribble it through three or four players in front of them or tries a tiki/taka one/two only to have it snuffed out. We've got to get better in the final third at creating chances. Now, for the good points: 1) Hey hey hey, we've knocked our GD down to -17. Well, you have to start somewhere. 2) Hall (and the defense) with a clean sheet. Well done to them. 3) Garrido and Beasley did well. Loved Garrido's outlet pass early in the first half to Barnes on the wing. 4) Speaking of Barnes. Hustled all night long. Never quit. Ever. 5) Bruin scores. Say what you want but right place at the right time. Some players made a name and a living out of being in the right place at the right time. Maybe he can do the same. 6) Cummings and Driver at minute 86. Why? At this point in the season and where we're at in the standings, that sub should have been made at minute 70-75 at the latest. Gotta take risks now. Good turnout too.
I was so proud of him when he was sprinting with the ball to the corner flag... and then he chops it, and goes for the goal. *facepalm I guess the pull was too strong.