Roster 2023

I think Juve was taking a shot at me for posting an "I told you so" post. To me, hating HH last year was complete failure of evaluating him and only evaluating results. There's literally 2,3 guys on the planet that could have made last years team a winner, and HH is making peanuts compared to them.

 

I'm happy he's here. He has been amazing. I'll admit, I was disappointed in him last year, but very few players come into MLS and dominate. Messi and Zlatan are two, this league takes time to adjust and he has. His quality is on full display week after week. To me, the most impressive thing is that he hasn't slowed down, he has a ton of minutes and he's still as strong as ever. Truly impressive for a man of his age.

 

He was not plenty good last year. That's massive revisionist history. He showed flashes of skill but was maybe 60% of what he has done this season. He had ZERO goals and 1 assist in 10 MLS appearances with 682 minutes played. And a number of defensive lapses - don't pretend he was some sort of rock in the midfield or battle hardened captain that led the squad but didn't show up on the stat sheet. He played last year like he still had the parking brake partially engaged

Not even going to talk about moving the off-field needle on attendance.

 

Pretty funny that you refuted my statement "If you only base his worth in goals and assists, you're missing the entire point." by pointing out how many goals and assists he had.

And no, it's not revisionist history. He was pinging passes all over the field last year at an extremely high rate. He was scooping up balls in the midfield, he was leading the attack, and transformed the possession game the second he stepped on the field. He won 70% of his tackles last year. Some people just expected him to turn that team into a playoff team and that was never going to happen.

 

I think you are correct but a bit too harsh. Honestly, how many of these Euro stars come here and tear it up at first? HH arrived mid-season, that means he didn't do preseason with the squad. He had to adjust to a new team, a new league and a new coach. I can think of only two players that have come here and been superstars and nobody would compare HH with those two. He certainly did have some big moments last year, but all in all, I bet even he would tell you he was disappointed in his performance.

As for attendance, yeah, it was a bump at first but then quickly went away. I am beginning to wonder if we are dead as a soccer market. If we make a deep playoff run and still can't get fans to fill Shell then I think I am going to be convinced.

 

They'll come for the playoffs and then disappear by the start of next season.

 

His goals and assists are part of the analysis - you try to completely ignore them, which you can't. You gonna tell me Corey Baird was good last year too?

Dynamo went 2-6-2 for 8 points out of a possible 24 in games he played last year, HH went the full 90 in a 6-0 loss to Philly. He was scooping up balls and winning battles so well we had a record setting loss when he went the full 90

 

I forgot you are the one who lives out of state and bashes all of the fans that are actually in the market and go to some games.

 

HH was not good last year. Glenn & Pat made plenty of excuses in the offseason on radio shows. He's been great this year, but to pretend he was good last year is delusional.

The soccer market discussion is more complex.

 

That's only been true for a year, but I also bashed them when I lived there and went to games.

 

I mean, to each their own. But literally every statistical category last year was good other than goals and assists. People in this market tend to look at only three things. (1) Goals (2) Assists (3) Wins. You know and I know soccer is a lot more nuanced than that, and he was pretty good last year too. I think it's harsh to say he wasn't good, and I don't think it's true either.

 

You are claiming all of these stats that I can't see as proof, when I see a team that did next to nothing with him "leading" in all of these lousy stats. I remember him being pickpocketed in the box vs. San Jose and Tim Parker had to save it off the line, I mean if he was that good it would certainly show up somewhere in the points category

 

The team was great before they got him? Or was it that Fafa Picault, Sebas, and Baird were soo good and he was dragging them down?

And, yup, that ONE mistake that didn't even cost them a goal means he was just terrible last year..........come on man. If you aren't looking for the stats, they aren't hard to find. FBRef.com is a pretty popular page, so is WhoScored.com and SofaScore. Lastly, I'll never hold one man responsible for the points as long as there are 11 on the field.

 

Steve Clark leads MLS in clean sheets in 2023, would you attempt to claim he's a top 5 keeper with that stat? Those advanced stats are like the possession stats when a team gets up 2 goals, the possession slides the other way and invalidates the premise because they lack context. Like Dominic Oduro being great at chance creation but couldn't score. Meaningless

 

I've always felt that giving the keeper the clean sheet is stupid. It shouldn't be, Steve Clark leads in clean sheets, it should be the Dynamo lead in them.

 

Did you know he actually had one of the best save%’s in the league last year and was 3rd in saves? Clean sheets is a team stat, same as shutouts in baseball. It’s not even an advanced stat lol. Neither are things like challenges won, passes completed, touches per game etc.

 

By claiming that Steve Clark was one of the best goalies in MLS in 2022 using save % and total saves you prove my point that your cited stats are worthless. He was an average goalie in 2022 at best, and had the 4th highest goalie salary in MLS in 2022. He was not nearly the 4th best goalie in the league.

 

Zlatan came to MLS and failed to make the playoffs, losing at home to the Houston Dynamo in 2018.

In 2019 he limped into wild card slot, won that first game then exited to LAFC. Fairly mediocre.

So why does anyone think the guy did much in MLS? Some flashy goals. Gaudy stats. Losing team. And famously contributed to toxic club house. But he won a goal of the year award. There is that.

 

Here’s the deal, Clark’s better than you think, stats aren’t worthless. I didn’t claim he was one of the best goalies, just pointed out the stats. This is a game of 11 people man. One guy can do a good job but if the people around you can’t it doesn’t matter. Stats can show that a guy is playing well within the 11. Clark’s pretty good. His stats are almost identical to last year. You are placing individual worth on the product of 11 people.

 

man, its great to see the old "sunshine brigade" back in action! New personnel but same ol playbook. Right think will be rewarded and wrong think will be punished. Any criticism of a player will be labeled as "over the top, hyperbolic, extreme, etc" & any example of a player simply doing their job is celebrated as a Herculean effort worthy of palms being thrown in the street.

Only positive words and thoughts allowed here boys! Lest you be mobbed and tagged with that famous scarlet letter.

Tread lightly when saying anything negative dear friends, the sunshine brigade is back & better than ever!

 

the Dynamo are on a 49 point pace but you’d think we were Man United of the late 90s based on some of these posts

 

you are the one calling HH the best all around player in the Western Conference!! What about the other 10 guys. I assume you run a Wetzels Pretzels franchise with all of the pretzel logic that a) ascribes tremendous individual performances to most of the squad and b) also claims that each player is dependent on the other 10 players - which is it?

this team is playing excellent but it’s also got 1.44 PPG thru 75% of the season. Cool the jets

 

Giggle. Imagine the injustice of having your opinion disagreed with my others.