Roster related with how Olsen is playing sans key players, article from MLS HQ. What have we learned about your MLS club in 2024? | MLSSoccer.com Houston Dynamo FC What we’ve learned: Ben Olsen is committed to the system Ben Olsen has always been something of a pragmatist. With D.C. United, that looked a lot like playing against the ball and in transition. With Houston last year, it looked a lot like playing a possession-heavy style with Héctor Herrera, Coco Carrasquilla and Artur running the show. Play the style that fits your players. Makes sense. With Herrera still out with a knee injury and plenty of other Dynamo players missing time, I wondered if Olsen would shift back to a more conservative attacking approach. That hasn’t happened. Only two teams have held more of the ball than Houston and their 56.8% possession in 2024. The Houston Dynamo are a 3-2-5, ball-heavy team now.
I assume he actually means 3-5-2. With HH coming back this year it only makes sense to continue with your HH style. This is a swing and a miss by Doyle...
So in this week’s “MLS Journeyman” podcast Dan Gargin makes an interesting comment that is relevant to the ongoing discussion on this board about our #9 play. I take Gargin’s comment as suggesting that the way the game is played now a days, the play like the Dynamo got from Corey Baird last season is becoming the standard. I think you can take his comments to mean that the Dynamo faithful’s frustration with #9 play last year and this is a product of the evolving philosophies of modern soccer. Gargin says, and I paraphrase: So what is really expected of #9s anymore other than chase the CBs on defense and funnel the buildup to one side or the other, and then finish the occasional tap-in goal every once in a while. The modern game does not call for #9s who create or dominate or are the principle finishers. I found this interesting and worthy, perhaps, of thought and discussion. For me — I think holdup play is still huge. Combining with the MF helps create numeric advantages that allow for dangerous flowing ball progression. So I would add that to this list. The idea that being a target in the box is no longer required of your #9 is fascinating, and we do see that but I think we still see #9s like Olivier Giroud being important. having said that, think of Cucho Hernandez, Suarez, and all the other top #9s in MLS that do not play like a traditional fox in the box target.
There is one thing that a #9 or a false #9 must do IMO.....and that's finish. You must have some one on the team that has the assassin mentality & the skill to score. AKA a "playmaker". There may be no more Totti's or even Kenny Coopers, but there has to be someone, anyone, with a nose for the goal. And right now, we don't have that. Soccer may have indeed evolved to a different scoring responsibility just like the NFL has switched from running back to tight end but we don't have a tight end, a #9, a playmaker or anyone else who can put the ball in the net. Get some one who can do damage in the final third and we will be in business.
The #9 role needs to be a terrific hold up possession player for sure. In this way he can play with his back to the goal, just equal with the opposition's backline and be a player that demands the ball played to their feet. In this way the transition from middle third to attacking third is pre-planned to death in training and like you say, flowing for keeping possession. And of course just being so far up the field, the #9 must be proficient at finishing. A delantero nato!
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_...-flexibility-rules-dps-lionel-messi-world-cup Some roster rule changes coming. The DP and U22 slots are semi decoupled. Teams can have 3 and 3 now or 2 and 4 + $2 million in GAM. There’s going to be an additional contract buyout per year and up to $3 million of a transfer fee can be converted to GAM.
I mean, yea it’s one way to look at it, but it also directly helps the Dynamo by confirming an open 3rd DP spot no matter what. Whether they fill it idk, I feel pretty confident they won’t end up with the 2-4 option this season with this short of a heads up.
For me, there is a huge question now hanging over HDFC. What is Segal doing? Option A. There is an argument to be made that Segal paid for HH and he is now done. All other investments have to have immediate projected positive ROI. Only young players that they hope to sell for profit (Nelson quinones types) will be targeted. Budget players only. Option B. The other view of our current situation is that HH is the start and the Dynamo are looking to compete in MLS and continue making investment in the roster. We are in a momentary pause in improvement as we digest the budget/cap ramifications of last years massive overhaul and then keeping our core together. Frankly, I want to believe it is the latter. i am not 100% convinced however. I think, to some extent, the jury is out. If I am wrong and Segal is now in the mode of wanting to hold expenses down and he is not willing to compete with LAFC, Cincy, SSFC, LAG, Columbus, Miami, Atlanta, et al….. then I will be majorly pissed. The rule changes will reveal the truth here. Will HDFC use this new flexibility to expand investment? Or is budget management the top priority. We should soon know.
First of all I don’t really like the idea that Nelson Quinones is a budget player. The U22 rules allow you to spend over the maximum budget charge to sign a young player and only have it count $200k against the cap. I don’t consider that budget as it comes from the owners pockets directly. As far as the other players we’ve signed this offseason I would definitely put in that category. As far as the overall premise, Onstad has said in fan Q&A’s that the money is there to be spent they just don’t have an avenue right now to do it. So he seems to imply category B. I think they probably struck out on some U22 targets this offseason. And honestly the 2-4 option isn’t bad if you use the extra $2 million in GAM to buy down some borderline DP level players.
You mean the purple H-Town Norfside car culture marketing campaign and revenue from all the new purple jerseys sold is not enough of a commitment for you Westie?!? Don??? DP's, MP's KP's!
Thiago Almada was acquired as an U22 DP. Dejan Jovelcic was an U22 DP. Jose Cifuentes and Diego Palacious were U22 DPs. There are plenty more who when acquired were top 10 players at their position in the league. You cannot say that about Quinones. He was Dynamo 2 level. A development project which has gone well.
What has happened now is great and fine as long as it is a start. To compete in this league you need to be acquiring top players EVERY YEAR. You need to be buying out unproductive contracts EVERY YEAR. HH level acquisitions EVERY YEAR. Your rivals are doing it.
The team most definitely has to bring in one massive, star player during the summer window or multiple players that upgrade what we currently have. If not, it is a fail pure and simple. We will find out if our leg is wet because it's raining or if it's piss
I don’t think we see that U22 in this window. The fact that no reporters have been cleared to put a name out there makes it seem like it’s too late in the game for anything to happen by next week.
Completely agree. I cannot overstate how impressed I am with Olsen. His man and team management just appears to be so mature, so ego-less. For me -- this is the highest level of coaching. Where the coach is searching for the best team and system in his locker room, not fitting players into some system he has decided is his way to play.
I was wrong about the hiring of Olsen. I never buried him, but I was tepid at best when the announcement was made about his hire & I believed it to be a good ol boy hire done by a friend helping a friend. I didn't expect much in the way of tactics. I still don't have all the feels when it comes to his Xs & Os, but his leadership has impressed me & the results have spoken for themselves. I agree with the contract extension as he has earned it & it is deserved. Well done Ol Ben. I hope I continue to be wrong about you.
gotta feeling the collection of D mids we have assembled is in anticipation of Coco leaving this summer PS One can hope
It’s for Artur basically. He ain’t leaving but has played basically every minute for the team and has some injury history. They needed to find a way to get him off the field a bit.