Debriefing for 12.C.03: At Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo 1 : 0 DC United

DC United Advances to Superliga Semifinals in 2nd place in Group B
Will Face LA Galaxy on August 15.

Six Word Novel Recap

United squeaks through - "America: F*** Yeah!"

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Houston Chronicle, Ronnie Turner: "The key proved to be the combination of forwards Brian Ching and Nate Jaqua, who propelled the Dynamo to a 1-0 victory...Jaqua set up the score by flicking a pass to Ching, who split two defenders near the top of the penalty box."
The Washington Post, Eric Barton: "United, which could have clinched a berth by beating the Dynamo, got in through the back door."
MLSNet, Jeremy Rakes: "Chasing the equalizer, United started to apply more pressure as Dynamo began to retreat deeper into their their end. Fred won a free kick some 30 yards out from goal on the left that Gomez again stood over, and Wells again tipped over his curling effort aimed for the back post."
The Edgell Supporters: "Houston is good. They finish. DC is not bad, but we do not finish."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "It was promising to see Guy-Roland Kpene and Jaime Moreno get significant minutes, indicating perhaps that at least the latter is ready, or will be ready soon, to contribute regularly to the first team."
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "That was pretty bad. DC United looked listless out on the field. It almost looked like there were 20 guys out there in Orange and about 7 guys in black. The guys in black looked like they didn't know how to pass with each other. It was a bad match."
Poplar Point Perspective, JCM: "DC United needs Moreno on the field."

The Good

1. Play Smart: The phrase "cagey" was used to describe the opening 15 minutes of this match. Awkward and boring would also have been accepted by the judges, but it was still an important 15 minutes. While United was finding what was working for them, they also noticed how Houston was going to attack, and they adjusted accordingly. This was tactically one of the more interesting games I've seen United play, since they didn't just change gears once, but multiple times each half. They sent in early balls from the wings, they would pass around the top of the box, they'd try down the middle, they'd try running along the goal line. It was interesting to see the team as versatile as I think they've been.
   
2. Jaime Moreno: This is why I like him in a rotation. Before he left for Copa America and for the injury, the knock was that he didn't have 90 good minutes to give. I still think he doesn't. But in a situation where he only has 30 minutes to give, he made all of them count. While I would like the full 90, I prefer 30 in a stretch to 30 spread across an entire game.
   
3. Houston: They are a very good team. A commenter asked if the stadium helps them - of course it does. If you look at what they do, they really attempt to disrupt passes up the middle by charging to the ball and hoping the other player doesn't check to the ball in time. Why does the field help that? Because if they don't disrupt the pass and start their counter, they're caught out to some degree. We saw this happen a few times. However, the damage is limited because the defenders behind them have less wing space to cover, and someone is more likely to get over. By the way, contrast the way Houston plays the midfield defensive game to United. United will let midfield players collect the ball, then try and take it off them, and occasionally foul them, a reason for the some of the foul imbalance you see. It's a risk/reward issue, and Houston plays the riskier strategy.
   

The Bad

1. Black to Fade: How is DC United like the Sopranos? 'Cause there's no real finish! (Ah, Dan Loney called, and he'd like his schtick back. Sorry Dan. Clearly you're better at this.) United had some great chances, and some were spoiled due to luck (the Kpene to Luciano play that ended being blocked), skill (Zach Wells save of Christian Gomez's free kick) and some were just poorly executed (Dear Brian Carroll, if someone is sliding you a ball on the grass from a free kick, you really can't put it that far over the bar. Keep it low son.)
   
2. Speed Kills: Allowing Brian Ching the space and lanes that we allowed him was bound to kill us, and it did. Brian may not be the fastest jet, but he's fast enough. Sometimes people make a difference between "fast" and "quick." It always seemed silly to me, but perhaps there is something to it. Similarly, you can't give DeRosario that much space when Houston is executing simple push and pass tactics. I'd much prefer the fouls we gave up to halt his progress, even with some of the free kick skills and DeRosario has.
3. Telefutura: I know, the goal was a quick one, but you can't cut to a replay like that. Made ESPN look good.
   

Man of the Match

N/A

Karma Bank

It is a separate Karma Pool from the MLS Season. Anyways, it is -1 for Stuart Holden's shot getting the post after it sneaked under Perkins' hands, +1 for Moreno not getting a foul called after he got mugged, +1 for some good, creative soccer to create chances, and -3 for each goal America scored to get us into the semi finals. -2 for the match, which combined with the karma for Morelia (+2) and America (E), leaves us at no karma earned or owed entering the semifinals.

Final Thoughts

I think the reviews are generally one of relief. Most of us (An American's View excepted) don't think United played that badly, and I agree with that sentiment. Here's the issue. I have said that this is an average to good team, not a great team. The thing is, we're used to teams that are good or great, so this is a step down. And while I can accept that for this season, it isn't something I want to become accustomed to. Before the season began, the changes that were made never convinced me that this team was going to be great (thus the "rebuiding" concept), but I want to see progress toward becoming great. This is acceptable for now, but not for the long term. United has the rest of the MLS Season and the Superliga (and the Copa Sudamericana) to prove they are progressing once again to elite status. That's the goal. I may not expect it this year, but I want to see the evidence that it is the final destination.

Also, and I know this is bad karma (which I don't believe in, even if I track it) but is anyone else relieved to be playing LA instead of Pachuca in the next round? I am. Pachuca looks like a team getting better with each game, and I'm not sure about LA even after golapalooza. If I were unkind, I would say that Houston - Pachuca may well be the real final of this tournament. But you never know...