It’s clear as a bell what Chicago and many teams on the road in MLS do. Play conservative, stay organized with tight lines, don’t concede space and put the onus on the home team to break you down. Challenge them to break you down and beat a deep defending squad. A point it fine and you put the hope in that Chris Rolfe on the counter and produce a single moment of brilliance to earn you three points. Earn one it is a good point against the defending champions earn three and it is a bonus. Chicago issued the road tactics challenge and the Dynamo could not solve it.
Now to be fair if Brian Ching’s header goes it then it is tactical advantage Dynamo , if Brad Davis and his blast goes in it’s tactical advantage Dynamo because it would force Chicago to open up and attack. Scoring the first goal against a team employing these tactics is vital. It is also another reason that MLS has to continue to find players with that individual ability to beat compact defenses. Tactical sophistication maybe but deep defending teams are going to be attractive yet the reality is the Dynamo will like many teams will face this challenge repeatedly. To compound matters they are not producing the best of soccer right now.
The emails are rolling in to me and what I can say is that remember it is a long season, don’t forget what this team did last year and the key is finding your game at the right time. The Dynamo did it last year, LA did it the year before after a poor regular season. Landon Donovan proved you could take much of the year off and produce at the right time. It made a mockery of the league’s playoff system format.
Ok back to the Dynamo and Chicago. Brian Mullan is a needed man right now on the right side and the start seemed promising in that Dwayne DeRosario was involved in the first half and is seemingly finding his desirous attacking capability. The most concerning point to me is that the Dynamo in the first half relied on creating their best chances off set pieces. More is needed from the run of play.
After the Chicago goal attacking substitutions and pushing Wade Barrett into midfield added to the pressure.
No kidding the Dynamo were going to have more of the ball and the territorial advantage in this one with the tactics Chicago employed. Breaking down compact, deep lying defenses is not easy but you must get penetration out wide, circulate the ball quickly, shoot from long range and get strikers holding the ball around the penalty area.
Ball movement is slow and it has been starting from the backs who are not finding midfield players quick enough.
The Dynamo got some breaks in New York but didn’t get them against Chicago including what could have been a penalty on Jim Curtain for a hand-ball in the area.
I look at the criticism coming from fans in a number of ways…..you care! And that is a positive sign. I temper your desire for the Dynamo to play better with the mere fact it is a long season and all teams will have ups and downs. Who would have thought DC would not be getting the desired results. Lets hope the Dynamo fans that are soccer fans don’t become fair weather like other professional franchises in our city, we have waited a long time for soccer to arrive professionally and you were rewarded with a championship from this team. It was a remarkable year and it has set the bar high. True fans are there in both the good and the hard times. Which leads me to a moment in the game when I was doing commentary on Channel 55? Where did El Batallon and the Texian Army go?
Let me know your thoughts on the Chicago game and the answer to my question.
A reminder the Dynamo Power Hour will air Tuesday night at 7pm.
Glenn

There is always one clear sign that the Houston Dynamo are hitting all cyclinders…..When you see Brian Mullan and Brad Davis giving the team width, getting behind defenses from wide positions and pressing forward. If success comes in this form it gives additional space to central midfielders Ricardo Clark and Dwayne DeRosario and pulls defenses off star striker Brian Ching. Additionally outside backs out of a 4-4-2 system have to have the willingness to get forward, see if the Dynamo are doing that early.
This becomes doubly important today against the Chicago Fire who will come in to Robertson with a five man midfield looking to stay organized and not risk much.
I would expect Dominic Kinnear if things are not going as planned to get a fifth midfielder on today to spike the agressive mentality against Chicago if it is not happening out of a 4-4-2. Wade Barrett could be move forward with Brad Davis going central or Richard Mulrooney, Stuart Holden or a third striker could come off the bench.

The Dynamo need to take back the momentum going into game four today and alot of it will come with an aggressive start and attitude at home.
It’s early in the season but there is pressure to perform tonite against the undefeated Fire who last year beat the Dynamo 1-0 here at Robertson. They will be organized and try to limit chances while looking for that one moment or break to capitalize through a Chris Rolfe or Chad Barrett.

So I clear customs and head to my hotel in Toronto for preparation for our HDNET broadcast of FC Toronto’s home opener against the Kansas City Wizards and who is in the lobby but former Houston Dynamo defender Kevin Goldthwaite.
After being moved from Houston recently in the Richard Mulrooney deal Goldthwaite is feeling the life of a professional athlete.
New city, new teammates, finding a place to live plus trying to make his mark in MLS.
His new coach Mo Johnston is excited about having both Goldthwaite and Marvell Wynne as two young outside backs in MLS who have the capability of expanding their game.
For Goldthwaite at 24 years of age it is important that he gets playing time. Some get it and some don’t. The ones that don’t silently slip out of MLS. If you are not getting regular playing time at 24 it is cause for concern.
MLS is slim when it comes to naturally left-sided players let only left sided defenders. Todd Dunivant in New York, Chris Gbandi in Dallas, Ante Jazic in Los Angeles and Wade Barrett in Houston quickly come to mind.
Goldthwaite will get his games in Toronto while the Dynamo will take a risk that the dependable Barrett doesn’t get injured. He also is a potential national team call-up during a busy international calendar for the U.S. National team that includes the Copa America and Gold Cup.
“This is the most important year of my career,” says Goldthwaite. “It’s the first year I have a starting role. To get a full season under my belt. There is nothing but respect on my end for Dom (Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear) and John Spencer and leaving good friends is tough but for my career it has to be done.”
Goldthwaite will get the start Saturday in Toronto FC’s home opener that is sold out at BMO Field (20,250)which by the way cost 62.9 million dollars which 45 million was borne by the taxpayers.
Also in town and expected to start for Toronto FC is former Preston North End striker Daniel Dichio.

Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad and head coach Dominic Kinnear will be interviewed tonite on the Dynamo Soccer Report with Glenn Davis which airs on channel 55 at 6pm. The show also includes a skills session with Brad Davis. The Red card and gold ball segment plus highlights.
The show will also air on 55 tomorrow night at 5pm.

There are always tragedies that unite us as a whole……this week we are coming together to raise money for Virginia Tech. it would be a shame to address anything other than this cause this week in my blog. Two jerseys will be auctioned off from all the players on the Dynamo. They will be maroon and orange in honor of those lost last week. One of the jerseys will be auctioned off on-line at www.houstondynamo.com and the other at the stadium during the game this Sunday night at 6pm against the Fire. I encourage all of you to give what you can. We are looking forward to the game both as athletes and humanitarian’s and take great pride in doing our part to contribute to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.
Craig Waibel

Some quick thoughts and observations from the Champions League.
The Manchester United/AC Milan game was outstanding but also reminds us mistakes even occur at the highest level of soccer in the world. Lets quickly examine the three goals that Manchester United scored against AC Milan and I will point out how all could have been preventable despite the fact that two out of the three were amazing.
1. Goal number one-never have been a big fan of Dida in goal for AC Milan and on this day I think he cost them. First goal in the fifth minute is like watching “adventures in goalkeeping”. For a guy with his physical size and prescence his command of the penalty area was horrid and he eventually knocks the ball into his own net. Cristiano Ronaldo of Man U gets credit for the goal.
2. Goal number two- Scholes scoops an amazing ball to Rooney in behind the Milan defense, this is pure genius. The near side Milan defender on tv is two yards behind the rest of his defensive line and keeps Rooney on-side. When Scholes surprises everyone with the scoop in behind the defense this defender realizing he can’t get to Rooney quickly jumps forward trying to play him offside, no chance.
3. The Stoppage time winner from Wayne Rooney- WE ARE IN STOPPAGE TIME, what is AC Milan doing off their throw in? Just throw it forward away from your goal to the corner flag. YOU HAVE TWO ROAD GOALS! They throw it flat or back, possession is lost , Giggs wins it and hits an amazing ball to Rooney who scores. I am not taking anything away from Wayne Rooney who hits an amazing shot in the only place he can put it at the near post. The Milan defender is angling off Rooney so the only place he can go is near post and Dida is so poorly positioned he leaves this beautiful window of space open at the near post that Rooney amazingly hits.
What do you say about the amazing goals from Kaka….How about his touch on the first goal in the 22nd minute to eliminate two defenders and then finish past van der Sar, simply beautiful. Then in the 37th minute he wrecks the Man U defense with this amazing header nudged between two defenders and instead of going forward like most and embracing contact he goes around an on-rushing defender unscathed picks up the ball and beats van der Sar while the bewildered defenders lay in a crumpled heap.
Unreal.
In the Chelsea/Liverpool match you have to love a guy who has been injured the majority of the season , getting only his second start and scoring the game winner in one of the most important games of the year. Bravo Joe Cole.

SPECIAL NOTE: DYNAMO SOCCER REPORT WITH GLENN DAVIS THIS FRIDAY AT 6PM ON CHANNEL 55
DYNAMO VS. CHICAGO CHANNEL 55 SUNDAY AT 5:30 STARTING WITH PRE-GAME SHOW
FC TORONTO HOME OPENER SATURDAY 12:30 VS KC ON HDNET

This is one not to be missed. The greatest league in the world and the greatest players collide today on ESPN2 at 1:30.
Questions sourround Manchester United who are hurting injury-wise. Check out this list of players who are missing this critical first leg: Rio Ferdinand (groin), Gary Neville (ankle), Nemanja Vidic(collar bone) and Mikael Silvestre (shoulder). United is hurting at the back and are expected to put together the group of Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea and Gabriel Heinze to contend with AC Milan. With tons of changes at the back how much importance is placed on the play of veteran goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar?
This is youth versus experience today and United’s success hinges on outstanding attacking performance from Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs.
As for AC Milan knowing that they have lost out on the Serie A title to Inter they have additional incentive to win a 7th European crown. Wealth in midfield with Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattusso and Brazilian Kaka has to be cancelled out.
Renaissance man Paolo Maldini at 39 year’s of age remains the symbol of the club and they are looking for success against United who only have a 13 man senior squad.
Today’s first leg will go a long way towards determining who shows up in Athens, Greece on May 23rd.
Give me your thoughts on today’s match at Old Trafford.

Join me tonite on the Dynamo Power Hour at 7pm on 790 The Sports Animal. We will discuss the Dynamo/Red Bull performance plus preview Chicago. Great Champions League matches are on tap for tomorrow and Wednesday so we will talk the world’s greatest league also.
Ok back to the Dynamo. Disappointing road loss for the defending MLS Champions but it is clear that teams around the league like the Red Bull are improving. Dane Richards from San Jacinto College was a thorn in the side of the Dynamo before going off injured and Josy Altidore was giving the Dynamo fits.
Here are a few of the topics I will bring up tonite. Going up a man (Mathis did not deserve Red Card lets face it) I was disappointed the Dynamo did not take control of this match, did not seem aggressive with the game’s tempo.
They got road breaks in this one….saved penalty, Mathis ejection. The team seemed to lack movement and it effected the posession game clearly. Lets face it Brian Ching was saved because of the astroturf and who wouldn’t in Dominic Kinnears shoes do that looking at the long haul. The question is can this team score goals without him and the answer dating back to last season is no. Without Ching in the lineup Houston is a different team. Without Christian Gomez DC is a different team the question is can the Dynamo get some goal scoring help and more consistent danger from other strikers.
As for Dwayne DeRosario he was dangerous on occasion but is not taking large periods of games over like last year.
Think about you and your job situation, if you don’t have your compensation worked out it has to prey on your mind. As soon as this is worked out you will see a new DeRosario.
Lets talk about all this tonite at 7pm.
Glenn

April 15th 2007-a cool 65 degree night in Copenhagen. A perfect night for soccer.
I am on my way to watch two of Denmarks top teams, FC Copenhagen (FCK) against FC Odense (OB) number one and three in the league.
FC Copenhagen has had a great season, participated in the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history and despite injuries were undefeated at home beating Manchester United, Celtic and tying Benfica. Poor results away from home kept them from advancing.
FC Copenhagen is financially the most succesful club in Denmark, (doing alot of business outside of soccer) therefore being able to sign players like Jesper Gronkjaer who played at Chelsea and Ajax, Niclas Jensen (Fulham, Man City), Tobias Linderoth (former Everton), Marcus Albaeck (Aston Villa) and their latest signing Brazilian Ailton formerly of Corinithians.
Silton was supposed to score goals but so far in 7 games he is yet to get one yet he has shown alot of skill. Could this be his night?
Twenty six thousand fans are in place as FC Copenhagen immediately take control of the game, pressuring Odense in midfield and pinning them back in their own half. With quick combination play and a very alert Jesper Gronkjaer, Copenhagen almost score in the 3rd minute. Then in the 10th minute , Ailton finally got his goal and what a goal it was. The acrobatic overhead kick to put Copenhagen up 1-0. After 25 minutes Jesper Gronkjaer hit a superb cross from the left and Michael Silberbauer powerfully headed it over the line despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it. Two minutes later a penalty kick and Copenhagen is up 3-0. I thought it was over and the crowd were absolutely ecstatic. But suddenly…….Odense scored two goals within 45 seconds amazingly…..First a nice header and then a mistake from Danish national team player Michael Gravgaard and Odense forward Oliviera scored from the edge of the penalty box. It’s now 3-2! Odense forward Michael Borre missed a huge chance to tie it from close range.
Instead Copenhagen overcame Odense and it’s 10 minutes of comeback soccer and produced a few more good chances in an amazing first half that produced five goals and great goalkeeping.
The 2nd half was a little quieter and Copenhagen closed out the game in the 55th minute when Silberbauer took advantage of an Odense error and stole the ball from a defender . With the goalkeeper coming out he cooly chipped the ball into the net. Odense would continue to fight but Copenhagen were now in control and could add 3 points and make a step closer to the championship.
I had an awesome time at the “Parken” the Copenhagen Stadium and the energy of the crowd was great not to mention the beer.
The soccer was at a high level with 6 goals and the weather perfect.
It is the most wonderful game on the planet when coaches let the players play with offensive tactics.
Jan Christiansen- Danish Imports Contemporary Furniture

*Editors note-Jan Christiansen was recently in Denmark and we thank him for this blog. He also is a huge supporter of soccer in Houston including the Dynamo. For the best in Contemporary furniture check out his store Danish Inspirations.
He also is a sponsor of the Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis and the Dynamo Power Hour. Lets support our merchants who support our game in the media. Tell Jan when you got to his store you are a supporter of soccer.
Thanks for the great blog Jan!

Gosh you would think we are dealing with the fans of Lazio or something with that SENSATIONAL headline in today’s Chicago Tribune. Sensationalism at it’s best…nothing like writing about tonite’s Fire vs. Wizards game, you wouldn’t want to do that would you. Eddie Johnson in town after a great game against DC and finding his form that could make him a figure for the national team hopefully, Jimmy Conrad who played in the World Cup, Wizards new owners and new optimism led to a stunning 4-2 win over DC United last weekend. Why would you want to write about your home town Fire since their playing at Toyota Park…not much creativity here and when you can’t find a true angle about the game do what many do ……use the HOOLIGANISM card! When in doubt, you don’t know about soccer go HOOLIGANISM….
Ok Texian Army and El Battallon check this out in the Chicago Sun Times online but for now I will briefly give you an overview.
Before I do I think I am fearing for my life going to Toyota Park tonite because of these hooligans and wild fans according to the headlines of the article..should I re-consider calling the game and send my color commentator Marcelo Balboa on his own to risk his life against the hooligans? Do we need bodyguards? You would think so after that headline. OK Time to get serious.
The article talks about Fire Supporters Group “Section 8″ who will now have new rules as all ticket holders in 118 aka section 8 now will have to enter the stadium through a designated area where security will pat down fans.
“We found prohibited items in section 8 following the home opener, ” said Fire Spokesperson Dan Jankowski. “Things like smoke bombs and alcohol in containers. We want to eliminate that and provide a safe environment.” “For concerts, anyone entering the park gets searched. It’s not uncommon.”
Fans leader Ben Burton see’s it another way.
“When you target a section you send a bad signal,” says Burton. “Your’e punishing a whole section when it’s just a few people. It doesn’t address the issue. If your’e not going to search everyone, why bother?”
Ok this is a sticky issue but here is the problem and I don’t have the answer except that supporters groups must police themselves unfortunately because all it takes is one rogue-wanna be fan and it can be ruined for all.
The Texian Army and El Batallon are doing a huge service for soccer like supporters groups in other cities and having a good time doing it. THEY ARE GROWING SOCCER, THEY ARE BRINGING ATMOSPHERE, THEY ARE MAKING MLS GAMES UNIQUE TO OTHER PROFESSIONAL SPORTS (for sure in Houston where other sports teams are borrowing from these groups and soccer) and they are MAKING THE PLAYERS FEEL APPRECIATED AND MORE PROFESSIONAL. How would you have liked to played in Colorado over the years or KC? The Wizards players are feeling more appreciated because finally they are being treated like pro’s and new ownership is trying to make the environment better and are succeeding so far.
The flip side is supporters groups have to take responsibility for their own groups because with the forming of these groups comes accountability. The Texian Army and El Battalon are becoming more than just a supporters group they can be a community asset and an extension of the team and the organization. The numbers continue to grow, lets not let one rogue spoil anything because one day you will have your own soccer specific stadium.
And by the way to see you guys roll in high definition is amazing…….thanks to you and all Dynamo supporters Robertson Stadium is a “true home field ” advantage in MLS which is not easy to come by.