The Houston Dynamo got a 2-1 victory over a less than impressive Colorado Rapids last night at Robertson Stadium.
The story of the night was the performance of Dynamo reserve players who helped contribute to the win.
Midfielder Stuart Holden came of the bench in the second half and within seconds hit a scorcher from an angle after a pass from Kelly Gray to get the game winner. Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul got a hand on it but could not turn it out of the side netting.
Houston got a dream start three minutes in benefitted by a poorly aligned Rapids defense.
The sequence included a pass from Chris Wondoloski (in a starting role) who found Brian Mullan who put Ngwenya in behind the Rapids defense and he beat Coundal.
Ten minutes later Eddie Robinson got caught for a silly foul after going prone and pulling down Conor Casey. Jose Cancela converted the penalty kick to tie things up.
Colorado was not dangerous on this evening as the game passed normally active Herculez Gomez by. Conor Casey was less than impressive also up front.
The Dynamo dominated ball possession and territorial play and like normal were clearly the aggressors on the night.
Dominic Kinnear got minutes for reserves like Holden, Cory Ashe, Zach Wells, Kelly Gray, Chris Wondoloski and Patrick Ianni.
These players will be needed again Sunday as the Dynamo have another quick turn-around at Columbus (Channel 55) Sunday at 4 central time.
On another note Thursday night’s continue to be a difficult draw for MLS but the crowd in Houston was one of the better one’s that ESPN2 has had this year. Fans looked strong on tv and again reminded other markets how quickly that they have mobilized in Htown. I received an in game email from an executive at ESPN who trumpeted this thought….POST GAME THOUGHTS: Loved the comments from Stuart Holden post game that he hopes the goal and performance gets him in the starting lineup. The desire shined through which is not what you can say for alot of reserves around MLS. Which leads me to this……..with Gold Cup, and Superliga the MLS could be exposed from a lack of depth perspective. Many teams around the league need to become deeper, stronger and more competitive and that will only happen if the league becomes a little more liberal when it comes to paying players. ..The Rapids were listless in my opinion and years of hearing how effective Conor Casey is just reminds me that we hype players up so quick in this league and country before they have ever put a body of work together. One good play , game or season doesn’t make a career. Nor does one bad one………FC Dallas vs. LA on HDNET tomorrow. Both are struggling and I am wondering if LA can even put eleven on the field. The Galaxy are struggling. Nate Jacqua is like Casey, another player that has been hyped beyond his ability. HE is going to be David Beckham’s target up front?

U.S. 1 Guatemala
The U.S. got off to a winning start in the Concacaf Gold Cup getting a game winner from Clint Dempsey.
Guatemala never looked as though they wanted to attack and looked to play the role of instigator employing non-soccer tactics on the evening.
Oguchi Onyewu picked up a second yellow card on a play that he didn’t need to make.
With cover from Carlos Bocanegra and Guatemala’s Mario “El Loco” Rodriguez at a full sprint, Onyewu elected to move at a slight angle into his path knocking Rodriguez to the ground and getting sent off. With ten men the U.S secured the victory and a postive start to the Gold Cup.
On another note, how sad is it to watch Carlos Ruiz running around for Guatemala trying to foul people
The game and Ruiz’s tactics are a reminder that teams in Concacaf will continue to make games difficult for the U.S. and composure with the right balance of aggression will be vital.
Expect the unexpected in the Gold Cup.

Your thoughts on the Dynamo and U.S. National Team?

It’s not as though we didn’t know this was coming.
With a heavy slate of international tournaments including the Gold Cup and Copa America the Dynamo depth and youth will be tested starting tonite for the next couple of weeks.
Gone to national team duty is Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching, Dwayne DeRosario (Canada) and Pat Onstad out due to suspension.
The emergence of rookie Cory Ashe as a super-sub over the last three games has been a bonus for head coach Dominic Kinnear who might at some point be summoned to use him as a starter. Yet on the other hand he is so successful off the bench against fatiguing defenders if you start him you will lose a great late game weapon on the left.
Other players who now have an opportunity to shine:
Chris Wondoloski-the striker has scored goals like crazy in reserve games and maybe the time is now to get him a few complete games in a starting role to see if he can prove himself out during “real” MLS competition. The spotlight is on “Wondo”.
Stuart Holden- This young midfielder has a great skill set. Due to the abundance of talent in the Dynamo midfield it is tough for Holden to get time in a central role which he would prefer. Adaptability and versatility is a key for Holden but more importantly like Wondoloski he needs a run of games with more significant minutes to find out where he stands.
Zach Wells Wells has already proven to be a capable back-up when Onstad went down in the Concacaf Champions Cup and sharpness and being prepared will be the key for him tonite against Colorado since he has not played much of late.
Kelly Gray Gray has to re-establish himself. Getting some positive minutes might get him on his way.
I still am not sure where he fits in the overall Dynamo plan. Utility?
There are options tonite for Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear but one thing is clear. This ought to be interesting seeing younger players get a chance to prove themselves out.