Before I put any thoughts out there, I am hoping the man in charge of the pyrotechnics during the pre-game is ok.
Calling the game on HDNET our cameramen caught this scary incident and it was bone chilling to see this poor man being carted off. I must say it was in my mind the whole night.
THE GOOD: * Fantastic turnout from Dynamo fans , over 20,000. I love the fact that these are not fair weather fans.
* Ring ceremony and honoring last years championship nice touch with former President Bush.
* Ricardo Clark- solid in midfield
* Geoff Cameron and Ashe off the bench brought youthful energy and danger in latter stages.
* Teams truly do not like each other, their was “true” emotion.
I INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR A QUICK MILAN DERBY UPDATE:
AC Milan have absolutely come out storming in the second half. Kaka is running wild have set up Pipo Inzaghi and producing a goal himself in the first ten minutes of the second half against Inter Milan as they now have a 2-0 lead. This game has huge implications for AC Milan in Europe and Inter winning the title.
THE BAD: *JOZEF BATKO was in over his head in only his 11th MLS match as a referee on this night and allowed the time wasting. MLS will look at this and realize that this is not aiding quality soccer.
* foul filled game was choppy and did not ever really find a rhythm which ultimately was Chivas’s aim
* Road tactics of Chivas USA which earned them a point. It doesn’t make for attractive soccer but beware
because few teams will come to Robertson Stadium and open up against the Dynamo. The plan will be to slow
the game down through re-starts and fouls and play for the counter attack which on a few occasions Chivas USA
looked dangerous through Razov, Galindo and Klejstan.
* Brian Mullan is struggling to get past people out wide.
Summary:
* The Dynamo is a frustrated team right now and you can see it in their body language.
Even at training this week some of the squad looked heavy legged, fatigued and the ball just doesn’t seem to be jumping off their feet quickly. Even in shooting drills it looks as though some are laboring and dragging to get off shots quickly. It just hasn’t been sharp despite the hard work.
* The remedy for the Chivas USA tactics ( defend deep, counter attack, break rhythm of game up) which were obvious was to produce an early goal, on the night the Dynamo had 3-4 clear chances.
Dwayne DeRosario, Cory Ashe the most noteworthy but producing a first half goal would have grabbed the tactical advantage and made Chivas USA come out and play more, opening up the game and space. It didn’t happen.
* I am a big fan of Brian Ching and the career he has put together . The man has overcome injury and disappointment throughout his career to reach great heights as a soccer player but right now he seems to be playing with the weight of the world on his back. He just doesn’t seem fresh, lively. It all seems a struggle.
*Franco Caraccio and Ching: The chemistry currently is not there. Their habits and tendencies are not meshing this is not a pair of strikers playing like a tandem. Still a work in progress.
Yes their is an adjustment period but you can bet your bottom dollar the Dynamo are looking for more options and will definetly check on the status of Joseoph Ngwneya who if not happy in Austria could be a possibility down the road …..Chris Wondoloski has faded out of the mix up front. Still an area of concern.
*As much as the Dynamo had the territorial advantage due to Chivas tactics, simple things let them down.
Numerous attacks broke down due to poor control and a poor first touch. Franco Caraccio had two great shooting opportunities go to the wayside because his touch narrowed his shooting angle.
MILAN DERBY UPDATE: Amazing goal from Julio Cruz , now 2-1 AC Milan
* Penetration: One of the great ways to break down deep defending teams is to beat people off the dribble. The Dynamo penetrators…DeRosario, Mullan just could not get past people often enough on the dribble to unbalance the Chivas USA defense.
At the end of the night they just didn’t create enough GOOD chances overall.
Dwayne DeRosario did not put a big enough stamp on this game. That might have simply meant converting the clear chance that he had.
Chivas ended this game without three of four starting defenders with Lawson Vaughan (injury), Claudio Suarez (ejected) and Shavar Thomas (injury) all exiting and the time wasting tactics were pretty poor yet that is not an excuse for the Dynamo.
*The good news is that teams in the western conference are not winning so with a win next week the Dynamo are right back in the mix.
The Dynamo still seek out their first win of the MLS season and and will entertain the Colorado Rapids and Christian Gomez next weekend at Robertson.
Your thoughts on the Dynamo and Chivas USA.
Danish Inspirations
Fiesta Mart
Houston Web Design
Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute
SportTalk 790
Zukowski, Bresenhan & Sinex, L.L.P.
Come on Inter, make it interesting at the end! So many characters in this one – Gattuso, Kaka, Materazzi, Pirlo.
Check out the Beckham goals last night – absolutely world class. He personally got them the point. Sorry, but the Galaxy are the most entertaining team in MLS right now. I like Columbus too, but the nonstop offense is great.
The referee was horrible. Yellow cards for trying bicycle kicks? They were fouls and one got bloody, but there was not bad intention at all…then the players were pushing and touching their faces in front of him and no card was shown. Chiva’s players control the time at the end of the game…Guzan was unveliaveble, and the referee didn’t do anything.
About the game: I agree with you Glen, teams will come here to defend and counter attack, and our guys are just not creating clear opportunities, and the few we have, we miss (De Ro missed one that he normally wouldn’t)
Alex is right, Galaxy is the more entertaining team on the league. The have a weak defense and a powerful offense, which make them attack all the time to make up for the errors on the back side. It is not a balanced team, but their games are fun to watch.
The referee showed his inexperience and the Chivas team exploited. the number of times #11 for Chivas encroached and delayed the taking of free kicks was criminal. He was allowed to do this all night and it resulted in more than one pushing and shoving event between multiple players. The time wasting by Guzan. The multiple fouls comitted against Mullen without a caution and then cautioning Dynamo players after one foul.
We needed a good loud rousing chant from the crowd “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING” over and over again. What a joke of a performance by the referee.
Glenn:
It was an entertaining game to watch but oh how frustrating. Ching and Caraccio are not meshing together. Something is missing. I really thought Holden starting was going to light a fire on this team, but he was a non-factor in the time he was in. Looks to me he was out of position. That last statement was made based on previous games and the Olympic qualifying games I have seen him play. He definitely looked like a different player in those games versus last night. He needs to play more. The club misses Davis and Robinson but more so Ching needs to crank it up a notch.
I feel pretty certain that once the team wins, the scoring will follow suit. BTW, Steve Morrow the coach of the Dallas FC made an interesting observation. He claims that some of the teams in the MLS can hold there own in the Premier League. I have been watching both leagues now for a few years but I have to say, I definitely disagree with him. There is no question in my mind that the caliber of play in the MLS has improved tremendously, but not yet equal to the Premier League. As the cap increases and the league gets better players, stadiums, etc..we will see some parity down the road. Not now however.
Still the Orange have gotten my attention and soccer in general has become a passion with me. Orange forever!
Leo, I think that was one of the few calls the ref got right,remember that FIFA has been saying for a few years that intention is not the only factor for giving a yellow card, in one directive a few years ago FIFA defined “excessive use of force”, in which players can get a yellow card even if their intention was to play the ball, players are now responsible for putting other players in danger, I would have also shown a yellow card if I was the ref.
Having said that, the referee made yesterday´s game a bad one, not because he favored any team, he didn´t, his problem is that at the beginning of the game he lowered the price for yellows, he was giving away yellows for every play, after giving so many yellows he realized he was going to eject 5 or 6 players with the same pace, so, he decided not to yellow card anyone, both team´s players deserved yellows but because he was not showing them, both teams started to foul even more and started to use very strong tackles and dirty tricks, I was expecting for the game to end up in a huge brawl because of the referee.
MVP yesterday surely was Claudio Suarez the guy knew what he was doing when he got red carded, he was betting on his team to hold the Dynamo for 8 more minutes with one man down, my father used to say that there is such a thing as a smart red card, and yesterday was one of those.
About the fireworks incident, it was real scary, I was looking at the guy exactly when the incident happened, I couldn´t believe he kept walking after the explosion, probably from the adrenaline, you could tell something went wrong, but strangely people at the field didn´t help the guy for some minutes, was it me or did the chivas medical team helped him first?, whoever was first, chivas or dynamo, huge thank you to them to pick up the ball metaphorically and help the guy.
I´m also mad at the organization, but that rant is for another time.
Do I want a win? you bet,am I happy? no I´m not, am I going to be back next week?, you bet, but not to the goal end line anymore, I´m going to try my luck at the sidelines, hopefully there 5-star and front office members are not that incompetent.
Glenn,
Just got beck from the reserve game (which we tied 1-1 on a great goal from Geoff Cameron), but here at my thoughts on the game. I agree that the referee lost control of the game. He tried to control the game early, but giving cards will not control a game. Instead of pulling the cards, he should have been talking to the players, telling him that he is seeing what is going on and isn’t going to tolerate it again. The calls he let go let the game get out of control and turn into an ugly soccer game.
Speaking of which, hopefully MLS will hand Galindo a three match ban for his elbow on Richard Mulrooney in the second half. The ball was sent down to the corner, and as Galindo was chasing, he put his elbow right into the jaw of Mulrooney. He did it right in front of the bench and Dom let the 4th official know about it. If Eddie Robinson gets a three match ban for his elbow, then Galindo deserves the same. If MLS wants to be taken seriously, they need to punish players for these stupid actions, or else someone will get injured badly.
I agree with what you said about Brian Ching. Last night, he was mugged, assaulted and just beatened for over 90 minutes. Why not look at bringing on a guy like Cameron or Wondolowski in the 70th minute and try to change the pase of the game and stretch the defense some. I trust Dom and his decisions, so maybe that is something you can ask him on Monday night at the radio show.
Now my international rants:
Props to AC Milan for their win of Inter Milan. Glenn, what was wrong with Inter in the first part of the second half. They looked like they were asleep and didn’t care. AC could have added a couple more goals there with all the shaky defending that was going on.
My Red Card of the Week goes to Alan Curbishley of West Ham United. Two weeks ago, he was quoted as saying that Manchester United deserved to win the Premier League and it would be a shame if they did not win the league. Then he sends out the Hammers to Old Trafford yesterday and promptly gives up 3 goals in 30 minutes. Can you say collusion? Because I smell a rat in this situation.
I am definitely looking forward to the trip to Moscow, but Glenn, I doubt I will be able to clear customs in Latvia. Apparently, I made fun of their national team when they played a friendly, and the government has not forgotten me!
Coach H
Glenn,
I was at the game and did a quick 15 minute DVR review of your broadcast and things I wanted to see again and here are my thoughts
1) Officiating – I had not read your blog entry yet so I couldn’t believe it when I heard you say that they assigned the equivalent of a rookie official (11 games experience for Batko) to this game, which is kind of getting a derby-like feel to it because of the last two seasons of games. I sit near midfield and the 4th official saw a bunch of things and tried to get involved and help out but Batko ignored him most of the time. THis game needed Toledo or Maruffo from the pool officials.
2) Ching – your comments are spot on but I think the effort is there. An objective observer would see that he has lost some explosition and movement but is still a good target forward with a ton of post moves. But alas, the results aren’t there. You can kind of see the spirit getting drained out of his play.
3) Tactics and Robertson width – pretty clear that visiting teams are starting to play the Dynamo 4-4-2 the same way. Force play to the outsides outside of the final third of the field and clog up the rest of the middle. Concede possession but not necessarily control of the field. Width of field hurts.
Your comment on Mullen not beating guys is accurate but I was struck in the 1st half just how many times the Dynamo only tried to go up the left side of the field.
Also, when Davis is not playing the team seems to struggle creatively on offense.
4) Ricardo Clark is the best D-mid in MLS. He can pop up off a missed tackle and still run guys down as well as control the ball on offense. We probably don’t appreciate him as much as we should.
5) Crowd was great but getting desperate towards the end. We’re dying for goals and results.
5) Lastly, I think this is a transition year for the Dynamo personnel-wise even if they don’t know it. We can recover the magic and make nice runs and another playoff push but the roster is aging and we have a lot of relatively high priced and upper middle class guys on the roster who are not making a difference right now. Speed at the forward slot to open it up is badly needed.
Two words: Designated Player.
Wow, I really appreciate the comments on this and the other blogs. It is apparent that the Dynamo have a very sophisticated fan base with deep knowledge of the game. I was very frustrated by the ref and wondered why he backed off late. reading the posts about the tactic he used with the early cards and then losing control – I learned something here. We are season ticket holders and I am sick all week when we don not win. But, win or lose, I will be at the next game. and I completely trust Dom. Please make it clear to Oliver that we will accept he is unhappy with the lack of wins, like the rest of us. But he better not try to “fix” the team by mucking with the Dom. I know he will get the right mix in the line up and then we will start winning pretty like the last two years. I completely trust Dom.
Forget a DP, what we need is for the next CBA to significantly raise the cap so that teams can build real depth. There is plenty of talent in the U.S. and over the years U.S. players have earned more respect from places like Europe, which means that very servicable players who may not be superstars, like Nate Jaqua, can make significantly more money playing in lower leagues in Europe then they can in the MLS. Not to mention the fact that players who can add needed depth tend to make more money in the USL.
And for all those who have a misplaced fear of the league turning into the NASL, that doesn\’t have to be, said new CBA could still limit the DP slots, providing that the bulk of the salary cap is for increasing depth and paying players a living wage. When a minor league baseball player gets called up to the big leagues, he makes big league money, but a developmental player makes a minor league salary even when he sees MLS playing time.
As for the Dynamo on Saturday night. The good news is the defense is starting to click. The bad news is that the ofense isn\’t and our players seem to hesitate too long on shot opportunities. We weren\’t helped by the ref, and the MLS really needs to look at raising its standards – maybe import some refs from Europe during the summer months to serve as advisors . . . .
As for the Milano Derby . . . I\’m not a fan of the Rosanero, but I\’m thrilled they won, cause Roma took it to Sampdoria and now are just 3 points behind Inter.
Riquelme is right, River brought nothing.
I am not surprised to hear that the referee is basically a rookie. His complete lack of control was borderline laughable. Guzan is a very good goalkeeper, but his antics grow old quickly,… feigning an injury, holding the ball…to me it just makes for a very bad product on the field. Ching seems to take a lot of “plays” off. I am not sure if it is age catching up with him or apathy, but I certainly would have welcomed a sub for him. I understand he is kind of a Dynamo Legend, but a little youthful exhuberance could not hurt.
P.S. If the Dynamo want to add to the revenue stream maybe they should go try to buy something at the concession stands. I really wanted to buy a $7 beer, but the lines are so long and slow…They lost at least $14 and maybe $21 on one seat alone. As a season ticket holder that adds up over time.
This will not be the last time I say this, “CHING IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!” Anyway, good game. The red card that Suarez received late in the game, was the reason Chivas left with one point. There was no doubt Mullan was going for goal, but that fould prevented the Dynamo from putting one on goal. SMART FOUL!!! Kinnear should start the Rookie with Caraccio.