Let me just get this out of the way. If your youth are trying to learn the art of defending you may not have wanted them to see this game between the Dynamo and UNAM Pumas. Remarkably, these two teams are at the top or near the top of their respective leagues defensively. But as we all know mistakes and poor defending can make for entertaining games and this one surely was.
Lets not forget that no Mexican League team has scored four goals against UNAM as well as no MLS team has produced four against the Dynamo. Ok all those useless statistics are now out of the way. This game just proves that football can sometimes just not make sense yet entertain.

* PLAIN AND SIMPLE , THIS IS A GOOD RESULT IN MEXICO FOR THE HOUSTON DYNAMO and MLS as a whole. When more resources in the future are put behind MLS teams wins will occur in Mexico and the Concacaf Champions League will ultimately be dominated by MLS teams I believe. Lets not forget the differences in resources and money between these two teams.

* EYE POPPING POOR DEFENDING dominated the night but the flip side is that both teams took advantage and punished each other for their poor alignment and boatland of individual and collective mistakes. The Dynamo back four looked heavy and sluggish yet didn’t get enough protection from it’s midfield.

*GAME CHANGING MOMENT..well it may be hard to even say there was one in this game but go back when the Dynamo were up 2-0 and Stuart Holden laid prone on the field after getting kicked. The pass to Dante Lopez went right through the area that Holden laid injured on the ground. There is a question that UNAM could or should have put the ball out of play in the vein of fair play. It happened so quickly that one even wonders if the UNAM players had the opportunity to even think about it?

*YOUTH is KING! Players like Jeff Cameron, Cory Ashe, Stuart Holden, Kei Kamara have all benefitted greatly from international competition in Concacaf and the Superliga. These players have grown leaps and bounds yet come next year during the expansion draft it will be hard to prevent others from trying to acquire these players.
These international environments have been “golden” for these young players.

*STRENGTH AND POWER clearly was an advantage for the Dynamo and one has to marvel at the strong play of KEI KAMARA who grows game by game. His ability to hold the ball up now beginning to rival Dynamo striker BRIAN CHING. This is a good sign.

*BEAT OVER THE TOP…the DYNAMO were repeatedly beat over the top because of poor pressure on the ball in midfield yet this happened consistently to LOPEZ and even PACO PALENCIA.

*STRIKERS on defensive corner kicks…lets face it , we consistently see forwards back defending set pieces who clearly are just not effective. NATE JACQUA was clearly beaten off a set piece……we see this regularly around the world…

*How about two goal CRAIG WAIBEL, can’t say he was marked particularly well but he took his chances confidently including the 3rd minute opening goal.

*Unfortunately the DYNAMO did not defend or handle their 2-0 lead as one would have liked and in a perfect world would have loved to have made UNAM work much harder and over more time to get their opening goal. In fact the Dynamo when fatigued in the later stages defended better. Insert that last twenty minutes of defending immediately after the Dynamo got the 2-0 lead.

*Both managers brought on attacking talent in the later stages going for the win. Juan Cacho for UNAM and DWAYNE DEROSARIO for Houston.

*Four goals at Olympic Stadium against UNAM,a road draw in group play. This has to be applauded from the Houston Dynamo and even appreciated more due to their heavy, thick schedule of games!

Join me Wednesday night from 7-9 pm on 790thesportsanimal for DYNAMO ALL ACCESS WITH GLENN DAVIS….Manager Dominic Kinnear, Dynamo players and others will join me…..Call in number is 713-212-5790, also DYNAMO tickets will be given away.
We will break this game down and much more………..

It is serious business tonite in a serious soccer country. No MLS team has won in Mexico and that certainly is a distant thought tonite for Dominic Kinnear and the Houston Dynamo.
Both squads are expected to play a mix of veterans and youth based on league competition, fatigue and the overall importance of this game.
Remember that the Dynamo are in group play so this is not a true must win game. But any game against a Mexican club is a game of importance.
League officials and anyway associated with the game bled a little the night DC United got crushed 5-0 at UNAM a few years ago.

* The Dynamo will change their tactics tonite and will have to also in the future to accomodate the schedule and the work-load of players over the next six weeks where they will essentially be playing three games a week.
They will defend deeper and their three lines will need to stay close to each other in order to defend a highly skilled team.

* Young midfield of Stuart Holden, Cory Ashe, and Jeff Cameron will have to live up to the moment. Ricardo Clark has to lead this group in midfield tonite.

* EDDIE ROBINSON will return to the lineup it is assumed and will need to find his game and consistency with what lies in the future concerning the volume of games. Both he and Bobby Boswell could be a good match-up if they play against Juan Cacho and Francisco Palencia. Neither have earth shattering pace to get behind defenses. Have a good day of defending out wide and you can potentially keep much of the game in front of you.

* Goalkeeper PAT ONSTAD will have to saves of importance in Mexico. Timely saves. The Dynamo could gain an edge off free kicks and corners with their physical prescence through Boswell, Robinson, Jacqua, and Kamara……This is standard road stuff…defend deeper , stay compact, gain some posession and look for timely moments to go forward.
Kamara’s pace potentially on the counter attack could be an asset and overlooked by UNAM.

THE REAL QUESTION TONITE IS CAN THE DYNAMO PLAYERS ADOPT TO A CHANGE IN TACTICS OVER THE COURSE OF 90 minutes and play at critical times with an intelligent restraint?

Have your say about this game and it’s importance and don’t forget the game airs on both the FOX SOCCER CHANNEL and 790thesportsanimal
I will give my break-down of the game at halftime on the radio at 790thesportsanimal