Ching return set/ Time of opportunity for Dynamo stable of strikers!

Dynamo fan favorite and all time leading scorer Brian Ching looks set to return to the club. As mentioned on last night’s SOCCER MATTERS on Sports Talk 790 expect this to go more formal with an announcement either by the end of today or tomorrow. The team and fan base will get a big boost with the return of Ching who likely will play his final season in Orange before moving into a position with the club off the field.
The excitement around the return of Ching and the opening of a new stadium right now is contagious.
For the Dynamo and coach Dominic Kinnear one real question is if a primary goal scorer for this team will emerge or if it is even necessary?
The fact is this is a time of opportunity for a goal-scorer to emerge and a number of players are battling for that honor. Young strikers like Will Bruin, Colin Rolfe need playing time to continue to develop but don’t expect veterans to concede. Here is a look at the contenders:

Cam Weaver: Last year- 4g 1a, 16 starts, 28 apps. A target striker Weaver will put his body on the line and ultimately needs to be in penalty area where ball ends up.
Tall, strong, and a mass of flesh and bone that is not inviting to defenders who don’t relish the physical match-up. Injury last year limited minutes to
1611. Traditional striker dependent on service.

Will Bruin: Last year- 5g 1a, 21 starts, 25 apps. Bruin was a favorite of Dominic Kinnear out of the University of Indiana and showed promise. Additionally,
as a rookie the striker got alot of minutes (1693) as a first year player. He will need to build on this experience and progress to scoring more goals
in year two. A persistent striker, good finisher Bruin must separate himself from the pack and establish himself as a game in game out starter.
His hat trick against DC last year got people excited about the “Dancing Bear”.

Calen Carr: Last year-1 goal, 4 starts, 9 appearances. Carr was a forgotten man due to a concussion problem but then quickly reminded us all of the need for one
striker in a two striker set up to be a threat behind defenses. He was limited to 360 minutes and his influence was less about scoring goals and more
about movement, mobility and making opponents defend deeper. This in itself was a key in the Dynamo stretch run. A complimentary striker that
makes space for others.

Mac Kandji: A strong pick up for the Dynamo in that they give little away to get a striker with unique qualities. Tall at 6′4 yet does not favor playing with his back
to goal. Will traditionally flare out wide alot but his speed and quickness is unique. He desires like many to go to Europe so if that is the case than
he needs to score goals in MLS for the Dynamo on a consistent basis. During his time in New York he scored only five goals so he is still unproven
as a consistent goal-scorer in MLS. If he produces up front the Dynamo will have pulled a coup.
Coming off an ACL injury that is fully healed. Limited playing time for Colorado Rapids last year but did play in Champions League more often.5

Brian Ching: Last Year- 5 goals, 1 assist in 15 starts and 20 apps. The real question is how much can Brian Ching play this year. If he reaches in and around
the same minutes for the Dynamo it will be a bonus. You would have to think he is motivated beyond belief with the imminent return to Houston.
Still his body has taken a pounding like many a striker before him and he will need to be used timely like Kinnear has done in past seasons. With his
experience he can be used in a number of ways and the club can pick and choose the times to get the best out of their star striker. I won’t think
knowing Brian Ching he will settle for a part time role but then again to get the most out of him his use will need to be economical.
He will play a number of roles this year above and beyond trying to provide goals.

Colin Rolfe: Lots of flashes from the rookie (Louisville) in pre-season. Coveted by the Dynamo and a player that will need to learn and learn quickly. Will he get games?

So will it be goals by committee? Last year the Dynamo found goals from different sources and had seven goals scorers with four or more. You could surmise here that maybe you don’t have to have a primary goal scorer? Still it is a time of opportunity and if no striker emerges the Dynamo can use a rotation policy up front or pick and choose specific strikers to an opponent. Time will tell.
The Dynamo with Brad Davis are still set up to be the most dangerous team off the set piece in the league along with LA and that Englishman.
Verdict still out on trialists Darryl Roberts and Sato.

twitter: GlennDavisSoc

Thoughts?