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Advantage Dynamo that is what I believe after an excellent collective performance at Seattle which ended in the 0-0 draw and was a real step up from the Chivas USA match. The Dynamo showed great resiliency and effort in front of 36,000 fans in Seattle and even took the crowd out of it at certain times.
Lots of set piece chances but a few things of note on this night:
*The Dynamo midfield was average against Chivas USA but tonite excellent in a workmanlike, concentrated effort in the playoffs putting together a complete 90 minutes. In some ways I believe this was the perfect environment and game to push the Dynamo back towards their game.
The midfield effort was a springboard to better protection for the back four and a solid road performance that turns the advantage back to the Dynamo in my humble opinion. Ricardo Clark had a solid game and helped to be the axis from a defensive standpoint in midfield as the Dynamo did well to conted with the trio of attackers in Freddy Ljunberg, Fredy Montero and Steve Zakuahani. Because of this good midfield performance the Dynamo were able to keep center backs Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell in the middle for the most part. Other than one good turn from Montero he was effectively taken out of the game by the Dynamo. The four set of Clark, Mullan, Davis and Holden matched Seattle and then some in midfield.
*Early chances..the Dynamo had two GOLDEN ones on headers from Andrew Hainault (3rd minute) and Brad Davis (9th minute)……….the squad also pieced together some nice build-up play in this match and Brad Davis would get denied by Keller after a great hit in the 58th minute. The Dynamo also did well with their first pass out of pressure in this game aided by their midfield demanding the ball. Much of the danger came off corner kicks which totaled 16 between the two teams. The Dynamo whistled for 18 fouls while Seattle whistled for 6.
*Great choice…Dominic Kinnear made a great move starting Dominic Oduro. With his pace Oduro kept Seattle honest and remained in their heads a bit . In the end Kinnear would use all four of his forwards…..
*The return leg Sunday November 8th will be carried on Fox Sports Houston and KHOU 11.2 at 2pm. The Dynamo and Seattle met on August 23rd at Robertson Stadium in front of 17,063 with the team drawing 1-1. Geoff Cameron scoring for the Dynamo and Nate Jacqua for Seattle.
* Pat Onstad made the saves he needed but in bizarre fashion pushed Fredy Montero in the first half and could easily have been ejected which could have changed the complexion of this home and home series. The official word on pushing came from Joe Machnik of MLS which stated a push to the face or head and you are ejected. Takes me back to the LA game where Rico Clark pushed David Beckham in the face and was not sent off then Brian Ching was sent off for apparently the same reason…go figure. It is that unpredictability from referees that made the choice from Onstad strange.
* Most chances Thursday in this game came off set pieces and the game was competitive and hard due to the artificial surface at Qwest Field. The artificial surface robbed this game of even more greatness. How many balls just ran from players in this match? Too many. How many balls bounced off the surface and took forever to come down allowing defenders to get tight and put pressure on people. Still despite the surface there was some good possession from the Dynamo and in fact I would give them a slight edge here. Although Seattle made a valiant push at the end only to be matched by the Dynamo will.
* Both goalkeepers made the plays they needed to make while the woodwork saved the Dynamo once on a header from Pat Ianni getting a start for Tyrone Marshall.
*Second MVP…TEXIAN ARMY fans who made their way to Seattle!
*The LOCAL SPORTS MEDIA in my opinion has once again passed on promoting or knowing about the importance of last night’s game in Seattle.
Little to NO talk about the Dynamo and Seattle. The Dynamo have re-captured moment with this win and now have a wonderful week to build up the energy and interest outside of the soccer culture. Lets greet the rave green with a sea or orange when they come to town on the 8th.
Also, don’t stand idly by while radio stations and local tv stations ingnore the Dynamo and the sport you love. Hold local announcers to the fire and talking heads to the fire!!!
I will be broadcasting live from the House of Blues on Tuesday so come downtown and join me this Tuesday!!!
So if you had lost a bit of faith in the Dynamo to make a big push in the playoffs…has your mind changed? Are you more optimistic now or have you always been?
What are your thoughts on the opening game from Seattle and the second leg coming up on November 8th?
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Courageous performance. Every man played and fought for each other. Now a week and a have to recharge the batteries and score some goals…..By the way, someone tell Landin\’s wife to pull an Adrian from Rocky II and tell him to go out and win because the boy looks really distracted in addition to being out of shape.
Just finished the DVR version of the game and well Im glad the focused Dynamo team I know made a comeback for this game.
Let\’s hope they keep it up at home and I\’ll tell you Glenn, if they play like the same way at Robertson, they\’ll win, no doubt about it.
I second you on Clark, I think he brought back balance to our midfield and let Holden look forward most of the time instead of defending…
Landin still looks way out of shape…he wasn\’t this fat when he came here a few weeks ago…what\’s the deal? someone finally told him the locations of all the Michoacanas?
Quality goalkeeping on both ends…but I think Onstad really took it this time against KK…(just two Ks don\’t start people)
The goal Jacqua scored was legitimate, but that\’s not our fault the ref clearly sanctioned the foul and didn\’t even wait to see if they had advantage…
Good effort from the team, Im proud…Do you think our comments made their way to the locker room?
If they did…well Im glad…I saw fire, hunger and focus tonight….
Can\’t wait for Nov 8th!
Sorry to go against you Macro, but I honestly believe that Landin looked dangerous and really hustled for the ball during those few minutes that he was actually on the field. I only saw one mistake from him in those minutes and that was the distraction that you mentioned.
Great game! I am proud of how the Dynamo played, we played some great defense and I honestly believe we will win here in Houston. I have to admit it was admirable to see the exciting crowd and atmosphere in Seattle, I think it is great for MLS. Lets show them how we do it down here next Sunday.
On a side note Landin looked horrible. I am disgusted with his play and form. I can not believe he is our first DP, I sure hope he gets his act together next year. The guy can barley run.
I’m sorry Leo, but I was at the game and Landin looked slow, ran on his heels and never once looked dangerous.
Hey Leo..you\’re almost right…he looked ok…but dangerous??
Come on man! dangerous would mean at least two or three shots on goal…he didn\’t have any…
Houston did well containing Ljungberg. Zakawani and Montero took themselves out of the game – both are good 1:1, but neither have good vision, neither are playmakers. Good game on both sides. Seattle had more opportunities but consistenly couldn’t capatilize or make the last pass. The Onstad fracas was bizarre, as was the call back on the goal. Houston was scary in the air, but in general seemed to play conservatively. Think Seattle will actually play looser on the road, but seems like they needed a goal advantage coming out of this game to have a decent shot at making it through.
When ALL of your most promising goal opportunities come from guys like Davis and hainault game after game and your blown build ups are from your strikers, the scoring problems will continue. I still think the Dynamo should drop Landin (slow, unproductive) and go after convincing Marcus Tracy to come back to the states. If they could get him here by Nov 8th, it would solve our problems. Otheriwse, our guys played very well last night.
Boy I;m glad it’s over. They thouhgt they were going to run us over, score 5 on us, well now it’s upt to robertson stadium to show them the real way.
One of the best dynamo games I’ve seen. Solid perfomrances all over.
I’m surprised at Chabala, he stepped up to the playoffs. He looked very invovled going up front and hustled back when needed. He still gives some room when defending one-one but it will get better with experience.
Oduro looked ok, you gotta give him the heart. Yesterday he didnot missed any chances and serve a few good balls.
Hainault is BIG, nothing gets past him! The best signing this year.
Davis and holden played their best, they kept the ball, they circled it and controled the timings. It wasnt perfect but very very good.
My only donw side is landin and weaver, they came in and looked tired already. Plus they do not connect with each other. They need to step up too if they do not want to follow the cerritos, caraccio, akinbiyi route.
Ohh and onstand. He almost got the stupid red card of the week. I lost 2,000 hairs in that play! keep it cool!
Only two shots from distance, and davis almost put it in. We need to work on this DK, specially with teams that defend well as this seattle.
Now anyone knows if the taco bell promotion will go in the next game? TACO TACO TACOat what time do the dooors open?
Great game played by both teams. I’ll be getting my tickets today for the second leg. I thought that Landin looked pretty good in this game and I think it is way too soon to talk about releasing him. I expect to see some contributions from him in the playoffs. Clark, Davis and Holden were demons in the midfield. Keep it up guys.
Shut down Zakuani and shut down Seattle!
Wow Coach H, you were right!
I was?
Yeah, you told everyone how to stop Seattle, and the Dynamo listened to you. Why aren’t you on the coaching staff?
I don’t look good bald my friend!
Great effort by our “Clockwork Orange”. Montero was rendered ineffective by Cameron and Chabala. Ljunberg had to work his tail off to do what he did. Good call by DK to start Oduro. I like his speed to keep the other team honest. Ching looked like he was running in molasses and was playing with wooden clogs on his feet.
Hainault was a beast against Zukuani. He is dangerous. He reminds me of NYRBulls’ Richards. Remember last year in the return leg? We need to keep his speed in check. NO TURTLES IN THE BACK!!!!!
Landin looked better than he has but he still looks like he is carrying 30-40 lbs too many.
Will Stuart please take a shot. He does not seem to have the green light. He is a great unselfish player but when you are inside the 18 with no one close to you, be a little selfish.
Can’t wait for the 8th. I hope our fans show up in force. Let’s get 32,000 into Robetson and show Seattle what real fans are all about. DALE DYNAMO!!!
Both teams played their hearts out. We got a good result overthere and now we can finished them off here. Landin looks like he can loose a few pounds and maybe regain some of that speed to be more dangerous.
Carlos I agree with you. We need a few more shots from distance. The best goals Holden Clark and Davis have scored (for the Dynamo or the USMNT) are from outside. Pull the trigger for goodness sake.
I enjoyed a solid match, but could have done without the butterfiles in my stomach. Much better defensive disapline.
I have to wonder what Montero did to get Pat going? on the replay it looks like Montero was doing something during the play. Maybe backing into Pat and then adding some play acting?? I would love to know what it was. Still Pat can’t lose his cool like that.
Now that we have round 1 out of the way its time to get Oliver Luck and Chris Canetti on the ball and start working U of H to have the field in decent condition.
They have 10 days. U of H plays at Home tomorrow and (thankfully) away on Nov 7th. With all the rain in Houston that field is going to ba a mess come Sunday morning. They need to start immediately repairing the turf and have a real plan to soften up the surface, and to erase the gridiron lines. To wait and do nothing would be an embarasement for the organization and for U of H. This is as important to the game on the 8th as the players training, and its up to the FO to move heaven and earth to get U of H on board!
Glenn- can you get the U of H athletic director and /or field maintenance person on the show – I would love to know whats being done. By the way kudos to U of H for trying to minimize the lines for the Galaxy game. It wasnt perfect but it was much better than in the past.
Good result for the Orange.
I agree with those that say Onstad COULD have been ejected for his chest bump, but I completely disagree with Alexi Lalas’ assertion that 99% of the time that’s a red. It was not violent conduct, though Freddy tried to make it look like such. It was unsporting though and a yellow was completely deserved. Onstad is one of the class acts of the league, btw. Personally, I like him because he’s the only MLS player older than me.
We now have three players (Onstad, Mullan, Chabala) that better be on their best behavior in the next match, or they could be sitting later in the MLS tourney if we progress.
As for the Jaqua goal that was called back, all of the Dynamo except Chabala (I think) stopped playing, and he and Hainault let up when they saw Onstad standing there saying “the ball is dead” so there’s no way that goal should have stood up. Should the Ref have called advantage and let play continue? Perhaps, though the advantage was not obvious when he first blew his whistle. (It might not have been heard on the field, but I heard it at the time it was blown on the telecast and I thought Jaqua must’ve been offside and I was wondering why the announcers weren’t saying anything.) And if the ref had allowed advantage to be played, the goal would not have been assured since the defenders and Onstad would have actually been trying to stop Jaqua.
On the 8th, I’m hoping for another shutout and for one of those Dynamo scoring frenzies. I’m also pulling for Chivas so we’ll have another home game if we move on.
Exciting and tense game. But somehow it ended the way I thought it would. Its just our time now to take care of business on the 8th. First time I have seen Onstad get frisky with the opponent. And what about “Hainault the Fierce” ! Each week he gets better in offensive attacking. My only concern is that we did not have a “great” evening from the front line. But midfield was solid. Jaqua will have a nice little scar next week to remind him not to put his head near Clark’s cleat. I think we are overdue for a smoking performance from Ching. Come home Brian, rest up, put on your game face, and introduce Keller to what you do best. Its time for you to shine again!
They played rather well. I’m sure our comments from earlier this week made their way into the locker room. They haven’t played this well for 90 minutes in weeks. Wish they had taken more shots from distance but last night wasn’t the only time they’ve had that issue. About Onstad, I was surprised he wasn’t thrown out. The moment he pushed Montero, I put my hand on my forehead with the “what did you do that for?” face.
About Landin, put me in the group that thinks hes overweight and should be better. Honestly, Luis, we all think its great that you are doing the whole “sympathy pregnancy” thing with your wife and gaining all that weight and we hope that everything is going well on that front (Glenn mentioned something on the radio program but didn’t go into much detail about it). But dude, its the playoffs. Time to shed a few of those pounds.
Great effort. nervous the entire time. ready for the 8th!
I was a little surprised Seattle cound run so well with John Harkes lips on their rear end! That guys spent more time insinuating negatives against the Orange and both he and JP went a little overboard about how much skill Seattle had. Onstad’s save was credited to being at the right place at the right time – isn’t that wat a great goalkeeper does!
Nice to see Rico not flubbing so many passes.
We better practice PKs all week – twice!
Definately saw some very good moments as well as some nail biters, but all in all a much better showing. As for the potential red card against Pat: 2 words Anger Managment, we do not need to loose any of our players during the play offs especially a keeper. More long range shots On Target would of been good. If Hainaults header would of gone in it would of changed the face of the game for sure, but in what way we might not know. Just glad we walked out with a tie.
I thought the backline played pretty darn well. Onstad making Montero his personal B**ch was awesome! Stu needs to attack more. We need to get the ball in the box more. Other than that I thought it was a great hard fought game. Now come to H-town you Seattle trash and get whats comin to ya.
I always had faith in our guys determination. I give the advantage to Houston coming back and it will be another end to end game. Don’t count Seattle out they will have learned from the last match and it’s better to play the match on grass than turf. I will be there front row trying to get in the heads of every Seattle player!
WOW! What a game. Can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I was surprised at how well the ref did. Proud of the men in orange, every one of them came out and played. About to throw up if Lalas made one more comment about Onstad. They failed to show what led up to it and, no, Onstad should not have done what he did. Not happy with the uneven calling of the game. Can someone explain to Ljungberg he does not call the game. And what about a yellow for his dive. He is a vindictive player. Why does he get away with it.
This team means business in the playoffs and played with a lot of heart and intensity. A night and day difference between the regular season. The only problem I think we have right now is finishing around the goal. We had some chances that we could have put away but didn’t finish our opportunities. Hopefully we can do it back in Houston.
I hope we sell out the stadium. With a 1 1/2 weeks to sell tickets, it should be able to be done.
Hey, Glenn – Having been at the game, I’m trying to figure out exactly when the Dynamo “took the crowd out of it at certain times”. Uh, never. Seattle’s home field “advantage” is vastly overrated because all the other teams in the MLS, used to playing in front of crappy numbers like Houston’s 16,900, get fired up to play in front of world-class numbers. I really hope you guys can fill up that stadium in Game 2, because they games take on an edge they just don’t have in front of 8 or 9,000 folks. Futbol is not meant to be viewed as a stroll in the park.
Finally, you guys have a very good team. You really don’t need all the dirty play. That’s one of the points Freddie L made on Soccernet.com in an article this week. MLS would be a much better product if players understood the difference between hard play and dirty play. Who’s to blame for that? The terrible officiating.
Looking forward to seeing you guys bow out in the 1st round two years in a row!!! Sounders ’til I die!!!!!!
DXkraus,
Based on what I saw on tv I thought the nervous tension slowed the environment down at times especially in the second half.
No need to be sensitive, I have banged the drum for all that Seattle has helped to make this league realize and that more can be achieved in so many markets.
I have seen team intimdated at Seattle and I have seen teams thrive off it. What do you expect the general sports media to say? It is not a home field advantage…….Tough night for Freddy as he was made to work hard. Now is not the time to be whining about officiating or rogh play. Like you said, futbol is not a stroll in the park and I am sure Freddy has played in a few physical games in the EPL and that is not to say his thoughts don’t have merit. Just not at this moment.
Love your passion!
Glenn
Can someone explain what the deal was with #34 Hurtado wripping his bandage off and throwing it on the field. Please?
dxkraus, we welcome your team to the playoffs. It is a different season and hopefully your players and fans realize this. The Dynamo have been in more playoff games the past four games than any other team. They put everything on the line and fight hard. What you think dirty play is is called playing hard and intense. Rico didn’t intend to cut Jacqua. Pat bumped Montero. No big deal. Pat Ianni who played for the Dynamo a few years understands the playoffs and what it takes to win. He was all over Ching and Oduro’s back all night.
It is the playoffs. The Dynamo are excited to play in the tight confines of Robertson Stadium where the Dynamo will be breathing in the Sounders ears all day on the 8th.
cj,
You may not believe this, but, we don’t really live in a vacuum here in Seattle. But, it’s interesting that you bring up playoff intensity. Here’s an article from today’s Seattle Times about exactly that aspect for Seattle-area fans:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2010164989_brewer30.html
Actually, what I call dirty play is dirty play. Onstad’s shot was illegal. Before you moan and groan about Montero flopping, remember that Onstad has 7″ and 53 lbs. on the diminutive Colombian. Also, the look on Onstad’s face was sheer anger when he threw himself at Fredy. Lalas was right on when he said 99% of the time, the player doing that is given a red. I’ll give you it was a momentary lapse for a classy guy. But, that shouldn’t be a free pass from red card time the rest of the series.
Mr. Ljungberg’s comments before the game on soccernet.com were exactly to that point – in the MLS dirty play often substitutes for hard play, and that is the fault of the poor officiating in the MLS. Since the play the official supervisor has come out and said Onstad’s blow would have been a red if it had been to the head. That’s not the standard in world play. Period.
It’s funny that you think the Dynamo are so much physically tougher than the Sounders. I actually saw a team play against the Sounders this summer that WAS tougher – Chelsea. They were demonstrably larger and more physical, and they took it to us. They weren’t a dirty team, though. The Dynamo is no Chelsea. (Thank you, Lloyd Bentsen)
However, Chabala, is nothing more than a mediocre talent who plays because he specializes in dirty play. Not only was that evident on Thursday night, check out his page on Wikipedia. Geez, the thug was kicked out of his first MLS game in April for a “serious foul play” 13 minutes into his debut. The guy is noted as a thug on Wikipedia, for god’s sake.
Again, I hope you guys can get at least 30K for the game, because I’m sure there’s nothing more disheartening to THE GREATEST TEAM IN RECENT MLS HISTORY, than to draw a measly 16K per game. How many of those were free with a purchase of $50 in groceries at Piggly Wiggly?
Man, I love pre-game smack talk, don’t you?
To dxkraus:
These guys may get ticked that you’re trolling our board, but I love it! This is true futbol passion and if I were you I wouldn’t go on quoting Wikipedia ALL-THE-TIME! Seattle has a great team and I for one agree that it is sad that we can’t fill our stadium. Maybe next year the Sounders won’t get such a difficult draw in the first round and make it farther, but this year they are going down. I don’t care what anybody says; I kind of like your team’s vomit-colored uniforms. The vomit-colored uniforms kind of match your team’s disgusting style of play. By the way our minority owner can beat up your minority owner…Oscar De La Hoya v. Drew Carey…hmm…
Hey, Leo. I’m guessing those great Safety Cone Orange uniforms the Dominos are wearing were designed by the same guys that designed those neat-o Astros uniforms so many years ago? Speaking of safety cone orange, why is it that watching the Domino’s play in this series is like watching a Sounders’ practice – you know, the one’s where they run circles around the orange cones?
dxkraus:
What are those two stars over the Dynamo crest…oh yeah, TWO MLS CUPS! How about we see if the Flounders can win one this year, IF they do then we’ll start talking. Remember the Houston Dynamo won the cup in their first year; wonder if the Flounders will be able to do the same? I don’t think so because first they need to learn how to play football. It’s going to be pretty amazing when the Houston Dynamo are lifting up their third cup in the MLS Cup final in front of a sold-out Qwest Field on November 22. Don’t forget to visit us here after we win so you can, at least, join our celebration virtually.