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
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The altitude is going to be the challenge. I could see the team keeping up for about 60 minutes or so. They’ll need to have an especially good possession game to keep from tiring out. That’s the best hope.
lets go boys! time to shine and shock everybody and win with a young line-up.
FOREVER ORANGE
I’ll take the Dynamo in the thin air of Mexico City tonight. By that I mean we need to play the ball in the air. You can’t teach tall. 2-1 Dynamo, both off set pieces, both on headers.
A true proving ground tonite for young players. The type of game where a youthful player can gain more trust from a head coach.
Glenn:
You do a good job for HDNET, as witness last Saturday’s game in San Jose, vs. Real Salt Lake …
…except: You should step up and point out ref error when it occurs… To Wit: The Senior A.R. (benchside) waived off Sealy’s goal, as the AR’s flag said Sealy was offside. Multiple reviews of the HDNET broadcast show that at the second the shot was launched toward the keeper, only Sealy’s right shoulder was closer to goal than the defender was. The AR was looking at Sealy’s back, from his AR position, and Sealy totally screened out the AR from seeing the the defender, so the AR gave it his best guess, not having the view of the cameras at the top of the HalfWay line, opposite to the Senior AR. (I sit directly below those cameras at all Quakes’ home games.). The main point here: The league should adopt this specific mechanic for ARs: Unless you SEE daylight between the attacker and his mark, …down to the —— (knees? ankles? ground?) …do not flag it as OFFSIDE.
This is really a criticism of the MLS ref guidelines, which are too general, and say something like “if most of the attacker is nearer to goal than is the ’second last defender’…… This lack of specificity results in many goals being waived off that shoule be goals, and would be in the English Premier League, etc.
All people are talking about is change of tactics. I don’t see it happening, it’s not their habit. I’m sure they are all going to be more conscious about possession. They know the best way to keep the ball out of their goal is to keep the ball in Pumas side. Pretty much DUHH, right? So with Pumas doing the same thing I see height protecting the goal on set peices against, and Ashe and Kamara duo getting a counter goal. One more all this depends on Eddie not getting red carded. He’d better keep his passion in check.
Jack,
Thanks for the comment and for watching. I don’t believe anyone will ever adhere to unless you see daylight it is not offside.
As much as everyone wants to give the attacker the advantage it doesn’t happen because linesman play it safe and don’t want the wrath of the defending team. It is safer to stick up a flag.
Personally if I remember correctly I thought that Jason Hernandez or whomever was in the right back postition may have kept him onside.
I believed I questioned Marcelo on that ………Thanks for the email and take your opinion to heart.
Michael,
Read the article I wrote today in the Houston Chronicle.
Dominic Kinnear is quoted and on the record that the tactics will change tonite? How can they not? If you are not compact and next to each other with all your lines you will be in trouble.
This is road tactics and survival to put yourself in a position to earn a point or produce a historic win.
The effort it would take to keep Pumas in their own half for long periods of time at altitude would be the kiss of death. There will be moments in the game that they may press more than others but they can’t expand all their energy early…thus letting the game come a little deeper to them this time .
Yes it is not their habit and is against their nature but they have no choice in my opinion. To open up at altitude and try to play Pumas all over the field you will be exposed and punished .
THE real question is . DOES THIS DYNAMO LINEUP TONITE HAVE THE ABILITY TO STAY DISCIPLINED AND ADHERE TO THE NEW TACTICAL PLAN…this will be a real mental challenge in a difficult environment.
Thanks for the post!