Both the Dynamo and Earthquakes will be looking for their first MLS win of the 2009 season.
Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara is a tight, intimate field that last weekend was the scene of the Earthquakes 1-0 loss to NE. The Quakes were the better team but have the same question going into tonites game. Can strikers produce goals?
Let me break this down a bit:
Goalkeeping: What a night for fans of goalkeepers. Two of the best in league history in Joe Cannon of SJ and Pat Onstad of the
Dynamo. Might there be a bit of a personal battle tonite between these two? Joe Cannon was in goal for SJ when
they won the 2001 MLS Cup on a Dwayne DeRosario game winner. Cannon went off to France and Frank Yallop
brought Onstad to MLS and the rest is history. Onstad has now won three MLS cups. Both goalkeepers dealing
with back fours that have changed because of personel. Both capable of making saves that win games.
Outside backs: It should be veterans Wade Barrett and Richard Mulrooney for the Dynamo whom both played in SJ. With
San Jose wide play of Arturo Alvarez and Darren Huckerby these two will need good games to secure their
sides of the field. Think defending first. Can they add a bit to the attack on the road?
SJ played with Eric Denton and Chris Leitch last weekend. Leitch we remember as an unsung warrior on the
late NY Red Bull run last year that eliminated the Dynamo.
Center backs: You would think Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear doesn’t want to move to many players around so
he could go with Bobby Boswell partnered with Geoff Cameron again. It would make sense in that Cameron
would get a consistent positional run. Cameron played well against Columbus but is far from the finished
product as a center-back. His judgement at times was off and he was able to rectify situations with his
athletic ability. A work in progress with great potential. Where does this place Julius James? On the outside
looking in for the moment. Eddie Robinson injury has made this area tricky for the time being.
Boswell is the out and out leader and is more demonstrative and vocal this year.
Quakes got caught defending high against NE on the lone goal of their match and they are also without their top
pairing as Jason Hernandez who was solid last year is still out. Nick Garcia has played 250 MLS games and
partners former Dynamo good guy Kelly Gray.
Wide Midfield: Interesting wealth of riches here for both teams. Former EPL player Darren Huckerby didn’t quite get it going
vs. NE so watch out. He will go straight at the Dynamo left side. And Arturo Alvarez compliments him well
with sublime skill and breakdown capability. He can eliminate defenders.
The Dynamo will have to alter things here with response to players missing . Could Cory Ashe get a start on
in a wide area to compensate for Alvarez pace and skill in front of Wade Barrett? Stuart Holden could get
pushed out wide on the right to compensate for Brian Mullan moving up front with the Dynamo thin at striker.
This area could determine the game.
Central midfield: Ricardo Clark is automatic for the Dynamo and will have a mano y mano battle with Bobby Convey who
seemed to be easing into it against NE. If Holden doesn’t play in the middle like game one Brad Davis could
be moved into the so-called playmakng role to get Ashe matched up out wide with Alvarez.
Ramiro Corrales is steady but can he improve on the performance of former Roma player Francisco Lima
from last year?
Strikers: This is a big focal point around this game. The Dynamo are without Brian Ching and Kei Kamara. Ching with the U.S.
and Kamara suspended in a silly manner for saying something to a referee in a pre-season match against Quakes.
Kamara is a huge miss and Kinnear must alter his lineup to find the best 11 in relation to San Jose tonite.
Chris Wondoloski produced a beautiful assist to Ching last week against Columbus and will work his tail off can he
take the lead up front and what that means can he score some important league goals?
Brian Mullan has come on my radio show before and does not prefer to play up front as he is accustomed to hugging
the line wide in midfield. Yet he has made it clear he will do what the team needs and he seems the real option to
play alongside Wondoloski.
SJ brings Cam Weaver and either Ryan Johnson or Pablo Campos. Physical trio with size and strength are trying to
address the same problem as last year. A consistent goal scorer.
Tactics: Frank Yallop and Dominic Kinnear the head coaches are a great story having played together in Tampa. Both as head
coaches have won 2 MLS Cups and are in rare company with Bruce Arena (DC Utd) and Sigi Schmid). Tactics and
similar views on how there teams play are consistent here. Both prefer a starting point of a 4-4-2, both create good
containers of respect in their locker rooms and both have players who love to play for their coach.
ADE AKINBIYI PASSES PHYSICAL
The Nigerian striker has passed the physical and pending paperwork it seem the Burnley striker is set to join the Dynamo as early as next weekend at RFK Stadium against DC United. Akinbiyi is apparently checking out living accomodations this weekend and could be announced to the press next week.
Akinbiyi certainly is imposing physically but he will be a player that Dominic Kinnear will want to be mobile enough to move and unsettle defenders. Possibility? You bet.
As for John Pelu one wonders what this makes of his situation with the Dynamo. Gut instinct says you go with roll of the dice as oppposed to two. Dynamo still have room to maneuver for another player.
Andrew Hainault’s case has come before FIFA as paperwork from his former club in the Czech Republic is holding things up.
GREAT DAY OF SOCCER ON TV
I will map out your watching day. Catch a Rafa Marquezless Mexico vs. Costa Rica at 5pm on Telemundo, then on to the U.S. at El Salvador on Espn 2 and Telefutura and then top it off with the Dynamo at San Jose on KHOU 11.2 or FOX HOUSTON.
Sounds like a plan. Enjoy the games………
DID YOU KNOW
One million applications for World Cup tickets have been received by FIFA and the top three countries where these are coming from include South Africa, England and the United States.
Give me your thoughts on the Dynamo at San Jose or anything in the world of soccer?
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come on boys!!!!!!
This is a big game for San Jose to get the full 3 out of. You don’t really want to start the season dropping 6 points at home. But it as just as big for the Dynamo as the last two season have had very slow starts and they are on the road again next week.
I did not think the Dynamo won as many second balls vs. Columbus and that led to the final goal. I expect them to be more aggressive.
But San Jose has better left-sided players than most MLS teams so I think their attack is better balanced and won’t just go up the right side like many teams try.
Where do the goals come from? Not sure, but if you go back over 2007 & 2008, the Dynamo second team and reserves came up pretty big in many games when Ching, DeRo, Clark, etc. were out for national team duty. It was almost as if they played a bit looser in those games. However, the depth of the squad is not what it was in ‘07 & ‘08.
Depending upon the condition of Ashe & James (reports were they have groin tweaks), Dom might have a bench with very little MLS game experience on it.
The rest of my Saturday is to get outside with the kids, take a run, and settle in to catch the tail end of the Mexico game and then the US game leading into the Dynamo.
Texian Army and Houston Chapter of American Outlaws are meeting at the Mezzanine tonight to watch both games! Bring it on!!!!
Wondo will either nail his first opportunity, or he’ll really botch it. If it’s the latter, I think he will have blown his starting shot.
barrett needs to be benched once the canadian defender is signed…poor defending….
The US played just plain aweful!
My three comments on the Dynamo tonight:
1. Wade Barrett is SLOW! Glenn, seriously, you and I could outrun Wade and get in on goal. Dom is a loyal guy, but he needs to realize that he will lose more games than he will win with Wade out there. The proof is on the field.
2. Brian Mullan couldn’t score in a San Jose house of ill-repute last night. It was attrocious finishing from Brian and it probably cost us three points last night. I love Mulls as much as anyone here in Houston, but someone needs to tell Dom to stop putting him up top. I would rather see Cameron or Cruz up top than Mullan. Thank goodness we will have Kei and Ching back next week.
3. We did not deserve to win that game last night. Our tactics were flawed and very rarely did we work the ball from touchline to touchline and try to stretch SJ apart. That game was comprable to a U15 kickball game where each team has a fast forward. Just kick and and let them go get it. I am really surprised that we did not fix the tactics at halftime and try to be more patient.
My comments on the USA game:
1. Demarcus Beasley was a complete waste of space. When he played in the midfield, he didn’t make any penetrating runs, his touch was way too heavy, and after about 20 minutes, he had disappeared. When Boob Bradley put him in the defense, it was worse. His shite defending directly led to the second goal being scored by El Salvador. Also, never once did I see him make an overlapping run of Torres to exploit space behind him. He looked like one of those old Italian defenders that just sits back and defends.
2. Boob Bradly was completely out coached in this match. El Salvador came in with a plan to soak up the US pressure and then counter attack like a hammer. The wings were left open and we rarely made the effort to go there, instead looking to play into Ching and have him combine with someone. That did not work early because of the way El Salvador dropped back, so tactics needed to be changed, and they were not! The US got their point tonight because they were the superior side, but Glenn, we were definitely a man short on the bench tonight!
Thoughts from around the world:
1. The Dutch looked great destroying Scotland yesterday.
2. FSC needs to stop showing Iran matches. Watching them is worse than watching my freshmen team play.
3. England dominated like they should have, and finally, they have a world class looking kit! One of them is on it’s way to Coach H’s place as we speak!
4. Diego Maradona is fat. Geez, the boy has put the weight on and lots of it. However, I bet even he could blow past Wade Barrett and get in on goal!
Your thoughts?