The Dynamo once again had burden of being the one team to carry the load of MLS on their shoulders in international competition. After every other MLS team got knocked out in the group phase of this competition (including a couple of horrific, embarrassing flameouts–that’s New England and DC United we’re talking about), Houston stepped up in crunch time to beat El Salvador’s Luis Angel Firpo 1-0 at Robertson and advance to the quarterfinals.
And to be clear, for all the excuses from the other squads about an overloaded schedule, the Dynamo played more games and endured a more brutal itinerary than any MLS team this year. Who knows, but it’s possible it included the harshest stretch of travel in the history of American sports. Even more, the Dynamo went through multiple rescheduled road matches on account of bad weather in DC, and rescheduled home matches and the personal inconveniences related to Hurricane Ike.
In spite of all that, Houston bounced back from a two-week layoff after a devastating loss to the Red Bulls in the playoffs to win their win-or-die game against Firpo. It was ugly, though. Really ugly. If that’s what a two-week layoff does to a team, it’s frightening to think what will happen when we likely face a Mexican team next spring.
Kei Kamara reaches out to the Orange faithful
The Dynamo looked like they hadn’t touched a ball in a year: bad passes, mistimed runs, and hesitant attacking. And then Corey Ashe, a truly valuable player for the team normally, kept up a nearly 100% record Wednesday in dribbling into a single defender and losing the ball.
Brian Ching hasn’t had the best year. He was the team’s leading goalscorer in 2008 but he likely was the team’s leading goal-misser. But there really wasn’t anything to criticize in his play against Firpo: he scored a nice goal on what might have been the only real opportunity his teammates gave him. One contributing factor was some of the midfielders’ and defenders’ hesitancy in getting crosses and shots off. While Houston did a fair job of knocking the ball around the edges, in the safe zone for Firpo, we did a poor job of taking quick shots and making quick crosses when Firpo gave us the chance.
On a couple of occasions, DeRo and Clark, in definite strike range for them, stutter-stepped and paused to set of the perfect shot instead of just firing on a few occasions. Same on crosses, instead of getting the cross away quickly to Ching or Jaqua in the box, we would stop, trap, dribble, and then cross into the belly or leg of the two Firpo players who had by then tracked over to defend.
Of course, the field inside Robertson Stadium played a shade worse than the asphalt parking lot just outside the gates. The refereeing just stunk. And while I didn’t get a chance to see the game on TV, it seemed Firpo players were diving as part of a predetermined strategy. Not that Dynamo players didn’t deserve some of the harsh treatment from the referee: there were a couple of Dynamo fouls that made some of us in the stands wince.
But whatever the shortcomings of the quality of their play, the Dynamo came to fight and win last night, and they did, in fact, outplay Firpo. It’s not as though the win was completely contrary to the run of play. As they say, quality teams find a way to win even when they don’t play well. Houston didn’t play well, but they got the victory and deserved it.
**That was a great crowd. Over 14000 for a non-MLS game on the night before Thanksgiving is something I wasn’t expecting. Unfortunately, it looks like nobody selling concessions at Robertson Stadium expected it either, because the lines were few and long. I don’t run a business, but it just seems like these people are simply throwing money away by not hiring enough folks to run enough beer lines to keep the cash coming in. Basic math to me: they likely profit at least $5 per beer, but pay their workers less than $10 an hour; it can’t take too much effort, with little risk, to bring in some extra hands to keep the coffers overflowing.
Not only was it a big crowd, it was one of the more passionate we’ve seen for its size. Maybe the Salvadoran component had something to do with it, but I don’t think we in section 204 have stood so much since the FC Dallas semifinal game in 2007.
**I love Kei Kamara, especially after last night. Shortly after coming into the game, he repeatedly turned to the crowd, waving his arms to get the crowd going. After the game, Kamara ran the endlines high-fiving fans on his way off the field. That is the kind of instinct I love seeing in one of our guys. It doesn’t need to be all of them (nor should it be), but a few rabble-rousers to stir things up would be nice.
I’ve complained in seasons past (though not this year so much) that many Dynamo players patently refuse to acknowledge their fans as they’re being subbed off, even when getting a standing ovation. Nobody questions the dedication of Dynamo players to winning, but sometimes just a bit of showmanship–just a little acknowledgment that the fans themselves are part of the show–goes a long way toward entertaining the fans and getting them into the game. When the players seem passionate about their fans while on the field (and in soccer probably more than any other sport), it will pay dividends. Kei Kamara, through a few simple acts, endeared himself to a lot of people in orange.
[To be clear, the entire squad's salute to the four stands of Robertson Stadium after the game was quite moving and deeply appreciated.]
**No summary of the game is complete without mentioning it was Nate Jaqua’s final game as a Dynamo player. In what is widely reported as a pre-arranged deal, Jaqua will head off to become a Seattle Sounder next year to return to his home region. Thanks to Jaqua for his service to Houston; he’s been a real asset to the team in both of his stints here. It’ll be tough replacing him, but we’ll have to do it.
**In the 15th minute, fans in our section were discussing possible changes to the team in the offseason. In defending Eddie Robinson, I said he was a good player, but that he’s just a walking red card waiting to happen. Jinx: Robinson got a justifiable direct red in about the 80th minute.
**Finally, it’s sad knowing we now have 3 months to wait with no competitive Dynamo games. And while it is disappointing not taking MLS Cup again, there was still something special about having the last game of the year in our own home stadium, instead of at some neutral site. The parking lot last night was still bubbling with activity well after the final whistle, largely in the knowledge that Wednesday night would be our last tailgate until late February.
For a last tailgate, it’s always nice doing it as winners.