Dynamo played very well in the first half. Great opportunities in the attacking third, and we converted two beautifully. Defense held their own, and midfield advanced forward well.
Great first half. In the 2nd half their left back gave us a lot of problems when he pushed up. Hopefully as the team grows they can put complete games together, but very nice win to start the season.
Great way to start the season! The midfielders just look so much better with the ball at their feet. Obviously we had some lapses when Seattle started pushing up in the second half, but I'm hoping that's an easy fix.
Quioto has been very impressive so far this season. His ball to Cubo on the 3rd goal was perfect. Overall, I'm pleased with how Cabrera has the team set up tactically. We are using guys in the right places, and so far, it has shown.
Not a well played game in the 4-2 loss last night. Had a 2-1 lead at half only to crater in the 2nd. The defense got too spread out and disorganized, leaving large spaces for Portland to play with. As much as I like what Cabrera is doing, I can't understand how Ricardo Clark continues to start and get significant minutes. The offense just went to crap in the 2nd, too. They couldn't manage any meaningful possession. When they did, it was like the ghost of Will Bruin was hanging around. Horrible 1st touches all around. Wenger came in and did nothing but give the ball away every time he touched it. I'm going to believe that the first 2-1/2 games are closer to what they are and not the last 45 minutes. Portland is a tough place to play and it's a brand new team with very young players. Shouldn't be too much of a shock that their first road game of the season was a stinker, especially in that environment.
I don't understand your dislike for ricardo clark. This is the 3rd different coach who chooses to start him, 4th if you count the interim. I feel they got too comfortable with the 2-1 lead and didn't look to attack with the same persistence. The midfield sat back and looked to defend before run. That, to me, was the difference that allowed Portland to be more aggressive out of the back. That happened in the seattle game too.
He has terrible situational awareness. When he's tasked to be a defensive mid, he ends up playing too far up, leaving gaps behind him. Clark has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also gives up bad fouls...mostly because he's getting caught out of position. Yes, he can hit the shot from distance. Yes, he's tough. Yes, he once kicked Carlos Ruiz in the head and there's no one in the world that deserves to be kicked in the head more than Carlos Ruiz. I just don't think that, especially at this point in his career, he's much of a help.
Rico is a step behind defensively, he is ALWAYS playing catchup and then given away a bad foul or turning it over if he does ever regain possession. He has been like this for 2+ years now. He is too old to be playing this much. I don't mind playing him, but he shouldn't be starting, and shouldn't have been a starter for 2 yrs now. I've alway preferred Boniek in that spot until they find a true central midfielder. He at least helps with possession and isn't out of position all the time.
I think their defensive struggles have been strategical rather than play ability. They play a 4-3-3, which is really more of a 4-5-1. They pinch in the wing midfielders and and bring back the wing forwards for spacing purposes. They don't really have the wing forwards run the sideline for defensive purposes. Once the opposing teams send their defensive wings on runs this has caused problems. For the sake of the argument i will take the next couple of games to pay particular attention to rico's defense and his ability to cover and play one-on-one.
I don't like Boniak in that particular role because he tends to not be very defensive minded and he holds on to the ball too long. It's almost as if he's contractually required to beat at least one player off the dribble before passing it. Glad I'm not the only one that sees this in Clark...but it's more of his career norm than just a more recent thing. It's just become more obvious because he's also lost steps. Doesn't mean that @K mf G isn't wrong. It very well could partially be a matter of tactics. But if one of your center mids is constantly out of position, it puts stress on other parts of the field as they have to cover for it.
Romell Quioto is going to be out indefinitely with a shoulder injury he suffered from World Cup qualifiers game last weekend. Mauro Manotas will be starting against N.Y. Red Bulls on Saturday.
