When: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 7 PM Where: Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX Television: Fox Soccer Channel Radio: 790 AM (English), 850 AM (Spanish) It's that time again, Houston! Our Orange return to MLS action this Saturday at Robertson against the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew. It feels odd to be referencing the Dynamo in that regard, but that's exactly what this season is about; reclaiming the Cup. After last season's humiliating playoffs, especially after having the best record in the Western Conference, the Dynamo will hopefully be playing with a chip on their shoulder and avoid the slow starts that have plagued them the past few years. A few story-lines to follow (I'm sure Dr. Ludicrous and leroy have more to add): 1. How will the Dynamo play without Dwayne De Rosario? 2. Will young players like Kei Kamara, Stuart Holden, and Geoff Cameron step up their games and give us a good youth movement? 3. How will our health be? The Dynamo have been plagued by injuries to veterans the past few years, so hopefully that's a thing of the past. Can a brother get a sticky on this thread? I mean, it is the season opener, after all. Maybe we can talk about changing the name of the forum to "Texans, Astros, Dynamo," later...
Just looking forward to being there. I'm playing in the HFA tournament this weekend and they're giving 8 tickets to each team. So, there will be a new group of Austin based fans after this game. I, like most fans, am concerned about where the offense is going to come from. I hope Holden is ready. I hope the Kamara can be the goal scorer besides Ching that we need. Ching isn't going to be around much this summer when World Cup Qualifiers kick in again. Someone is going to have to step up. One of my biggest concerns is with Pat Onstead. He is still a very good keeper, but he's now 41 and they don't have a back up keeper with any experience. At least they won't have to worry about Onstead being overused with Canada being eliminated, again. Either way, I have the utmost confidence in Dominic Kinnear and the Dynamo organization to have yet another outstanding season. 3 out of 4 wouldn't be bad... GO DYNAMO!
I believe the defence will have to step up massively considering the weak front line the Dynamo have. The FO will have to make a signing up front sometime before the all-star break because the team will not go far without another legit striker to take pressure off Ching and the rest of the team. Kamara is a decent option off the bench and thats it. I hope the back 4 steps up especially with Eddie Robinson out injured and Waibel and Barrett getting up in age. I still shudder at the way Dane Richards abused Barrett last year in the playoffs but hopefully the back 4 can hold the fort down. Let's go Dynamo!
Kamara is suspended for two games games due to a confrontation with the refs after our preseason game against San Jose. Wondo may get a start, or Dom could shuffle the lineup around some to put Mullan up top. Eddie Robinson is out for an extended period due to a surgery. The details are kind of sketchy so it's not clear how long he'll be out. Cameron has played well in the back line and we have Julius James that's been getting a lot of time in the preseason. Re-signing Boswell was a great move, with Robinson out I'm a lot more confident with him in the back. The team has tried to bring in a couple of forwards in the off season, Landin and Omar Bravo, and failed. They'll have to keep trying because we're way too thing up top now.
Game day bump! If you've never been to a Dynamo game, go check it out today! Season openers are always a great environment; there was even a jet fly-over last year!
I'm going to try and get more into them this year. I need to see if they're playing when I go home in early April. If they are, I will be there. (Edit) They're playing New York when I'm there. Any tips on where to sit or where to get tickets? Should I wait until its close or get them online soon?
There are supporters groups on both ends of the stadium, being in with them or near them will add to the experience. Overall the sightlines are good all over the stadium so you'll have a good view wherever you sit. And the game won't sell out so it doesn't matter when you get tickets.
Went on Saturday and was in Sec 332...just to the right of the Texian Army. I love the spirit. I just wish that pounding in my head would stop. Not a bad start to the season. Columbus is a very good team and should be one of the favorites to win the title this season. The Dynamo have got to find another forward. Wondolowski was terrible. His first touch is crap. He was constantly making the same run as Ching, giving the Columbus defense an easy time marking and the Dynamo mids no where to go with the ball. Also, they are going no where if Holden doesn't take control. He was too quick to pass when there were times he could have held the ball. He's got the skill. He just needs to use it. Have some balls and take on some defenders. When he is passive like that, it's too easy to sit back and mark the forwards. That's what DeRo did so well. He'd take on the backs and they were forced to try and shut him down coming out of the midfield, which opened up passing lanes for the forwards. Again, not a bad start, but there are some troubling signs that the front office needs to deal with soon or its going to be another disappointing season in the end. They'll get to the playoffs, but I'm not sure how far unless they get something next to Ching and Holden takes control of the ball.
It will get even better this weekend since Ching will also be out for the USA game. Holden seemed to play well in the middle last year when DeRo missed games. I don't know if the pressure of being the starter is affecting him or if he's just in a slump and not playing well so far this year. I have faith that he'll adjust and will be playing well before too long.
Who will they start up top? I would say they don't need Ching, but they (for reasons that can't possibly make any sense) called in Eddie Johnson.
