The Dynamo host the Costa Rican champs Deportivo Saprissa this Wednesday at 9PM in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series. The game will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel. We really need to win by a couple of goals at home, going to Saprissa's stadium will be tough and we'll need as much of a cushion as we can get.
Must have a better showing than on Saturday. They definitely need a good 2 or 3 goal lead going into the away match.
Upset that I can't make it. The Dynamo need to score at least 3 goals in my opinion so they can survive Saprissa's stadium. From what I hear, it's a madhouse beyond all belief. If you're going - BE LOUD! Back the Dynamo and show Saprissa they aren't the only one who can make noise. I still remember going to both playoff games last year against Dallas and Kansas City and sitting with El Batallon. Two of the greatest sports happenings in my life thus far.
0-0, it's going to be really tough to go into San Jose and get a win. We had a lot of chances and dominated the second half but never could finish. And Carracio looked really good out there, it seems like he's still trying to figure out the system and his teammates but he's doing good things. Once everybody is on the same page it should be fun to watch.
Missed a lot of chances that are normally goals with this team. Ching just has to run into the ball from a cross in the 70th and he overruns it. They should have won that game because winning in Costa Rica is no easy thing.
That GATORADE (I think?) commercial where the Estados Unidos' team is hearing the banging on the stadium walls from the crowd... that's a REAL scene of what happened before they played the Costarricense national team. Imagine that for our beloved right before the game...
Caraccio is talented. If Jaqua can get a deal to play in Europe, then I'd have to think this kid (21 years old?) ought to garner some interest by next winter. So many chances last night. Too bad Holden wasn't fit to play. He might have been the difference maker. Ching is the man, but it looks like he either lost a step or just isn't quite where he was last year. Ngwenya's pace seemed to make up for it a bit when he was here. Still, his header was almost golden last night, and Ashe missed a wonderful opportunity to feed him an easy goal. The Dynamo are resilient... I give them a fighter's chance in San Jose, especially if Caraccio can go 90+.
They're pros. I'm sure they'll handle it. The good news is they were in control for the entire match. Saprissa will probably have a lot more adrenaline on their home pitch but the Dynamo have played in many big games. Hopefully we can continue to create a lot of chances and finish a couple. Getting more out of DeRo is going to be necessary and Ching is going to have to finish. I read something in the paper about how DeRo has a knack for scoring against the Costa Rican national team. Maybe that luck will carry over to the next game.
Anyone know Holden's status for Sunday and/or Wednesday? One positive I saw was the play of Corey Ashe. He seemed to cross the ball earlier instead of the same old run to the deep corner and try the cross again and again. That early cross almost led to a couple of goals. I'd like to see him continue to mix it up.