In review: After Round 5 of MLS action
Dominic Kinnear has probably forgotten more about soccer than most of us could ever learn. As a player, he studied under Serbian-born tactician Bora Milutinovic. As an assistant, he apprenticed under Frank Yallop during the San Jose Earthquakes' first championship season.
As el jefe down in Houston, he has driven the Dynamo to consecutive MLS titles.
So, it's a little ironic that Kinnear had to arrest last year's early troubles not by employing his big soccer brain, but rather by putting on his poker player's visor. He had to wheel and deal. He got on the phone and worked the trade channels, eventually importing three pieces that nudged his team past the sticking point, and at nominal costs to his own organization.
Now, for 2008: Does he need to follow the same path? The answer: Perhaps. But not just yet. It's clear that the Dynamo must do two things.
One: Don't panic.
Two: Prepare to panic ... if things don't turn around in the next two weeks.
Houston has two matches at home, one against a Chivas USA side that's suddenly in back-pedal mode. Then, in comes a Colorado side that's taken a similar dip over the last two weeks. If Houston can't start patching up the potholes, Kinnear will surely have to hunt around in the supply closet, dig out those dark sunglasses and that poker visor and get busy at the swappin' table once more.
April is done for Houston's two-time defending league champs, and the early results aren't pretty. They aren't hideous, either, but there's no hiding that peculiar fact that Houston is Major League Soccer's the only winless side. More alarming for south Texas supporters, the Orange have been shut out in three of five matches.
Yes, there are some mitigating factors afoot. The most crushing loss (3-0) came in New England in a rematch of last year's title contest. League champs rarely do well in these championship rematches, typically approached with redemption-minded enthusiasm by the runner-up but routinely met with a ho-hum shrug from the title holders.
So, maybe that one can be excused. Then came a 3-3 tie with Dallas in which goalkeeper Pat Onstad had to be replaced by backup Tony Caig, who might not have been mentally prepared for such a quick entrance.
Then came three matches on the road, four if you include the long excursion to Costa Rica, one that worked about as well as green ketchup. An undermanned Dynamo version got whupped by Saprissa, which mercilessly dispatched its MLS visitor from the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
After that for the Dynamo came three MLS roadies, from which Houston took two ties before last weekend's close loss at Columbus. The Dynano fell for a third time this year, surrendering an opportunistic goal to a Crew team that's growing in confidence each week.
But take a closer look at the match; you can't have seen that match and say that Houston is in a terrible state. Are there issues? Yes, mostly up front, where neither Brian Ching nor Franco Caraccio are hitting in top form.
Still, on the road, Houston outshot the Crew 15-9. Houston forced six saves from Will Hesmer, who continues to play well behind the Crew defense. At the other end, Pat Onstad had to make just two saves in his return from injury. Away from home, most teams will gladly take that.
The men in Orange continue to do most of the things on offense that had them standing on the winner's podium last November at RFK. Brian Mullan and Brad Davis are delivering service from the wings. The fullbacks are joining the attack at the right moments. Dwayne De Rosario is penetrating from deep spots.
Simply put, Ching and Caraccio aren't getting the business done up front. Caraccio has two goals, both of which were opportunistic strikes from inside the six -- but both of which were mostly the finishing touch off the work of others. He's not creating much on his own.
As for Ching, the big target man isn't having his best stretch. Going back to last year, the hard-working Hawaiian hasn't scored in 13 regular season contests. His goals do tend to come in bunches, as when he scored seven during the first five matches of 2006.
So, this tell-tale two-week stretch may be huge for Ching. His current form isn't for lack of effort, by the way. He's toiling away, as always. It's just not leading to much right now.
If things can't improve now, Kinnear might have no choice but to make some personnel moves. If it comes to that, he can only hope to be as successful as in 2007.
By late May, the Dynamo were reeling with a 2-6 record last year. More troubling, Kinnear's men had recorded just five goals. It all looked very similar to this year. The defense remained a stubborn bugger, tough to get past. But things weren't so spiffy on the other end, were service aplenty was going unclaimed.
By then, Richard Mulrooney had been claimed from the bargain bin of the MLS swap shop. He came in from Toronto in exchange for Kevin Goldthwaite, who was stuck behind left back Wade Barrett with little chance of cracking the starting 11.
Soon after, Joseph Ngwenya came to Houston for Alejandro Moreno. Moreno's stock is rising now in Columbus. But for whatever reason, it just wasn't working at Robertson Stadium. Moreno had three goals in 34 matches for Houston, and that's just not good enough for a forward on a championship side.
The final piece came in a trade for Nate Jaqua, who moved from Los Angeles in exchange for reserve midfielder Kelly Gray. Gray was never a major contributor for the Galaxy and gave up his Victoria Street address in the offseason.
Mulrooney provided the Houston midfield some badly needed depth during a tough summer stretch, and supplied extra offensive push when inserted at right back. Ngwenya and Jaqua combined for 13 goals and five assists and helped drive the team into a second MLS Cup.
Back to 2008: It's a long season. Eight of 14 teams make the playoffs, so there's time to seal the cracks. It probably won't even take a 10-game unbeaten streak like last year, especially in the West, which appears to be the left hand on a right-handed boxer. But it will take more than what's happening now. And if things don't start going well this week at Robertson against Chivas USA, it could be time for Kinnear to start working the phones.
The Dynamo are particularly deep at midfield. Or, perhaps, Kinnear can find a couple of hidden gems in the trade market once again without giving up true value. It will be tough to repeat last year's swap-shop magic -- but he might have no choice but to try.
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