As odd man out, Bruin tries to make most of limited opportunities
After four years as one of coach Dominic Kinnear’s most consistent starters, forward Will Bruin has languished on the Dynamo bench most of this season.
Bruin has been a victim of new Dynamo coach Owen Coyle’s transition from Kinnear’s 4-4-2 lineup to a 4-5-1, which is no surprise considering he has been on the trade block practically since Kinnear emptied his office last year.
“Obviously, it’s my toughest (season) as a professional,” Bruin said. “At times frustrating, but that’s the nature of the business. I’ve gone with the same coach every year playing a lot of games and scoring a lot of goals at that. Then new faces come in, change formations, change the way we play. You’ve just got to adapt to it. It is what it is.”
With rare exceptions, Kinnear employed four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Coyle prefers four defenders, five midfielders and one forward.
And unfortunately for Bruin, Giles Barnes has been Coyle’s preferred forward. Bruin has been in the starting lineup only twice in seven games this season. He has been used off the bench four times and was unused in one game.
“Players come with reputations that they made the previous years, which is fantastic,” Coyle said. “But the players will play now on what they bring now to (the) Houston Dynamo, not what they brought before or what they’ve shown before. … We’re not afraid to make big decisions.”
Since Bruin’s rookie season in 2011, nobody has scored more goals for the Dynamo. Only Bri-
an Ching has scored more goals in franchise history than Bruin’s 41 in all competitions.
Bruin is tied for second place on the Dynamo’s all-time scoring list in all competitions with captain Brad Davis, who is the franchise’s only player to have played every year in Houston since the club’s inaugural 2006 season.
“If I take care of my business at training and when I get on the field, I get my opportunity; I’ll make the most of it,” Bruin said. “I’m not going to be one that’s going to sit here and pout and cry about it and say, ‘Why me?’
“Every player goes through it. If you play long enough, you’re going to have an opportunity where you’re just not someone’s guy all the time. That’s just how it is right now.”
Bruin played 44 minutes off the bench last weekend to help the Dynamo escape D.C. United with a 1-1 draw.
The 44 minutes accounted for his third-longest outing of the year. He has totaled 265 minutes in six games, playing the full 90 minutes only once.
Many players of Bruin’s stature might have requested a trade by now.
“No,” Coyle said when asked if Bruin has sought a trade. “First and foremost, Will Bruin has acted as a total professional.”
That’s not to say Bruin hasn’t thought about seeking a trade.
“I would be lying to you if I told you no,” he said. “For sure, I know I’m a starter in this league. I know I can play, but it’s not my decision to play one forward or two forwards. I’m on the last year in my contract, and I’ll go from there.”
The Dynamo invested about $7 million to acquire Mexican forward Cubo Torres, and it’s no secret he will be inserted into the lineup once he joins the team this summer.
Until then, Bruin likely will get several opportunities to prove his worth and raise his trade stock if, as expected, Barnes is called up by the Jamaican national team.
“Will Bruin is proven,” Coyle said. “His goals are there for everybody to see. What we have to do is find a way to get Will back to his very best. I think in the last couple of weeks, he’s looked sharp in training.
“Last week, his training was outstanding. His second-half performance was terrific in D.C. Will led the line. He was a thorn in the
flesh all night.”