The Dynamo hope to get back on track following World Cup break.
Dynamo midfielder Tomas Martinez won’t be representing his home country when the World Cup starts this week.
Still, the Argentine was satisfied to score against U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard in a 2-0 victory that helped the Dynamo (6-5-3) avoid taking a three-game losing streak into the World Cup break.
“The truth is that he is a great goalkeeper who has a lot of experience and has been to World Cups. I’m content for scoring on him,” Martinez said. “We traveled to play two games and were not able to accumulate points, so we were a little upset about that. Thanks to God, we were able to win again and add three points here at home. We need to continue winning to show that we are a strong team.”
If the break had come two weeks earlier, the Dynamo would be considered one of the hottest teams in Major League Soccer. They had suffered just one loss in seven matches prior to their last three.
A well-timed win
Honduran Alberth Elis has led the way to this point, becoming one of the league’s most consistent threats. His eight goals account for nearly a third of the team’s scoring and he ranks fourth in the MLS.
To recapture their momentum from May, the Dynamo will need the rest of their three-pronged attack featuring forwards Mauro Manotas and Romell Quioto to re-emerge when the season resumes.
“I’m happy mostly with the team’s victory because this was a game where we had to end the bad streak that we had,” Manotas said of beating the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. “We hope that the front attacking line with Tomás also can help to bring happiness to the team.”
Manotas ended a fourgame scoreless stint when he got a penalty shot past Howard for his sixth goal.
“We have a good momentum. We are solid at home, which is important for us,” coach Wilmer Cabrera said.
“Definitely one of things we need to improve is our set pieces and our concentration on set pieces, because we’ve been giving too many goals on set pieces. Another thing is that we needed to close the game without conceding any goals and today we achieved that, and that is a very important turning point for us today.”
Amidst injuries to backline players like Andrew Wenger (tightness in left calf) have been positives. Midfielder Memo Rodriguez has continued to develop. U.S. Open Cup heroics by Rodriguez have propelled the Dynamo, who will host Minnesota United on June 18.
Midfielder Juan David Cabezas is expected back after the break after being kept out against Colorado as a precautionary measure. Defender Adolfo Machado will represent Panama during the World Cup and fellow defenders Adam Lundqvist and Jared Watts finally made their Dynamo debuts in recent games.
Tough schedule on tap
When the Dynamo return to league play June 23, they’ll face Western Conference leader Sporting Kansas City (8-5-2), followed by a July 3 date with third-place Los Angeles FC (7-3-4). Ninth-place Minnesota United (5-1-8) returns to BBVA Compass Stadium on July 7.
“It’s going to be an important game, since we are playing against Minnesota United FC at home. We like that matchup,” Cabrera said of the U.S. Open Cup matchup. “It’s going to help us prepare for what is coming against Sporting Kansas City on June 23, who are on top of the Western Conference table.
“It’s going to be important for us to prepare against these teams on the road.”