Team tries to build on first win of season
Last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Austin FC was just what the Dynamo needed.
Getting that initial win under first-year Dynamo coach Ben Olsen has energized the organization. There’s a big difference being 1-2-0 in the standings as opposed to 0-3-0.
“Every point matters and every point is hard to get,” said Olsen, who managed D.C. United from 2010-2020. “When you get your win, it can move you in the right way. It gives you the confidence, from the technical staff and players, that what we’re working on is in some ways working and can make us a better team as we go forward.
“One of the best parts about (last Saturday) is that we’ve rewarded our fans for coming out and giving us an electric atmosphere that helped us no doubt get that result.”
A collective effort enabled the Dynamo to be on the right end of the score. Defensively, the structure was good, stifling Austin’s effectiveness in certain areas such as service and defending in the box. Steve Clark was steady in goal. In posting a clean sheet, he compiled five saves and did not have to clean up much.
“A lot of energy was in the squad,” Clark said. “That’s the way we want to play; that’s our identity. I like where we’re at.”
Against Austin FC, Houston stuck to its gameplan. Being aggressive and playing forward while creating opportunities off the visiting team’s mistakes.
“We were patient and not being too open and putting too many numbers forward and getting caught in the counter,” said defender Tate Schmitt, who until Amine Bassi converted from the penalty spot against Austin, and Héctor Herrera later added a score, had tallied the club’s only goal of the young season. “Scoring two goals is big and we need to continue finding the net. But also, the biggest is the shutout.
“Getting those three points and first win, we’re letting the fans see that when we play here, we want to win every game that we can.”
Houston is home again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, facing New York City (2-1-1) of the Eastern Conference.
“You try to continue pushing the group forward,” Olsen said. “We’re still so early in the season, so early with this team. It’s nice to get results but we need to keep turning up the volume. You just look at this league, it’s relentless. We’re looking forward to a challenging game this weekend against another good opportunity.”
NYC is a club that brings a load of talent on the offensive end, full of attackminded players. Coming off two straight home wins, but looking for its first road victory, coach Nick Cushing’s side keeps replenishing with high-level talent. It is an aesthetically pleasing team the way it overloads and breaks an opponent down with the ball. Short passing is a staple of the club.
Having coached in the Eastern Conference, Olsen understands NYC’s game model. NYC has a pipeline of high caliber players, and it plays a way that is hard to defend. There is a right amount of improv in its game but also with some real clear structure on how the team builds the game. The visiting side has game changers among the front four and is a squad used to winning.
Talles Magno, who had a strike against D.C. United, spearheads NYC’s attack. Midfielder Gabriel Pereira has tallied a goal and an assist. Forward Matias Pellegrini is a major contributor.
“We have another good team coming into town that has some of the similar traits that Austin has,” Olsen said. “Every team has special qualities that we’re going to need to diffuse. It’s about repeating that type of performance over the course of the year that gets you into the postseason.”
Going up against NYC, Houston will be without one of its better players. Midfielder Coco Carrasquilla is away on international duty. Carrasquilla is a crucial piece of the Dynamo, a big-time player on both sides of the ball. He starts transitions, wins a good percentage of 50-50 balls, and plays a key role in possession.
“Coco’s not replaceable necessarily, but it’s an opportunity for someone else,” Olsen said.
Midfielder Artur said the club has players capable of stepping up in Carrasquilla’s absence.
“We’re going to miss him,” Artur said.
Friday, the Dynamo used targeted allocation money to sign veteran center back Erik Sviatchenko, who has won 11 combined league and cup titles at FC Midtjylland in Denmark and Celtic FC in Scotland.
Sviatchenko, 31, is signed through 2024 with a club option for 2025. He will not be in the lineup Saturday.