Team looks to conclude season on high note at home
Sunday is Decision Day in Major League Soccer. It’s the finale of the 2022 regular season when playoff seedings will be settled.
There will be no postseason for the Houston Dynamo, however. Their final game, to be played at home inside PNC Stadium, is focused on continuing the momentum built under interim head coach Kenny Bundy and looking to end the campaign strong with a win over the LA Galaxy and an eye toward 2023.
For the Dynamo (10-17-6) it’s been a disappointing year. There hasn’t been an abundance of highlights. Even the most celebrated occasion — the summer signing of international star midfielder Héctor Herrera — is experiencing growing pains.
A two-time MLS champion, the Dynamo are missing the MLS playoffs a fifth straight year. Since 2014, Houston has qualified for postseason only once.
“We still believe our team was good enough to be there,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said. “It’s not the season we wished for, but we’ve been able to evaluate what we have, who we have on our roster and get a really good feel for that, and prepare us better for the offseason.”
Coming off a 2-1 victory at Nashville in which forward Sebastian Ferreira scored twice in the first half, Houston closes out its season against a team it beat 3-0 in Los Angeles, for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
“It’s an opportunity for us to send the fans off with a good taste in their mouth,” defender Tim Parker said. “We’ve had a lot of good training sessions. We’re looking forward to the tough test.”
The Galaxy (13-12-8) have locked up a playoff spot and can earn a home game with a win against Houston, which at 36 points is 13th out of 14 Western Conference teams, just two points ahead of last-place San Jose.
Holding the fourth position in the standings, Los Angeles can finish as high as third if it beats Houston or with a loss to the Dynamo fall as far as seventh.
While the Galaxy have more riding on Sunday’s game, the Dynamo are looking to end their season with back-to-back victories and gear up for a 2023 campaign.
Houston’s 2-1 victory at Nashville a week ago was its third in the past six games (one draw, two losses). The Dynamo recorded just four victories in their previous 21 games from mid-April through late August.
Bundy has been leading the club the past four games, and results are improving. Since taking over Sept. 5, his record is 2-1-1. Bundy is an outstanding tactical coach who employs an exciting style of soccer. He likes his teams to press early to dictate the game.
In addition to stadium renovations, there will be a reconstruction of the Houston roster for 2023. The club has options on 13 players and three players are free agents. The Dynamo’s international situation is good and that should benefit the team significantly.
While Onstad and controlling team owner Ted Segal will also be adding international players, they will not be bringing in a new designated player. The Dynamo’s DPs for next year are Coco Carrasquilla, Ferreria and Herrera, the biggest signing in club history who arrived in July from Atletico Madrid.
Noted for his leadership, Herrera is signed through 2024 with an option for 2025. He’s missed time with a leg injury. In nine games (six starts) with Houston, Herrera has one assist and no goals.
Herrera came off the bench against Nashville for his first appearance since Aug. 20. The captain of the Mexican national team created one opportunity and had two clearances. The first 5,000 fans in attendance Sunday will receive a Herrera bobblehead.
Like Herrera, Ferreira came over with a hefty price tag. In his first year with the club, Ferreria is rounding into form. He has a team-leading 12 goals with three assists in 30 games.
Houston’s poor showing in 2022 cost first-year head coach Paulo Nagamura his job on Labor Day, lasting less than a year. He joined Houston ahead of the 2022 season after leading Sporting Kansas City’s second team. The Dynamo were 816-5 over MLS competition under Nagamura, whose style of play seemed to be all over the place. On July 30, Houston was dominated 6-0 at Philadelphia.
On finding a full-time replacement coach, Onstad said he is looking for someone that has first-division experience. Equally vital is a coach who is open to collaboration and implements a style of play that Onstad and Segal believe in.
As expected, there’s been a lot of interest in the vacancy. Bundy is being considered. It just may not be his time, for now.
“When you’re in the seat, you want to hold the seat,” Onstad said. “But we’ve been clear from the get-go that this is an interim position, and we’ll see when the season ends where Kenny ends up for next year.”
Bundy, 41, is considered an up-and-coming coach who has worked his way through the Houston coaching system. He joined the organization in 2016 and served as head coach of both the U-23 and U-19 teams. He joined the first team after leading Houston Dynamo 2 to a 134-5 record in their inaugural season and a berth into the MLS Next Pro playoffs.