Circumstances thwart efforts to get Deric, lineup up to speed
It was the moment Tyler Deric had been waiting for since the season began seven weeks ago.
Finally healthy and in the starting lineup, the Dynamo goalkeeper ran onto the field for the first time Saturday night in Ohio.
He anticipated a strong performance in which every save would help his club earn a positive road result.
Deric’s 2016 debut was memorable, all right, but for all the wrong reasons.
Deric was sent off early in the first half for his foul on Federico Higuain in the penalty box. Columbus Crew SC’s Kei Kamara converted the penalty kick to give the home side a goal in a 1-0 decision at Mapfre Stadium. As a result of the red card, Deric will miss Saturday’s match at Real Salt Lake.
“You always want to get out there and prove yourself on the field,” Deric said. “After being injured for some time, getting back for an 18-minute game is really disappointing.”
Before Deric walked to the locker room, captain Giles Barnes stopped him to offer encouragement.
“He has worked so hard with his injury, so it’s unfortunate he got sent off,” Barnes said. “I don’t think it was a red card, personally.
“He’s a great person to have on the team. … I was just making sure he was OK and to keep his head.”
The goalkeeper was not the only one to have his season debut cut short. Midfielder Collen Warner took the field for the first time in a Dynamo uniform. When Deric was sent off, the Dynamo replaced him with Joe Willis and subbed Warner.
The early drop to 10 men also meant the club would have to wait a week to see what it is capable of after overhauling the lineup. After a mood-killing loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy on April 12, coach Owen Coyle promised changes. That meant five new starters and a new formation against Columbus.
Coyle on Saturday deployed a 4-1-4-1 that looked to be more defensive than the 4-2-3-1 he had used.
Attacking players Will Bruin and Chaco Maidana were removed from the
starting lineup. Warner took one of their spots and played the lone defensive midfielder spot. That allowed Ricardo Clark and Alex Lima to play higher.
Boniek Garcia started on the left wing, which pushed Barnes into Bruin’s forward spot.
In the first 15 minutes, the adjustments clicked, with Barnes and Clark just missing opportunities. But soon, Deric came off his line to cut off Higuain, and everything changed.
“It was working really well,” Coyle said. “We were really pleased with it. We worked hard on it. It’s a shame we never got to see it for the duration of the match.”