The Dynamo enjoyed their strong start, but they also know it’s just one game.
Wilmer Cabrera had not even coached one regular-season game with the Dynamo when he began teaching the most important lesson he wants his players to learn.
The Dynamo in February 2017 had just won the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson, Ariz., when Cabrera began to hammer home his point: Don’t get too high. Don’t get too low.
It was easy for the players to grasp in that moment since it was a preseason tournament, but it still was important for Cabrera because it is a concept he needed them to understand from then until the day he coaches his final game with the Dynamo.
Things to work on
Nothing significant is won during the preseason or even the regular season.
“We played well in the preseason last year, and we won a trophy,” Dynamo forward Andrew Wenger said. “The postgame talk was, ‘This is great, but there are some things we can work on. There are some things we did very well, but the goal is to get to the playoffs at the end of the year.’
“That continues to be the goal — to put ourselves in position to win.”
The Dynamo did that in crushing fashion Saturday when they defeated
visiting Atlanta United FC 4-0 in the season opener at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo scored three goals in the first 28 minutes effectively putting the game away.
Though the performance was convincing, Cabrera and several players spoke passionately about how the team cannot get ahead of itself even though many onlookers want to call it a statement game.
“Probably people are going to see it like this, but for us, it is the first step toward many points that we need to win this season,” center back Philippe Senderos said. “It’s an important game to start on a good note, but there is a long way to go.”
Following the dominant first half, the Dynamo were uninspiring in the first five minutes after halftime. They sat back too far and allowed Atlanta to be the aggressor.
The lack of urgency reached its peak in the 48th minute, when they allowed a penetrating pass that led to a penalty kick for Miguel Almiron. The only reason the Dynamo kept their shutout was because Almiron banged his shot off the left post.
“We were lucky enough for them not to put in the penalty,” right back Kevin Garcia said. “That kind of woke us up a little bit. We have to make sure we’re more consistent and not give teams opportunities to come back in games.”
A focus on the future
While many discussed how suffocating the Dynamo’s pressure was and their clinical finishing, the Dynamo discussed how their passing and defense can improve. Atlanta had several opportunities but lacked the same finishing touch.
The Dynamo know they won’t finish their chances at the same level every game. In those games where they are tied or ahead by only one goal, their lack of execution in other areas could be exposed and lead to missed chances for points.
“We have to continue looking forward because this is the first game,” Cabrera said. “It’s good to get the three points. It’s good to score goals. It’s good to have the zero in the back. But this is just the beginning. We have to continue keeping ourselves humble.”