Shutout extends winless beginning to Olsen era
Even with the arrival of Ben Olsen as head coach and an influx of talent, the Houston Dynamo remain a work in progress. Two games into the 2023 season there is still work to be done.
Saturday’s 3-0 loss in New England’s home opener inside Gillette Stadium dropped Houston to 0-2.
“We wish we could have spoiled the party, but they are a little further along than we are right now,” Olsen said. “When our structure was good, we won the ball, we’re moving forward in transition. We just don’t reward ourselves.”
Of the Dynamo’s eight shots, four were on target. The Revolution recorded 11 shots against Steve Clark, five of which were on goal. Saturday night’s game was played in 35-degree temperature amid snow showers.
“A 3-0 loss says enough, disappointing on all ends of the spectrum,” Dynamo defender Griffin Dorsey said.
Offensively, Houston lacked that final touch. Defensively, Houston struggled at times defending the box and shutting down service against Bruce Arena’s side.
This after a 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati in Houston’s season opener, also on the road. Through two games the Dynamo have been outscored 5-1.
“At this point we’re just going to look at everything,” Dorsey said. “We’re going to dissect everything and find areas that we can continue to improve because there are plenty of them.”
Dorsey and company have time to get things in order. Houston does not play again until March 18 for its home opener at recently-renovated Shell Energy Stadium against Austin FC.
Against New England, forward Amine Bassi made his MLS debut and midfielder Luis Caicedo made his Dynamo debut.
Midfielder Dylan Borrero was a big piece for New England, unbeaten over its first two games. The Revolution broke through in the 42nd minute off a cross from Brandon Bye. The low cross was played across the box by forward Bobby Wood to an oncoming Borrero for the score.
Houston fell behind 2-0 in the 53rd minute. After Carles Gil found DeJuan Jones outside the box, Jones’ cross located Wood at the far post for his first goal of the young season. A Houston miscue led to the Revolution’s third goal in minute 65. The backline attempted to clear a cross that fell to Bye inside the box.
“We’re just not clean and we’re not seeing out plays in the way that we need to, so we cannot chase the game,” Olsen said. “That was disappointing again for the second week in a row.
“The effort is there. The structures in the defensive end, the ideas offensively are coming along. A lot of good, but it’s shadowed by a 3-0 loss. That hurts.”
For the second straight game Dynamo captain Héctor Herrera played well. The Mexican international star forced a save in the opening minutes.
Houston would force a second save in the eighth minute off a cross from defender Tate Schmitt, who scored Houston’s lone goal a week earlier in Cincinnati. Schmitt found attacker Iván Franco inside the box, but his header was stopped by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
The Dynamo had several other chances to score against the Revolution but came up empty. In the first half Herrera controlled a ball initially cleared by the Revolution backline, but the midfielder’s shot just missed the top corner of the near post.
In the 35th minute Dorsey dribbled toward the heart of the box to create space for a shot but was denied by Petrovic, who amassed five saves in compiling his second straight clean sheet. His counterpart Clark was credited with a pair of saves.
At age 23, Dorsey was one of six Dynamo players 25 and under to take the field against the Revolution.