Dynamo 2, Union 1: The Particulars
by Zach Woosley on Oct 30, 2011 9:08 PM CDT
in Match Reports
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Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Andre Hainault 1 (Brad Davis 1) 5
PHI -- Sebastien Le Toux 1 (Michael Farfan 1, Justin Mapp 1) 7
HOU -- Calen Carr 1 (Brian Ching 1) 30
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe, Danny Cruz (Je-Vaughn Watson 65), Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo, Brad Davis, Brian Ching (Carlo Costly 71), Calen Carr (Will Bruin 76).
Substitutes Not Used: Tyler Deric, Colin Clark, Hunter Freeman, Jermaine Taylor.
Philadelphia Union -- Faryd Mondragon, Sheanon Williams, Danny Califf, Stefani Miglioranzi (Jack McInerney 62), Carlos Valdes, Gabriel Farfan, Justin Mapp (Roger Torres 68), Brian Carroll, Michael Farfan, Danny Mwanga (Freddy Adu 76), Sebastien Le Toux.
Substitutes Not Used: Zac MacMath, Morgan Langley, Kyle Nakazawa, Amobi Okugo.
Game Notes:
The Houston Dynamo earned the first road playoff win in club history and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union Sunday night in the opening game of the teams two-game Eastern Conference semifinal series. Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall tied a club record with 10 saves, including six in the second half, to tie a club record in support of first-half goals from Andre Hainault and Calen Carr. The 10 saves were the most in an MLS playoff game since Joe Cannon tied the league record by making 12 saves on Oct. 29, 2005.
The decisive second leg will be at Robertson Stadium on Thursday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m. Houston can advance to the Eastern Conference final with a win or a tie. Houston is 5-1 all-time in home playoff games, including 3-1 in the second leg of conference semifinal series.
Houston is now 7-4-3 all-time in playoff games and 1-3-2 in road playoff matches. Philadelphia had only lost one match at home during the entire MLS regular season.
The Dynamo extended their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) and are now 8-2-4 in their last 14 games. The unbeaten streak is the longest since an 11-game regular-season unbeaten streak from April 19-June 20, 2009. The win was Houstons third consecutive in road matches, following away wins on Sept. 24 and Oct. 14. The three-game road winning streak is the second in Dynamo history and the first since Sept. 16-Oct. 15, 2007.
In Sundays game, Houston stunned Philadelphia with an early goal in the fifth minute. MLS assist champion Brad Davis bent in a free kick from the right sideline, and defender Andre Hainault headed it in at the near post. All five goals in Hainaults MLS career have come on the road in October; he scored against Portland on October 14 and scored last October against Philadelphia.
For Davis, the assist was the fourth of his postseason career and his first since the 2007 MLS Cup final, when he assisted on the game-winning goal. In Houstons 14 all-time playoff games, it was only the fourth time the Dynamo scored first.
The Union responded quickly, when a deflected pass by Michael Farfan fell to an open Sebastien Le Toux in the penalty area, and he finished from close range.
Houston continued to dominate play, however, with 70 percent of the possession over the first 30 minutes of the match. That spell concluded with the Dynamo taking the lead in the 30th minute when captain Brian Ching, playing in his 19th career playoff game, chipped a pass through for Calen Carr, who provided a calm, right-footed finish inside the right-hand post to give Houston the lead.
In the second half, the Dynamo withstood furious Philadelphia pressure, as the Union outshot Houston 18-4 and hit the crossbar on a Jack McInerney chance in the 88th minute. Goalkeeper Tally Hall made six saves in the second half to finish with a Dynamo-record-tying 10 for the night. Hall now has three of the four 10-save performances in Dynamo history; his others came in the 2009 U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Seattle which went to extra time and a 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League match at Pachuca. The only MLS match in which a Dynamo goalkeeper made 10 saves came in 2008, when Pat Onstad stopped 10 shots in a loss at New England. For Hall, the win was his 20th for Houston in all competitions, including 13 this year.
Tally Hall was one of seven players to make his playoff debut in the match; other Dynamo players making their first MLS postseason appearances were Will Bruin, Luiz Camargo, Carlo Costly, Danny Cruz, Adam Moffat, and Je-Vaughn Watson. Brad Davis made his 180th career start for the Dynamo in all competitions, while Brian Ching made his 165th career appearance for Houston.
The Dynamo played without forward Cam Weaver (right hip surgery).
Next Match: Thursday, November 3, vs. Philadelphia Union, Robertson Stadium (Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Game 2)
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Watched the whole game...
And that’s dedication considering I was off work at 7AM, didn’t fall “asleep” til about 9AM, then napped til noon when the Texans game began. I watched the whole of that game, then tried to sneak in a 30 minute nap but failed, and then watched the full Dynamo 90. Man, so glad I got the sleep between the Dynamo game and work tonight. Haha.
I couldn’t agree more with the comments in the other threads. This game was intense, it was emotional, and it was everything you would hope for a playoff game — with the glaring exception of craptacular refereeing. So proud of how the Dynamo played, specifically one guy I ragged on earlier in the season.
Corey Ashe, you proved my blogging rear-end wrong. You looked fabulous out there, and looked like you not only belonged, but DESERVED to start at one of the outside back positions at the least. Seriously, I was praising your constant defensive presence, and it brought back the memories of how I hated so bad on your abilities as a defender earlier this season. Thank you for proving me wrong. I mean that, too.
On to the home half of the series. May the Orange not only dominate, but may they decimate…the Cup hopes of the Philadelphia Le Teouxnions. Suck it…
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Didn't know
there was another person on the Ashe-as-LB? bandwagon from earlier in the year. If you look back, I was not an Ashe fan earlier in the season as he was dreadful as a defender….which was a shame because I knew he could be one, he just didn’t seem to get it. I guess fair play, though: he was converted from MF to LB, which definitely requires a shift in thinking that doesn’t happen quickly. But he’s steadily progressed and while he still has the occasional lapse, he’s definitely the LB for the next few years. And my oh my, his pace…now that he’s putting it all together his All-Star selection seems all the more justified (even if it is in retrospect) :)
One more thing...
If that’s Tally Hall’s playoff beard through one week, then he’s going to be all Onstad-like by the time of the Cup Final.
Which is fitting I suppose
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
The way he handles himself reminds me of Onstad so very much
And it’s awesome because it means we never truly lost Onstad, we just made him younger.
Hmm…I smell a creative post idea a-coming.
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Just wondering...
Are conference finals Home/Away fixtures as well? Or is it just one game with whoever finished the season with more points playing home?
It's just one game with the better seed playing at home.
The Conference Semifinals are the only round in the MLS Cup Playoffs with home/away fixtures and aggregate scoring.
Editor at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Is that new?
I don’t remember that being the format in years past…then again, I don’t remember what I had for dinner last night so my memory’s not to be trusted
Playoffs past and present
It is not new. But don’t be concerned about not remembering because it is indeed weird.
HISTORY TIME
In 2006, Dynamo beat las chivitas in an away and home, then Colorado in a one-off here at Robertson before winning the final in a one-off at (then-inaugurated) Robertson North.
In 2007, the run began with an away and home win over some team from southern Oklahoma, then a one-off over the Wizards here and a one-off at RFK.
In 2008, Dynamo lost an away and home to NYRB.
In 2009, Dynamo won an away and home over Seattle before falling (Read: “were robbed”) in a one-off to the Gals.
And this year, the away and home is against Philadelphia. But here’s a fun fact, in the four previous two-legged affairs, Dynamo never came home with a lead. The Orange were down 0-1 to both the Amerigoats and Frisco ISD XI and were level (1-1) with NYRB and (0-0) with Seattle.
So, trivia time, before yesterday, who was the only Dynamo player to score in the opening leg of a Conference semi?
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Either De Ro or Chinger
And I tend toward the flyin hawaiian
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
Hint
His team is still active in the playoffs (that narrows it down to eight rosters)
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
I'm cornfused
Ching vs Chivitoes @ Home Depot 2006, Kemara in NY in 2008, which do you mean?
Sheepish look
OK, props to PT for pointing out my error. My aging memory remembered the one-goal deficit in 2006, but had it in my (remaining) gray cells as 0-1 instead of 1-2.
In any case, he has it right on both counts. Brian Ching scored to cut in half a 2-0 deficit at the HDC in 2006 and Kei Kamara drew us level with NYRB at Giants Stadium in 2008. So the roster of Dynascorers in first legs of conference semis are now:
Brian Ching
Kei Kamara
Andre Hainault
Calen Carr
In second legs are currently:
Ching (5)
Stuart Holden
Brad Davis
So if you’re looking perhaps for a forward to get hot on Thursday night, then perhaps the overlooked Flyin’ Hawaiian would be the person to look to.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Well done
and actually, he could open the scoring on Thursday. Philly is going to come out guns blazing, and as we saw they were very susceptible to the counter and had we taken advantage it could’ve easily been 3-1 or even 4-1. They will only commit more to the attack as the need either a 1-goal lead to go extra time or 2-goal lead to win. If we keep a clean sheet I’d be thrilled but there’s a good chance we’ll concede at least 1.
That being said, do we keep the Ching-Carr pairing to start off with? Again, to take advantage of a counter you need speed and currently we have….Carr and a MF who can get wacky (Cruz or Watson, take your pick) or a LB who, if he gets too far ahead, leaves us exposed on the wing. Depending on how things go early could we possibly see a Dixon appearance? Clark is the more reasonable starting choice at RM but depending on how it goes I could see either Dixon or Watson coming in for him. Cruz I do not want. He already has a yellow and if we get another farcical ref (it is MLS, after all) we could see Cruz picking up another. I’d love to see Dixon, but perhaps relatively late in the game. If its 1-1 and they’ve hunkered down then I say you put in Dixon at the 65-minute mark.
I see Ching-Costly starting, though I really wish ol’ Kahuna could get some rest. I think Dom will want to see what he can give for a half and then maybe sub him at the half.
You and Dixon. Sun came up this morning and Michael says we need to play Dixon. HAH! :→
The thing is, of course you are right. I have no desire to ever see JeVaughn Watson again, and I am very concerned about Cruz picking up a second yellow and missing a potential Eastern final. That leaves Clark starting and Dixon as first sub in my eyes.
And on the subject, Adam Moffat, DO NOT GET A CARD. We are paper thin up Route 1. We lose Moffat or Camargo and we’re back to the Cameron Experiment. Yuck.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Cut me to the quick
I know I know, me and my man-crushes. But you explained it perfectly: Cruz is a lock to pick up a second yellow, and Watson….well boys, if I took a straw poll ‘round here asking if you guys trust Je-Vaughn Watson to be a RM in a must-win playoff game, I’m pretty sure I’d hear crickets. Clark should’ve already played, but I’m assuming Dom has some reason why he didn’t play in the first leg…which might be a good thing, because I personally think that the RM slot will be key to this game, as far as controlling the game, distribution and being a point of counter-attacks. Clark, while not flashy, is solid and I think is exactly what we need there. And like I said, if we need a bit of extra late in the game, why not Dixon? I know he’s a rookie and all (well, Academy grad and all) but if you’re willing to roll the dice with Watson then how can you not give Dixon a sniff?
And you nailed it M, if Moffat gets another yellow we got pro’lems. Moffat missing a next match means the Cameron experiment and all predictions go out the window. DO NOT WANT
Good reason
Like Dom had good money on the first leg drawing so inserted Watson for some midfield giveaways (trying to dribblingstraight through a few double teams with his AWESOME skills) but the Funions just couldn’t convert???
Either that
or he was giving Nowak a big f*** you? As in, “I’m putting in my answer to Tevez to see if you can take advantage. Do your worst”?
Nowak
could be the gift that keeps giving, as he over-thought the opener and perhaps is thinking to go back to the way it was. But hey, we’d be expecting that, wouldn’t we and so he doesn’t want to fall into that trap. So he’ll put the formation out there with a twist. A-ha! But we’d expect that too, so he doesn’t want to fall into that trap either
/Vizzini would be proud
My thoughts
Many of these things may have been mentioned before but this was the fastest I could get to the computer today so I’m going to write them anyways:
-Ashe had a great game.
-Tally Hall (and the crossbar) saved our butts
-Watson may be a very talented player, but he’s not in sync with DK’s style and the team is not on the same page with him. Also, a HUGE defensive liability. Doubtful of we’ll see him next year.
-Thrilling game. Everything you would want a match to be on national television.
-We survived the 45 minute onslaught, but the real concern is why was the first half so very different from the second half. Nowaks plan in the first was obviously to apply low pressure and then nail us on the counter. That got them one goal. We still dominated until the half. The second half it seems the plan was scrapped and that led to my heart being in my throat for 45 minutes. My point is we should be concerned about Philly because maybe Tally Hall won’t be able to do it all again the second time.
-Bruin was very off that game. The pass to Coslty was late and behind otherwise we’d be up by more.
I imagine
the game on Thursday will have flashes of that sustained attack from Philly, particularly if they don’t get an early goal…they will only get more frenzied as the minutes tick away, which means we have to possess, possess, possess and trouble them on the counter. To me, if we have Camargo working with Clark and Davis (our 3 best mid-fielders in terms of ball control and possession) we have every chance to have this game go our way.
As for El Oso, it just seemed like he and Costly were rusty…yes, had Costly settled a bit he could’ve slotted that ball home but yes, it was a poor pass from Bruin. It just seemed that they were both a half-second slow when they were out there. I’m hoping that they’ll get back their rhythm this week during practice and we’ll see much more crisp movement from them come Thursday
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