With just under a month left for the start of the regular season, the Dynamo continued their preseason scrimmages this evening with their second match against Houston Baptist Anniversary. It was a windy and chilly night, but in the end a nice warm 6-1 victory for the Dynamo was a good way to
The goal scoring was spread around the players tonight with Brian Ownby, Giles Barnes, Cam Weaver (2), Alex Dixon, and trialist Anthony Arena all contributing.
It was a challenging night for those looking to know who's on the field, what minute the match is, or even the score at times, but somehow I was able to make it through. It took me a few minutes to catch all the players who started the game, but somehow came up with this.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Ching, Bruin, Barnes, Songo'o, Chabala, Brunner, Boswell, Creavalle, Camargo, Ownby, Hall start. Not in formation, just eyeballed field.</p>— Ordinary Orange Fan (@OrangeFanBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrangeFanBlog/status/299319947614617601">February 7, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The tweet didn't reference the formation the Dynamo started in, but to note Ownby was in the right midfield slot, while Songo'o was lined up on the left side. Barnes was the attacking midfielder, while Camargo held down the defensive spot. On defense, Creavalle was on the right, with Boswell and Brunner central, and Chabala on the left.
Let me add this since my recap could be a bit strange without the minute regarding some plays - there was no visible game clock. Sure I could have given things my best guess, but half the time my mind was worried about my hands becoming frozen due to the cold wind. Luckily, the Dynamo Match Day Twitter account had a grasp of time in the second half.
The Dynamo had a few nerves early on, with Will Bruin missing an early chance and Mike Chabala nearly giving HBU a one on one chance if it wasn't for Brunner's clearance. Minutes in, Luiz Camargo was called for a foul in a dangerous spot outside the box. HBU sent in a perfect free kick and it was headed in for a 1-0 lead for the home team.
There was a small crowd out at Sorrels Field, but most were students and athletes of the school. When HBU went on top there was a nice cheer from the crowd.
The crowd's cheers were quieted when minutes later Brian Ownby hammered in a cross from Chabala to even the match. Shortly after, Giles Barnes headed in the go ahead goal from a Franck Songo'o corner.
Late in the first half, Barnes was roughed up in the box with no penalty call. He stayed on the ground for several minutes, before slowing walking to the bench. Alex Dixon replaced him immediately afterwards. No word yet on whether there was an injury or if he was taken off as a precautionary measure.
In the second half, we saw Erich Marscheider in goal, Anthony Arena, Jimmy Nealis, and Kofi Sarkodie in on defense, Adam Moffat in the midfield, and Cam Weaver and Jason Johnson up front.
Weaver went to work quickly adding two goals (51', 69') to make the score 4-1.
HBU threatened a bit more in the second half, as the backlline looked a bit mixed up at times. Fortunately for Houston, HBU weren't able to convert any chances and the Dynamo added another goal courtesy of an Alex Dixon rocket in the 75'.
Just six minutes later, two trialists connected to give Houston their last goal of the night. Playing leftback, Jimmy Nealis sent in a cross to Anthony Arena who headed it home for a 6-1 lead.
Random Observations
- Scottish forward Calum Elliot did not feature in the match. I wasn't able to confirm if he was or was not on the bench. We'll look into it and update you soon.
- Mike Chabala looks comfortable in orange. It's almost like he never left. He was being a vocal leader on the left side and had great communication with Franck Songo'o. By the way, Songo'o calls him "Mikey" which I thought was funny.
- Luiz Camargo has quietly had a solid preseason. While I haven't been able to attend all the scrimmages, tonight he had glimpses of the late 2011 version well all grew to love. He was creative in the midfield and his passing was pretty crisp. He could play a big role in 2013.
- Franck Songo'o hasn't necessarily impressed me, but he's a solid player with potential. He seems versatile and works hard on and off the ball. His performances seem to improve as he gets more comfortable with his teammates. There's a reason he's still around and it's possible we could work out a trade with Portland for the midfielder.
- Giles Barnes has been having an incredible preseason. He looks fit, quicker, and more creative than the moments we saw in 2012. I'm hoping tonight's early exit was just a precaution and the English midfielder is fine. If he continues this type of play, I think he'll be starting the year as our attacking midfielder.