Dynamo Travel West Hoping to Keep the Earth from Moving Under Their Feet

After a winless month of May the Dynamo move on to June, a month where they'll play four matches and will be missing some key players thanks to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The month kicks off tomorrow night on the west coast as the Dynamo face the San Jose Earthquakes, a team also hit hard by the Gold Cup. 

Je-Vaughn Watson, Andre Hainault and Jermaine Taylor are gone, leaving Dominic Kinnear with a serious lack of depth on the back line and some decisions to make about how to fill in the gaps for the next couple weeks. It's expected that Geoff Cameron will return to a central defense pairing with Bobby Boswell to help sure up the defense, but as to which player will take over for Cameron in the CAM role, only Kinnear knows...well more people likely know the plan but I don't.

Brad Davis could move inside but he's better on the wing and there are a couple young options that I wouldn't mind seeing. Alex Dixon is one of those options and while every point is vital in the chase for the playoffs, there really isn't a better time than now to see what the kid can do. Thanks to the departure of Koke, who likely could have filled in at the CAM position, there really aren't any tested options at the position on the roster. The key to the Dynamo's success in June could come down to who takes over the role and how they perform.

What this does do is remind us of that the Dynamo desperately need to find a creative, offensive force to play in the attacking mid spot in the starting XI. There's been a lot of talk of possible forward signings but I think Cam Weaver and Will Bruin have proved they can carry the load. If there's one type of player Houston needs to find in the summer transfer window, it's a dependable attacking midfielder. I think we'd all be shocked at how dangerous this team could become if there was a true CAM on the pitch.

Unless whomever moves in to the CAM role has an unexpected brilliant match, expect the success or failure of the Dynamo offense to once again be heavily on the shoulders of Brad Davis.

As for San Jose, the loss of Chris Wondolowski to national team duty will hurt, but that doesn't make this trip to Buck Shaw any easier for Houston. It's a tough place to play and the Earthquakes haven't lost in their last four matches. 

Corey Ashe is still listed as questionable, but Danny Cruz could see some time as he returns from a nagging knee injury.

Dynamo Notes:

• Although the Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose, only three players remain from that original roster: Brian Ching, Brad Davis, and Eddie Robinson. Additionally, Cam Weaver began his MLS career with San Jose before being traded to Houston. On the Dynamo coaching staff, head coach Dominic Kinnear played and coached for San Jose, and assistant coach Wade Barrett competed for the Earthquakes as well.
• Houston midfielder Brad Davis leads Major League Soccer with eight assists on the season after he set up both Dynamo goals against FC Dallas last Saturday. The game was his third multiple-assist game of the season; seven of his eight assists have come in those three games. Davis was named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Week for a league-high fourth time in 11 weeks.
• Forward Cam Weaver scored his fourth goal of the season against Dallas and added his first assist of the year on the game-tying goal to earn a spot on MLSSoccer.com's Team of the Week. The four goals tie Weaver's career high in MLS play just 13 games into the season; he scored four goals combined between the Dynamo and Earthquakes in 2009.
• Of all Dynamo players, Brad Davis has had the most success against San Jose, striking for two goals and four assists in seven games between Houston and San Jose. Davis has notched either a goal or an assist in each of the teams' last four meetings.
• Midfielder Lovel Palmer is the only Houston player to play all 1,290 minutes of the club's season so far in all competitions, including the team's U.S. Open Cup qualifier. In league play, Palmer is one of three players to contest all 1,170 minutes, joining defender Andre Hainault and goalkeeper Tally Hall.
• The Dynamo are expected to be without forwards Calen Carr (concussion) and Brian Ching (plantar fasciitis); midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson (Jamaica); and defenders Corey Ashe (groin strain), Andre Hainault (Canada), and Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica) for Saturday's match.