Flexible Formations: How the new signings could fit into the lineup

The two new faces to the Houston Dynamo, DaMarcus Beasley and Luis Garrido, can aid the Dynamo with their varying skill sets, but one thing I've been clamoring about is how flexible these signings make the formation. Head coach Dominic Kinnear has always loved players that can play multiple positions and it gives him the opportunity to change the formation in an instant. Beasley has been deployed all over the left side in his career and can hurt opponents with his speed, tenacity, service, and defensive prowess. Garrido is a 2014 World Cup tested youngster that could earn starting playing time alongside Dynamo veteran Ricardo Clark or perhaps usurp his spot someday.

I've decided to come up with a few formations/lineups that we could see with the players we have now. I left the defenders off of this list because Talley already did a great job giving us a list of CB candidates. These formations assume that we have four defenders in the back and that Kofi Sarkodie is at RB, Beasley is at LB (unless he's in the midfield in which case it's Corey Ashe), and the CB choices are up in the air. Here we go:

The 4-2-3-1:

Bruin

Davis- Barnes- Boniek

Clark- Garrido

This 5 man midfield formation gets Davis and Boniek even more in the attack and provides ample defensive coverage with Clark and Garrido cleaning things up in the back. The biggest problem I have with this formation is Bruin up top by himself. The success of this formation requires strong hold up play from a center forward, which Bruin is not. However, if Davis, Barnes, and Boniek pushed up the field more, this formation could have some real goal scoring potency.

The 4-1-2-1-2 (or Diamond 4-4-2):

Bruin - Barnes

Davis

Beasley - Boniek

Clark

The diamond 4-4-2 is my personal favorite formation. It's balanced in attack, defense, and really designed to move the ball around well (just look at the potential triangle passing!) This is one of the formations we've talked about the most because it means having Beasley in the midfield which pushes Davis inside to the CAM spot. Honestly, I love this formation, but it does bench our newest signing and its biggest weakness is that Brad Davis is not a true CM. He is creative enough and has the vision to be a great CM, but he isn't up to snuff on the defensive end to be a truly effective in the center.

The 4-4-2 (a flat four midfield):

Bruin - Barnes

Davis - Clark - Garrido - Boniek

This is a bit what we were used to seeing when we paired Ricardo Clark and Adam Moffat together, as Richard Farley pointed out in PST.  Moffat (or Garrido in this case) and Clark would take turns pushing up the field while the other stayed behind to defend in a makeshift diamond 4-4-2 on offense, and a flat 4-4-2 on defense. I think if we're confident in Garrido starting, then this is the formation we'll see. On paper I think it lacks bite on offense, but then I remember Beasley and Davis can overlap, make great runs with Sarkodie and Boniek capable of the same on the other side of the field.

There are plenty of options to work with, and I didn't even bring up a 4-3-3 which Kinnear loves using from time to time. Which of these would you like to see, if any? Have a lineup you would trot out? Tell us about it in the comments.