Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy Player Ratings

Quick Thoughts:

1) The Dynamo have had a few ups and downs this season, but most would argue the Dynamo so far need to make some adjustments specifically on the defensive end if they want to compete in the Western Conference. In the Dynamo's most lopsided loss of the season, these ratings will be short and to the point.

2) After the FC Dallas game the list of results reads L-L-D-L. Up to this match, the Dynamo had a problem of conceding goals first and failing to catch teams. Against the LA Galaxy, the Dynamo held an early lead but allowed the Galaxy to not only equalize, but capitalize on other mistakes to win 4-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

3) Midfield blunders and defensive miscues spelled disaster as the Dynamo were caught in awkward positions after giving the ball away. Turnovers in the midfield in a 4-2-3-1 can be costly and the Dynamo know that more than ever after this match.

4) No Man of the Match for this one, but feel free to say who you thought was the best (or worst) player against the Galaxy in the comments section.

Houston Dynamo Player Ratings

Joe Willis (2.5) - Typically, goals are rarely the full responsibility of the keeper. Joe Willis has performed well this season nearly unseating Tyler Deric as the #1 choice while filling in for the injured Deric. Willis looked frozen on the Galaxy's 1^st goal and failed to clear a ball which led to their 2^nd. Maybe it's time to bring back Deric.

DaMarcus Beasley (3.5) - Led the Dynamo in tackles and passed well, but was completely out of position on the Galaxy's 4^th and final goal.

Raul Rodriguez (2.5) - Fell into Beasley on the Galaxy's equalizer and struggled against some of the technique of Giovani dos Santos. On the plus side, Rodriguez did have a blocked shot.

David Horst (4) - After getting a goal in the opening minute things went downhill (not just for Horst, but the entire squad). Horst tried to cover the mouth of goal on Baggio Husidic's goal when he should have moved in to close down space. Horst did have several tackles and nearly hit a 2^nd goal for the Dynamo.

Jalil Anibaba (2) - Harrison Hamm broke down 1 of Anibaba's mistakes which led to an opportunity for the LA Galaxy, but the one example represented the larger issue with Anibaba and that is his poor positioning and his vulnerability on counter attacks. Anibaba is coming off one of his best performances against Seattle and he followed it up with his worst against the Galaxy. Surely Anibaba will be one of the changes Owen Coyle discussed in the post game press conference.

Ricardo Clark (4) - Clark didn't turn the ball over too often, but when he did it was in a poor area of the field. One of Clark's turnovers directly led to a Galaxy goal. On the plus side he did intercept passes well from the midfield.

Alex Lima (3.5) - Had a beautiful assist to David Horst, but Alex looked tired, gave up passes in front of the Dynamo 18 yard box, and was not disciplined enough with his positioning.

Giles Barnes (3.5) - Was one of the few attacking Dynamo players to make attempts on goal and provide quality key passes in the final 3^rd of the attacking field. Barnes even chased down a play on defense showing his speed, but his overall effort on the other end of the field was lacking. He gets bonus points (not really) for wearing a pocket square to the press conference.

Christian Maidana (3) - Our playmaker came up 7^th in overall touches on the ball which highlighted a central problem the Dynamo had in this game: they couldn't advance the ball up the field successfully. Despite Maidana's successful pass to Alex to set up David Horst, I am still not a believer in the short corner.

Andrew Wenger (3) - The Dynamo rarely attacked up the right side, and when they did it was often through Anibaba rather than Wenger. Wenger looked tired for stretches, but maybe he was tired of not getting the ball. On the plus side, he passed very well with the few touches he received.

Will Bruin (3) - Had the fewest touches on the team - just 16 overall (compared to Alex's leading 65, that's not a lot), which is a function of how poorly our midfield moved the ball. Bruin had to drift back into the midfield to see the ball at all.

The Subs:

Oscar Boniek Garcia (3.5) - Came on for Maidana in the 57^th minute (the rest of the subs also came on at the same time) and essentially changed the formation to a 4-4-2 with Boniek at LM, Barnes moving up to partner with Cubo up top, and Miranda at RM. Boniek helped create some chances, and the Galaxy certainly didn't score any more after their 4^th goal in the 49^th minute, but the best of the chances the Dynamo could muster were not all that threatening and were easily handled by Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe.

Leonel Miranda (3.5) - Entered the match for Andrew Wenger and was able to pass well, though the ball was turned over far too many times in the final 3^rd.

Erick Torres (5) - Cubo came on for Will Bruin and looked more comfortable than he had been in awhile. Maybe it was the lack of pressure given the score, but Cubo was able to create the most dangerous attempt on goal after the 1^st minute of the game.

Coach Owen Coyle (2) - In the post game press conference, Coyle admitted responsibility for the defeat and implied there would be changes coming. It's hard to say this loss is completely on Coyle given the individual mistakes that led to each goal. However, the scheme and tactics that Coyle has implemented are prone to these kinds of defensive breakdowns. As mentioned earlier, the formation lends itself to defensive problems if there are turnovers in the midfield which provides limited time for attacking players to supply their services on the other end of the ball. The other part is personnel based, which could boost the effectiveness of the 4-2-3-1 formation. The defensive line looked unorganized and getting Tyler Deric and Sheanon Williams could provide stability in the back. Perhaps this was the kind of loss we needed, and one that we needed to happen now rather than down the line.