Houston Dynamo Player Ratings vs. the Seattle Sounders

Quick Thoughts:

1)  Wade Barrett made great substitutions by bringing Will Bruin and Andrew Wenger in the game early into the 2^nd half as they both worked well together and one had a goal. Several can say Bruin should've passed to Wenger (he should have, but his shot wasn't too bad either) to put the Dynamo up 2-0, but that didn't cost the Dynamo the game -€” a lack of focus late did. In the end, WB made great tactical choices and maybe we'll see those for 90 minutes against Dallas.

2) As mentioned above, at times our lack of focus on the defensive side can get the best of us. It helped San Jose get a goal last week and it helped Seattle draw with us this week. We have one of the best defenses in the league at the moment, but we need to eliminate these little mistakes because they are costing us while the offense isn't scoring.

3) There's been a lot of talk about the "no-goal" for Seattle. People are polarized on whether the ball it definitely crossed the line, or didn't. I've seen the replay and I can't tell one way or another. I believe it's a good no call simply because I don't like refs making that decision without complete proof. We need better methods to accurately call games, but for now unless something is certain, let's not get whistle happy with assumptions and I'm glad this official didn't.

Houston Dynamo Player Ratings

Joe Willis (6) -€” Again in goal over the injured Tyler Deric, Willis was rather unbothered at the back, but came up with another controversial save on the line which ruled in the Dynamo's favor. He also had a point blank stop on a poor shot by Seattle homegrown product and USMNT member Jordan Morris which saved the Dynamo from conceding one in the 71^st minute.

Sheanon Williams (5) -€” Had one vital intercepted pass just outside the Dynamo 6 yard box to go along with a few other defensive stats, Williams passed the ball extremely well which helped create 3 key passes while he seldom turned the ball over.

David Horst (5) -€” Horst followed up a very poor passing performance with a much better one, and although he didn't have too many big plays, he made a few big clearances and even contributed to a key pass on goal.

Raul Rodriguez (6.5) -€” Raul is one of the best central defenders at reading passes and stepping to them to stop an attack as he grabbed 6 intercepted passes and he made several other big clearances to keep the backline free from danger.

Jalil Anibaba (5) -€” Defensively Anibaba struggled to keep up with Cristian Roldan along the left side of the field, but he still made plays including a few blocked crosses and intercepted passes while contributing some great passes as he got forward on the offensive end.

Collen Warner (5) -€” Warner's best play of the night was when he got forward as a DCM and he dribbled through traffic and nearly drew a penalty. He moved the ball well and was okay on defense, but it certainly wasn't one of his best nights.

Alex Lima (7) -€” Alex, along with Rico, were among the standout players in the first half. Throughout the game Alex was a menace on both sides of the ball. He made 6 successful tackles, several intercepted passes, and helped create offensive opportunities for himself and other players.

Ricardo Clark (6.5) -€” Like Alex, Clark was active pushing the ball up the field and taking chances on goal. Clark was one of the few to find himself open to find shots in the first half and he also was able to assist Andrew Wenger for the game's opening goal.

Cristian Maidana (4.5) -€” Chaco is an incredible passer, as he passed just below 90% accuracy, but his role really needs to be defined because he'll do better once it is. He seemed to drift about, didn't contribute too much on defense, and wasn't much of a threat on the offensive side of the ball. I think if he isn't "our #10" then let's develop him into a left midfielder which would complete his transformation into the "new Brad Davis".

Oscar Boniek Garcia (6) -€” Boniek seemed to have a relatively quiet first half, much like most of the Dynamo, but turned it on the 2^nd as he contributed several key passes and defensive displays in the latter half of the game.

Erick Torres (3.5) -€” Cubo got the start and it was something of a disappointment for a few reasons. First, his lack of success had a lot to do with the lack of support he had during the first half as few players felt interested pushing higher up the pitch which left him stranded in the same vein as Bruin and Manotas before him. Second, his touch on the ball was awkward and his hold up play was not good for a lone forward. Had the support been there, this could have been much different for Cubo, but this was not a strong outing.

The Subs:

Will Bruin (6.5) -€” Coming off the bench for Cubo in the 60^th minute, Bruin injected a bit of life into the offense with his ability to hold the ball up and distribute. Some of this was helped by a later push for goal, but Bruin accurately distributed the ball and took chances on himself.

Andrew Wenger, MotM, (7.5) -€” Wenger came on for Chaco Maidana in the 61^st minute and was a little slow early into his appearance, but he quickly became one of the more dynamic players on the offensive side of the ball. Not only did he deliver an outstanding goal, but his runs and other shots on target were fantastic.

Eric Alexander (N/A) -€” Alexander entered the match in the 90^th minute for Boniek and didn't see enough of the ball for a fair rating.

Coach Wade Barrett (5.5) -€” The first half of this game was a mess. To be fair to WB it was a mess for both sides, but we had the stronger side on paper at home so we should've done more. Barrett made the correct substitutions and it turned the game around. Wenger and Bruin both went at goal and brought the midfield with them at times, but this team sits in deep too often and it lets them back in games. Even though we outplayed Seattle in the 2^nd half, we couldn't correctly kill the game off and were left with a draw.