Houston Dynamo Player Ratings vs. FC Dallas

Quick Thoughts:

1) What happened? After outplaying Dallas for much of the first half, the team got devastated by FCD within the span of 1 minute as they gave up a penalty and another goal in that time.

2) The Dynamo have had a pattern of taking leads and then sitting back to defend that lead which has helped opponents gain possession advantages and attempts on goal that often lead to equalizers or game winners for them.

3) At least we get the cannon back in Houston for the first time since 2012 even if it wasn't quite the game we hoped for.

Houston Dynamo Player Ratings

Joe Willis (5) -€” Joe Willis has now started in 6 more games than Tyler Deric and played in 8 more than Deric so is it still fair to call Willis the backup? In this game it's never fair to fault a keeper for a penalty kick made so I won't fault Willis on that goal. On Michael Barrios's first goal, Willis was caught completely off guard by the long pass and he was not quick enough off his line to deal with the chip properly. The last goal scored on him was very difficult to save and was a result of poor defending.

Sheanon Williams (4.5) -€” Williams passed the ball well out of the back and even showed off some fancy touches on the ball at times, but he struggled to make a big impact on the defensive side of the ball. On the last goal, he was left to guard both Michael Barrios and Tesho Akindele after Alex failed to dispossess Akindele which led to a fantastic strike by Barrios to put the game away.

Agus (6) -€” Left the game early with a left knee injury, Agus struggled a few times to get the ball out of danger, but was usually able to recover well. Agus was able to open the field up for the Dynamo by playing long passes to Mauro Manotas which kept Dallas defenders from joining the offense and he switched the field to create a different point of attack.

Raul Rodriguez (3) -€” It was Rodriguez's handball that really changed the tide of the game. Yes the Dynamo had sat in after their goal and maybe an equalizer was coming, but by gifting Dallas a penalty, FCD felt like they could get more than just a point out at BBVA.

Jalil Anibaba (4) -€” Anibaba was able to get up the field and support the offense, but his defensive contributions were limited to a few clearances and recoveries. His passing was acceptable, even higher up the field, but he could've been a bit more accurate.

Collen Warner (7) -€” Serving as the Dynamo shield, Warner was very skilled at intercepting passes as he was able to collect 6 while supplying 2 tackles in central midfield. Warner passed the ball incredibly accurately, over 93%. While I understand the need to shift to a more offensive minded formation while down a goal, I'm not sure the 3^rd goal happens if Warner is still on the field given his fantastic positioning.

Alex Lima, MotM, (7) -€” Alex Lima should be the MVP for the Dynamo this season because he gives it his all. He's really shown versatility, a knack for being in the right areas and scoring goals through traffic, and tenacity on the defensive side of the ball. His goal was beautiful as he dribbled passed 2 defenders and took a well placed left footed shot into the upper 90. Where I will knock him in his performance is on Barrios's 2^nd goal as he tried to poke the ball away from Akindele but missed which forced Williams to pressure Akindele (the man with the ball) and left Barrios open.

Eric Alexander (5) -€” In Alexander's first start in orange he performed pretty well as he moved the ball around very well as connected with Manotas frequently. Defensively Alexander was more limited, and lucky to have Warner behind him, but he was able to steal a pass in a dangerous area, but his shot after the interception was well off target.

Cristian Maidana (5.5) -€” As I mentioned in the previous ratings, I really like Chaco in this "Brad Davis role" where he can whip balls in from wide areas accurately. Chaco was able to provide several close chances for teammates while passing well, but his was fairly undisciplined with his positioning as he seemed to pop up in crowded areas instead of opening the field up by staying wide.

Oscar Boniek Garcia (6) -€” Boni was very good supporting Manotas and other offensive players early in the game as he pushed higher up the pitch and contributed several key passes along with an assist to Alex for the Dynamo's only goal. However, he could have done a little better on the defensive side of the ball and it was his dispossession that led to FC Dallas's 3^rd goal.

Mauro Manotas (5.5) -€” Manotas started pretty strong with a few very close shots, but he eventually became more isolated as attention switched to the defensive side of the ball as the Dynamo sat back after getting the opening goal. One area that I would like to see Mauro improve is his ability to win balls in the air because he often freezes and lets defenders get in front of him to win them.

The Subs:

David Horst (5) -€” Can't fault Horst, who came on in the 42^nd minute for Agus, for any of the goals. He was slow to get back on the 3^rd goal, but was positioned to be a set piece target and then a target for a cross before Boniek was dispossessed.

Ricardo Clark (4.5) -€” Despite entering the match in the 64^th minute for Eric Alexander, Clark rarely saw the ball. He had one shot that went wide of the goal and he passed well enough for a central midfielder.

Erick Torres (6) -€”Although Cubo has yet to make his first Dynamo goal, he came close several times against FC Dallas even though he came on for Collen Warner in the 73^rd minute. He fought hard to draw a foul in a dangerous area (of course the events after a poor set piece led to an FCD goal), take shots, and put himself in dangerous positions.

Coach Wade Barrett (4) -€” It seems like every time the Dynamo take the lead they sit back and invite teams to come back at them. I understand the "let's not give up another goal by having players too high up the pitch" mentality, but by completely cutting off the offense allows teams to dominate possession in your own half and accumulate chances which sometimes go in. If Barrett wants to become a head coach of a successful team, he's going to need to learn how to appropriately hold onto leads. The sitting in after scoring approach is not working. I will praise him for finally trying out a 4-4-2 with his subs which helped create several late attempts on goal.