Houston Dynamo Player Ratings vs. Sporting Kansas City

Quick Thoughts:

1) The first 20+ minutes of this game were about the worst I've ever seen the Dynamo play as they conceded possession and allowed Sporting Kansas City to pass around and through our defense creating far too many chances. The midfield was nearly entirely invested on defense which meant when our defenders did regain possession there were few outlets for them to go to which resulted in turnovers and more chances for SKC.

2) This game easily could have become "the worst 20 or so minutes I've seen them play" to "the worst game I've seen them play", and credit the Dynamo resiliency for that. They reclaimed a road point after equalizing SKC twice. It wasn't pretty, but it could've been a lot worse.

3) It's highly unlikely that Wade Barrett will deploy a 2 forward system with Giles Barnes and Erick Torres no longer around, but this team MUST push higher up the field if we want to score and basically play quality soccer. When we sit in, we get scored on. When we push up, we score often. Let's stick with the plan that is at the very least more entertaining for fans given the state of the season.

Houston Dynamo Player Ratings

Joe Willis (6) -€” It's hard to blame Willis for how team tactics early in the game allowed SKC to generate far too many chances. Willis made 6 total saves and many of them were point blank reaction saves.

Sheanon Williams (3) -€” Passed the ball reasonably well, though rarely in the attacking, Williams simply sat back too often and didn't make many defensive plays despite plenty of opportunities to do so. He was able to provide a block on Dom Dwyer in the 13^th minute, but Jacob Peterson would still end up finding the net before the ball was cleared.

Jalil Anibaba (3.5) -€” Had a fantastic clearance following a Joe Willis save, but his passing wasn't there for a CB (and later LB) as he caused far too many turnovers out of the back.

Raul Rodriguez (4.5) -€” Had trouble with some marking assignments, especially in the first half, but much of that was due to how compact the Dynamo were playing. Rodriguez made up for this however by providing the stoppage time equalizer.

DaMarcus Beasley (5.5) -€” DMB made his first appearance July 8^th and he went for 75 minutes. Beasley didn't appear to skip a beat as he was the most reliable defender for the Dynamo as he provided tackles, intercepted passes, and generally made big time plays on the left side of the field.

Collen Warner (2.5) -€” This was the toughest night for Warner as a Dynamo player. He simply had to absorb too much pressure and was often overwhelmed. He provided some plays on defense, but also committed a high number of fouls and passed poorly out of the back which directly led to Roger Espinoza's goal.

Cristian Maidana (5) -€” Chaco contributed less on the defensive end, but he did have the help of Beasley behind him. Offensively, Chaco passed the ball exceptionally well in the midfield, but it didn't always translate to results in the final 3^rd -€” an area he struggled to connect passes in.

Alex Lima (6) -€” Scored the first equalizer for the Dynamo in great fashion as he nutmegged KC goalkeeper Alec Kann. Defensively Alex wasn't his usual self as SKC's superior passing didn't allow Alex to pressure players with the ball effectively.

Ricardo Clark (5.5) -€” Clark was the best central midfielder in terms of defensive plays which included a blocked shot in the 41^st minute, but despite passing accurately, Clark didn't crash the box or make himself much of a presence on offense.

Oscar Boniek Garcia (7) -€” Boniek did not put in much work on the defensive side of the ball which put some burden on Sheanon Williams, but Boniek more than made up for it with his efforts on offense. He provided several key passes and two assists including a set piece from quite some distance out.

Mauro Manotas, MotM, (7) -€” Manotas was stranded for most of the first half and for stretches of the second half. In fact, Manotas only had 19 total touches on the ball total, but he made them count with a goal and a few other shots on target. Manotas only came alive though when he was given support which is something that needs to happen for whoever is our center forward.

The Subs:

Keyner Brown (3) -€” Brown made his Dynamo debut coming on for DaMarcus Beasley in the 75^th minute (which shifted Anibaba to LB so Brown could take over in central defense). Brown struggled in his limited performance as he often got beat, passed the ball poorly, and was a little lucky to not get carded with his overzealous challenges.

Eric Alexander (3.5) -€” One of the more puzzling substitutions by Barrett as Alexander came on for Cristian Maidana in the 80^th minute, Alexander passed well, but didn't contribute much at all. In fact the team looked out of sorts when he arrived on the pitch and SKC promptly took advantage and scored.

Will Bruin (N/A) -€” Bruin came on for Warner in the 83^rd minute and only saw 4 touches on the ball, but he was able to get a shot off.

Coach Wade Barrett (4) -€” This game showed us the good and the bad under Wade Barrett. We began the game far too defensive oriented and we were punished for it as we relented possession and opportunities to SKC. However, the team responded brilliantly by equalizing the game twice and recovered a road point in a difficult place to play. It's no secret the team desperately needs an offensive presence and the team found one by supporting its forwards only after going down. The team must support these players earlier in the game and not sit in for extended periods to let teams back in. That's why the Alexander substitution didn't work as it was Barrett sitting in with a road point in hand and SKC took advantage of the defensive reshuffling.