Cubo Torres feeling confident after goal against Seattle

It didn’t take long for the new-look Dynamo to notch their first win in 2017. A pair of first half strikes helped seal the home victory over the Seattle Sounders.

The Dynamo talked all preseason about striking early and fast, and relying on their defense to stand up to opponents’ pressure. Match 1 went according to plan.

It’s a young attacking core taking shape for the Dynamo in 2017. New signings Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto wreaked havoc on the defending MLS Cup Champs – the latter notching the game winner in the 42nd minute. Then there was the oft-perturbed Erick “Cubo” Torres, who drew the ire of Orange fans the past two season, finally getting on the business end of the scoresheet in a Dynamo jersey.

“It was important for me to be able to score.” Torres said about his free kick goal in the 20th minute. “The truth is, it relieved a lot of pressure I had to be able to score. But that’s football…

“I take things how they are. I have confidence in my abilities, I know what I’m capable of. Now that I got my first goal, I feel so much better. I feel like now I can calmly work during the week to meet the demands that are going to be placed on me this season.”

Cubo also indirectly affected Quioto’s goal right before the half, making a run that forced Sounders Defender Roman Torres to lose focus on Quioto for a moment. That split-second window Cubo caused allowed Quioto to shoot a curling strike from 25 yards out, past goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

The forward trio were active on Saturday night. Their energy in the first half set the tone early for the entire club.

“Those guys, that’s what they do,” said Dynamo team captain Ricardo Clark. “Their job is to get forward and create. That’s what they’ve put their energy into games, and that’s what we want them to do. Credit to Romell [Quioto] for finishing it off, especially early, so we can get up 2-0 and get a little bit of a cushion. That was huge for us.”

Not all was perfect. Both strikers, along with Elis and second half sub Vicente Sanchez, had opportunities to add goals – and they’ll be the first to admit it. But, if Matchday 1 or the Desert Diamond Cup mean anything, this attacking group has something that’s been lacking the last few years. Defender DaMarcus Beasley refers to it as “huevos.”

“Even though [Seattle] scored to make it 2-1, our guys were giving it their all to hold onto the victory,” Beasley told Dynamo Theory. “I’m happy that we worked hard – together – and I hope we can continue that.”

The 2017 Houston Dynamo are never going to be a possession-oriented team; this coming from the mouth of head coach Wilmer Cabrera. They simply don’t have the personnel for that style of play. But if the forwards can continue to find the back of the net this season, they won’t have to worry too much about possession.