Player Ratings: Houston Dynamo vs. the San Jose Earthquakes

The Houston Dynamo have not gotten a win since their season opener against Atlanta United FC and last Saturday was no exception as they drew the San Jose Earthquakes 2-2 on their turf at Avaya Stadium. While a road draw under normal circumstances is nothing to scoff at, the winless streak since the opener has become more alarming by the week. The Dynamo were dealing with injuries and a suspension along the backline, but finishing does need to improve as well even though they were able to get two from the run of play.

The Top Performers:

Tomás Martínez, Man of the Match, (8.4) – Tomás Martínez was the Man of the Match last game, although I felt somewhat undeservingly so. This week, he’s at the spot again and I think it makes sense. Martínez helped lead the team that was down a goal to going back up. The Dynamo went to Martínez often and 90% of his passes found their target – a difficult feat for central/attacking midfielders. He got an equalizing goal by being in the right place at the right time and he helped set up opportunities for his teammates. This was definitely his best performance of the year so far.

Andrew Wenger (7.1) – Wenger was thrust into the left back position with Wilmer Cabrera thin on alternatives due to DaMarcus Beasley’s suspension and Dylan Remick in concussion protocol. While not perfect defensively, he did have a pair of tackles among some crucial clearances. One thing Wenger excels at is staying with opponents that have possession and staying in front of them. This helped him get in front and block two shots against the Earthquakes. In the same vein as DaMarcus Beasley and Dylan Remick, Wenger was good getting forward and supporting the offense. It’s fair to say he could be an option at right back since we haven’t seen a lot of success at that position this season.

Alberth Elis (6.8) – Alberth Elis is such a force on the offensive side of the ball as he can create his own shot with a combination of speed changes and dribbling abilities, but he’s got to be able to put some of them away. Last week I mentioned how Elis could draw some of the same criticisms as Will Bruin with his 1v1 finishing and he once again blew a 1v1 opportunity. Elis was able to set up Mauro Manotas for a tap in to put the Dynamo up 2-1, but unfortunately San Jose was able to steal a goal late in the game.

Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera (5.8) – It’s tough to place this winless streak only on Cabrera, but he is the coach. He was dealt a tough hand with so many injuries in the same area of the field and utilizing Wenger as a full back was very smart and was overall successful. I think the team responded very well to going down a goal on the road, but conceding a late lead is exactly what happened the last time the Dynamo were on the road in DC and finishing has to be better to put games out of reach. This team will concede some goals, especially when the first choice defense isn’t an option because of injuries/suspensions, but the offense needs to be there to help keep the defense afloat.

The Rest of the Starters:

GK: Chris Seitz (5.6)

DEF: Leonardo (6)

DEF: Alejandro Fuenmayor (5.6)

DEF: Adolfo Machado (5.5)

MID: Darwin Cerén (6)

MID: Eric Alexander (6.4)

FW: Romell Quioto (6.3)

FW: Mauro Manotas (6.6)

The Subs:

MID: Oscar Boniek García (6.1)

FW: Arturo Álvarez (5.6)

FW: Mac Steeves (5.7)