Houston Dynamo five-a-side draft: Team Gribbs

The results of the Dynamo Theory five-a-side fantasy draft were posted on Monday, but I wanted to break down my selections so that hopefully my team gets the most votes after every team makes their case.

I chose Brad Davis first, then Ricardo Clark, followed by Eddie Robinson, Mauro Manotas, and Joe Willis. For anyone that’s ever played pickup, five-a-side, or indoor soccer you know that the game is won in the midfield which is why I went for the ultimate service player and then one of the best defensive midfielders the Houston Dynamo have ever had. I knew I needed a solid defensive player in the back – and while I did want to go with DaMarcus Beasley because of his ability to get forward, he was off the table by the time I needed a defender so I went with one of the toughest players the Dynamo have had in Eddie Robinson. Lastly, I did not except Manotas to still be available and I had planned to go with an “X-factor” pick in Vicente Sanchez because there’s always that one older player at pick up that will nutmeg you, but with Manotas still available it would have been foolish to ignore him.

Brad Davis

As I said, Davis is the ultimate service player capable of putting the ball on a dime for anyone to put in. Dangerous from set pieces or from the run of play, Davis is also capable of getting his own goals from distance. Davis is the Pirlo on my team and the possession will run through him and he’ll reward anyone that gets into a good position. Defensively, Davis can be somewhat of a liability, but with Clark and Robinson around him, they more than cover any of Davis’s shortcomings on that end of the pitch.

Ricardo Clark

While Davis may be the player that steers the ship in terms of possession, Clark is certainly a large part of the success of this team. He can sniff out passes and make challenges to end an opponents’ run into my half of the field. Clark is a quick distributor and can quickly push the ball out to Davis or Manotas, but Clark is also good for a shot from deep or a header from a set piece.

Eddie Robinson

The guy that wouldn’t be afraid to throw some elbows in a friendly five-a-side game, Eddie cements my team as the toughest physically. Besides being a fantastic tackler, Eddie also provides support to Brad Davis as a set piece target.

Mauro Manotas

If given time, Manotas could go down as the best striker the Dynamo ever have. He’s worked his way up from being a US Open Cup player sitting behind Cubo Torres to being the leading center forward. Manotas can finish in a variety of ways, from distance, with his head, and inside the box. He can take on opponents from the dribble and he can hold the ball up.

Joe Willis

Mean Joe Willis rounds out this tough team in goal. Willis is an outstanding shot blocker and while his distribution could be improved, that could be true for just about any Dynamo keeper.

Strengths

This team will be tough to score on with Clark, Eddie, and Willis all standing in the way. They will make any of the other sides work hard to get the ball into our half of the field. With Davis and Manotas on the team, they will make any defense think twice about pushing too high into the offense.

Weaknesses

If this team had some faults it’s that it is a little too defensively oriented. Relying on set pieces could be a problem and the lack of technical ability could force a lot of passes backward, but I’d still bet on Davis, Manotas, and Clark to figure it out on the offensive side.