Dynamo Theory - Match Day 17: Houston Dynamo vs Montreal ImpactYou may all go to hell and I will support the Dynamo.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48763/dynamotheory-fave.png2014-07-01T09:30:07-05:00http://www.dynamotheory.com/rss/stream/56180032014-07-01T09:30:07-05:002014-07-01T09:30:07-05:00Player Ratings: Dynamo vs Impact
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<figcaption>Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dynamo once again allowed too many goals while failing to tally any of their own despite the return of Boniek Garcia and Ricardo Clark. </p> <p><b>5 quick observations about this one:</b></p>
<p id="paragraph1">1) 5 games, 0 goals, 0 wins. This team needs to score if they want points</p>
<p id="paragraph2">2) Boniek and Rico Return (there was much rejoicing)</p>
<p id="paragraph3">3) Justin Mapp coming on was the turning point of the match</p>
<p id="paragraph4">4) The team is still leaking goals in a variety of ways</p>
<p id="paragraph5">5) The Dynamo didn't test <span>Troy Perkins</span></p>
<p id="paragraph6"><b><a href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Dynamo</a> Player Ratings:</b><br> <br> <b><span>Tally Hall</span> (5)</b> - Hall kept the Dynamo alive for much of the game with a few brilliant saves. While his line wasn't as organized as it could have been (see goal #1) he did manage 5 saves on a night that saw the Dynamo allow 17 shots (8 being on target).</p>
<p id="paragraph7"><b><span>Kofi Sarkodie</span> (5)</b> - Sarkodie was one of the more active defenders in getting up the field. While he did struggle at times finding his role linking with Cummings and Boniek, he did have a few good opportunities notably a shot that went just too high.</p>
<p><br> <b>A.J. Cochran (4.5)</b> - Cochran had a few rookie moments, especially his yellow card pull down challenge on <span>Felipe Martins</span>, but held his own for the better part of the game. Early into the game he refused to allow <span>Jack McInerney</span> freedom around the box. Of course that did change as we all know.</p>
<p id="paragraph9"><b><span>Jermaine Taylor</span> (3.5)</b> - Only played the first half of the game (whether that was due to injury or a "tactical" change I'm not sure at this time), but Taylor continued to struggle in the CB position. He and Cochran did not communicate well and allowed Montreal to get players in behind the defense.</p>
<p id="paragraph10"><b><span>Corey Ashe</span> (4)</b> - Started the game off well enough, but failed to push the ball up the field. I'm curious to see a heat map of the Dynamo's offense and I bet we rarely ran up the left side. Ashe was caught ball watching a number of times and didn't seem as sharp as he usually is in tracking opponents' movements in his return from injury.</p>
<p id="paragraph11"><br> <b>Warren Creavalle (3.5) </b>- As Eddie Robinson noted over and over again during the game, the Dynamo needed to get Montreal to push the ball out wide rather than let them run it through the center. Creavalle and Barnes did not sync well defensively and Creavalle was pretty much a non-factor in the Dynamo offense.</p>
<p id="paragraph12"><b>Oscar <span>Boniek Garcia</span> (6)</b> - The Honduran was able to make the flight from Brazil and make it all the way to Canada and he did not look like he lost a step. His pace and creativity were as good as they always were, but sometimes it seemed like he needed to make a pass or take a shot one dribble sooner.</p>
<p id="paragraph13"><b><span>Andrew Driver</span> (5)</b> - Driver's service was pretty sub-standard, but Driver made a number of good runs and tracked back well on defense.</p>
<p><br> <b>Giles Barnes (4)</b> - Barnes failed to look like his creative and confident self in the midfield. He rarely found the ball and struggled to get Will Bruin in the game. <span>Ricardo Clark</span> and Boniek's return (along with Davis's eventual return) should aid in the confidence department for Barnes, but in this one he looked lost.</p>
<p id="paragraph14"><br> <b><span>Omar Cummings</span>, MotM,<span></span> (6.5)</b> - Cummings was easily one of the most active players on the Dynamo offense. He made several promising runs, passed the ball well, and was the closest Dynamo player to finding the net (curse you crossbar!). My biggest criticism of Cummings is that he could have spaced himself further up the field instead of running around the midfield - something I feel hurt Bruin's game.</p>
<p id="paragraph15"><br> <b>Will Bruin<span></span> (2)</b> - Will Bruin simply did not get very many touches on the ball and when he did, he often sent in a pretty poor cross. He did not look like a bear that was hungry for goals and he often looked lost in the formation. Consistency in the midfield is partially to blame for that, but he needs to learn to get himself involved in the game and not rely on others as much. Am I being too harsh on Bruin?</p>
<p id="paragraph16"><b>The Subs: </b><br> <br> <b><span>Eric Brunner</span> (4) </b>- Brunner entered the game at half time for Jermaine Taylor and didn't completely shine. He minimized some of the mistakes that were happening in the first half, but communication along the back line was lacking overall.</p>
<p id="paragraph17"><b><span></span> <span>Brian Ownby</span> (5.5) </b>- Ownby came on for Omar Cummings, which was a bit of a surprise considering I thought Cummings was the best player on the field for the Orange, but Ownby brought a bit more of a direct approach to the Dynamo offense - run right at the defense which did have some success.</p>
<p id="paragraph18"><b>Ricardo Clark (5) - </b>Clark returned to the Dynamo after missing out on 9 league matches due to concussion symptoms. Clark showed some notable rust, especially in the way that he lost track of some opponents in the central midfield, but that will eventually fade.</p>
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<p id="paragraph19"><br> <b>Coach Dominic Kinnear (4.5) </b>- This team has struggled mightily on the road this year and the Dynamo find hardship in Canada every year, but this game felt winnable considering how evenly matched the teams were for the first half. <span>Justin Mapp's</span> insertion into the game added another creative type which the Dynamo simply couldn't deal with and after the 2<sup>nd</sup> goal the team looked deflated. I will stick up for the team and say it's hard to find success when the team has struggled to find a consistent starting XI, but will be extremely critical of the team's inability (yet again) to score. If the team wants to make a run to the playoffs, they need to start scoring again - it's that simple.</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2014/7/1/5859496/player-ratings-dynamo-vs-impactGribbs2014-06-29T20:45:00-05:002014-06-29T20:45:00-05:00Match Day Recap: Dynamo Fall 3-0 to the Impact
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<figcaption>Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Houston Dynamo fell 3-0 in Montreal as their road woes continue to show themselves. The Dynamo failed to score for the 5th game in a row in a game they needed to pick up points in. </p> <p></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dynamo</a> returned to action against the <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Montreal Impact</a> after a brief <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014" class="sbn-auto-link">World Cup</a> break. The Dynamo welcomed back Honduran international Oscar Boniek Garcia, whose World Cup squad was eliminated in the Group Stage, as well as <span>Ricardo Clark</span> who has missed nine matches due to concussion symptoms.</p>
<p>Each team had a nervous moment early as the two sides tried to find an attacking rhythm. Montreal's Felipe found the ball early behind the Dynamo back four and forced an early save by <span>Tally Hall</span>. A few minutes later, <span>Omar Cummings</span> pressured Montreal as he made a darting run that got Impact goalkeeper <span>Troy Perkins</span> off his line. Unfortunately for the Dynamo, the Jamaican speedster's touch was too much for him resulting in a goal kick. The Dynamo defense didn't look in sync early exemplified by the set piece opportunity for the Impact as A.J. Cochran pulled down <span>Felipe Martins</span> and earned a yellow card for the challenge.</p>
<p>As the first half went on the Dynamo midfield increased their possession and was able to string together passes that got more players involved in the attack. Cummings had the closest opportunity for the Dynamo of the half as he settled a pass with his chest and let loose a rocket with his left foot that rattled off the top of the crossbar. Montreal continued to mount pressure against the defense, but a combination of smart defending and poor shots by the Impact saw the Dynamo withstand a barrage of Montreal varying from corner kicks, crosses, free kicks, and penetrating runs. However, their luck turned sour as <span>Jack McInerney's</span> header in the 41<sup>st</sup> minute prevented the first half clean sheet.</p>
<p>The second half started with a change by each side with the Dynamo putting <span>Eric Brunner</span> coming on for <span>Jermaine Taylor</span> and Montreal's super striker <span>Marco Di Vaio</span> coming on for Gorka Lorrea. Marco Di Vaio looked to make an impact early in the 2<sup>nd</sup> half and he forced a one handed reaction save by Tally Hall.</p>
<p>Things kept getting worse for the Dynamo as Jack McInerney found the net in the 71<sup>st</sup> minute after <span>Justin Mapp</span> sent in a cross and an odd flick by McInerney somehow found the inside of the goal. Marco Di Vaio added a 3<sup>rd</sup> goal for the Impact as Tally Hall made an initial save, but the back line was caught ball watching and Di Vaio tapped in the goal to seal it.</p>
<p>The loss extends their league losing streak to 5 games, which is also the same number of games the Dynamo has failed to find the net. The Dynamo remains in 8<sup>th</sup> place in the Eastern Conference, but are not too many points behind in the standings if they decided to make another late run for the playoffs. However, they need to start finding ways to score if they want to make that run. The Dynamo next face the 5<sup>th</sup> place <a href="https://www.onceametro.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Red Bulls</a> at home on July 4<sup>th</sup> in a game they won't want to drop.</p>
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https://www.dynamotheory.com/2014/6/29/5855910/match-day-recap-dynamo-fall-3-0-to-the-impactGribbs2014-06-29T17:30:02-05:002014-06-29T17:30:02-05:00Game Thread: Houston Dynamo vs Montreal Impact
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<figcaption>Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Spor</figcaption>
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<p>Dynamo look to return to their winning ways against Montreal. </p> <p><b>Basics</b></p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/">Houston Dynamo</a> vs <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/">Montreal Impact</a></p>
<p>Sunday, June 29 6:30pm CT</p>
<p>Stade Saputo, Montreal, Canada</p>
<p><b>Broadcast</b></p>
<p>CSN Houston<b> </b>(6 p.m. pregame)</p>
<p>Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM 850 AM</p>
<p><b>Preview </b></p>
<p>A pair of clubs looking to reverse recent skids and begin moving up the Eastern Conference table meet when the Montréal Impact and Houston Dynamo clash Sunday evening at Stade Saputo. The clubs met a year ago in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, but currently sit outside the postseason positions. The Impact returned to league play at midweek with a scoreless draw at Vancouver, while the Dynamo haven't scored in more than six hours in a four-game losing slide, their last league contest a 2-0 home loss to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City</a>.</p>
<p><b>REFEREE: </b>Jose Carlos Rivero. AR1 (bench): Richard Gamache; AR2 (opposite): Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho; 4th: Mathieu Bourdeau MLS Career: 26 games; FC/gm: 27.2; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 8; pens: 14</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.methodisthealth.com/SportsMedicine"><b>Injury Report Presented by Houston Methodist</b></a> (<b>As of Friday, June 27</b>)</p>
<p><b><u>Dynamo:</u></b></p>
<p><b>OUT: </b><b><span>Tony Cascio</span> </b>- R knee surgery; <b><span>Mark Sherrod</span></b> - L knee ACL tear</p>
<p><b>UNAVAILABLE</b>: <b><span>Brad Davis</span></b> (International duty)</p>
<p><b><u>Impact:</u></b></p>
<p><b><br></b><b>OUT</b>: <b><span>Sanna Nyassi</span></b> - Ankle injury; <b>Callum Mallace</b> - Hamstring injury</p>
<p><b>WARNINGS:</b></p>
<p>SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: HOU: <span>Jermaine Taylor</span></p>
<p>SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: <span>Matteo Ferrari</span>, <span>Hernan Bernardello</span>, Karl Ouimette</p>
<p>DISABLED LIST: HOU: Mark Sherrod</p>
<p>INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: HOU: Brad Davis (USA)</p>
<p><b>HEAD-TO-HEAD</b></p>
<p>ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Impact 3 wins, 12 goals ... Dynamo 3 wins, 8 goals ...Ties 1</p>
<p>AT MONTREAL (3 meetings): Impact 3 wins, 11 goals ... Dynamo 0 wins, 2 goals ... Ties 0</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2014/6/29/5853938/live-game-thread-houston-dynamo-vs-montreal-impactAlicia Tolar2014-06-28T09:30:02-05:002014-06-28T09:30:02-05:00Match Preview: Houston Dynamo vs Montreal Impact
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<figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Houston Dynamo look to end their 4 game losing streak against last place Montreal Impact.</p> <p> </p>
<p>Ladies and Gentlemen: MLS IS BACK! The MLS season picked back up Wednesday June 25 with a 0-0 draw between <a href="https://www.eightysixforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Vancouver Whitecaps</a> and <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Montreal Impact</a>. This match is key for the <a href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Dynamo</a> for a couple of reasons first Montreal is in last place in the East with only 2 wins, 11 points, and only 13 goals scored all season. Second, Montreal will be playing its second game in less than 5 days so the team won't be as rested as the Dynamo so this should be the perfect game for us to snap our 4 game losing steak. The Dynamo haven't won a MLS game in over a month their last MLS win came on May 17<sup>th</sup> against our AEG brethren the L.A. Galaxy.</p>
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<p><b>Our story so far...</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although we haven't won a MLS match in over a month the Dynamo did snap their losing streak in a USOC match against the Laredo Heat. Subsequently near a fortnight later we were knocked out of the USOC tournament thanks to that team 4 hours to the north of us. With that said the Dynamo are primed to snap their MLS losing streak. Injuries have been a plenty for the Dynamo the past month; <span>Ricardo Clark</span> missing 9 games due to a concussion, <span>Corey Ashe</span> suffering due to his MCL, <span>David Horst</span> suffering a groin injury, and both Will Bruin and Alexander Lopez suffering hip injuries (right and left respectively) we have been severely depleted. But Darrell Lovell brought us some good news this morning-all of the aforementioned players have traveled with the team to Montreal. But like a 90s TV infomercial I can't help to say "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!" the team is also hopeful that Oscar <span>Boniek Garcia</span> will return to the club after a solid run in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014" class="sbn-auto-link">World Cup</a> with the Honduran National Team.</p>
<p>Although the Dynamo are still without our Captain Brad Davis I have feeling he will be cheering us on over 5000 miles away while he is Brazil while getting ready for the USA's huge knockout game on Tuesday. Although we have struggled in the past month some of our players have finally stepped up namely our #10 Alexander Lopez who has had some great showings in the midfield in Boniek Garcia and <span>Brad Davis's</span> absence. Many people have questioned him (myself included) but he has risen to the challenge and is steadily rising to the occasion of being a Designated Player like his Honduran counterpart.</p>
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<p><b>Know your neighbor to the far north...</b></p>
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<p>The Montreal Impact or Impact De Montréal depending which language you want to go with have not had the ideal season. With only two wins all season long the Impact are still attempting to find their form. Goal scoring for the Impact is currently being lead by youngster Jack Mclnerney and Argentinean Andres Romero each having 4 goals apiece this season. Fortunately for the bulk of the league veteran Italian <span>Marco Di Vaio</span> hasn't found his goal scoring form that he had last season and has netted only one goal this season. That said it isn't for a lack of trying Marco Di Vaio leads the team with 31 shots and 12 on goal so the Italian veteran is making the attempts. The good news for the Dynamo is that Di Vaio did miss Wednesday's game due to a nagging hamstring but is set to be back with the Impact against the Dynamo. The back four of the Impact tends to be anchored by former USMNT defender <span>Heath Pearce</span> and former Ligue 2 defender <span>Hassoun Camara</span>.</p>
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<p><b>The match itself...</b></p>
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<p>The Houston Dynamo are near full strength, less Brad Davis, our only major questions for Sunday's game are Ricardo Clark (concussion) and Will Bruin (right hip). While Rico may miss another game or two he is training with the team now and that is a good sign. <span>Will Bruin's</span> hip is still giving him some problems so don't be too surprised if he sees little to no playing time on Sunday. We still have attacking options with Alexander Lopez, <span>Giles Barnes</span>, <span>Omar Cummings</span> to help lead the attack. Furthermore don't let Montreal's record fool you they are a very dangerous team, especially with Di Vaio and Mclnerney leading the attack for them. The last time we played Montreal this year we came away with a 1-0 victory but they had a very strong showing against us. If our attackers can find away to get around the back line of the Impact we should be able to come away with the 3 points to start the next half of the MLS season properly.</p>
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<p>Tune in Sunday at 6:30PM CST to see the Houston Dynamo take on the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo on CSN.</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2014/6/28/5851520/match-preview-houston-dynamo-take-on-montreal-impact-at-stade-saputo-mlsDynamoPete