No Kidd-ing Around From Dynamo

By: Richard | June 10th, 2009

Houston Dynamo 1-0 Chivas USA
Holden (45)

On a steaming hot night in Houston, the Dynamo took a huge stride in tethering in the Goats at the top of the West with a 1-0 win in front of a very respectable 14,500 Wednesday night crowd at Robertson Stadium.

Chivas came in sporting the best overall record in MLS and a 6 point lead at the top of the Western standings, but left in a somewhat more precarious position after being out muscled by the Orange, despite setting up in a defensive 4-5-1 to try to nullify the ever effective Houston engine room.

Both teams had players missing; Ching and Clark still out for the Dynamo, while Bornstein and Kljestan were missing from the Chivas team. To replace Ching, Houston gave a debut to new birthday boy Cam Weaver, who duly obliged with a great performance in his first home game and had a major contribution to the game winning goal. Big thanks to the team sporting our other 2 titles in California for that one. Does this kid remind anyone of a certain Nate Jaqua or what!?

The Dynamo out shot Chivas 11-3 on the night, Kamara starting the tally after just 3 minutes with a shot just wide right after a long ball over the top from keeper Pat Onstad - a warning that Chivas failed to take heed of, which would cost them later in the half. The amazing Geoff Cameron continues to get better and better in central defence and on two occasions, his covering tackles bailed out blown coverage from his partner in crime Bobby Boswell. Once to deny Maykel Galindo with a timely interception and again on 30 minutes with a lunging last minute tackle on Atiba Harris who was all but clean through on goal. Folks, this guy is the real deal in the back line, as much as Holden is in the midfield.

With Chivas clearly coming to sit back defensively, stifle the midfield and hit on the counter, the Dynamo were finding life tough going, but eventually figured out around the 30th minute that wide play was the way around this tactic. Suddenly we looked dangerous. Kamara putting in Davis on the left, who whipped a cross in that found it’s way to Holden on the edge of the area who shot narrowly wide, followed a minute or two later by Brian Mullan doing the same thing from the right, with Holden only being denied this time by a WWF-style throwdown from Carey Talley that earned him a yellow card. (Yes, I’m dating myself, Jeremy )

So with the half seemingly set to play itself out in a stalemate, a superb piece of play saw the Orange move ahead. Another long ball from Onstad saw Cam Weaver draw his marker out of central defence back towards the halfway line. As he did, Holden spotted the vacated gap and sprinted into the open space. Weaver won the header and flicked it backwards to the onrushing Holden, who expertly manoevered unhindered around keeper Zack Thornton to side foot into an empty net. A thing of beauty with the last kick of the half.

No changes were made by either side at half time. Another great ball from the left found Cam “Dream” Weaver unmarked around the penalty spot and he put a great header into the corner of the net, only to be disappointingly called for offside by the linesman (sorry; assistant referee). Chivas finally countered by bringing on Eduardo Lillingston and switching to a 4-4-2 int he 60th minute, but it didn’t slow down Houston, who really had the bit between their teeth by this point and were going for the kill. Bobby Boswell had a header cleared off the line by Nagamura in the 64th minute and a number of other chances came and went the Houston way, notably to Kei Kamara, but there was to be no second game-killing goal.

In fact, with the additions of Eskandarian and Suarez around the 70th minute for Chivas and another tactical switch by Preki to more of a 3-4-3, the Goats actually finished the game the stronger of the two teams; pressing hard and having the better chances during the closing 10 minutes. The best of these came in the 83rd minute, when big Pat Onstad was called upon to make a great diving stop from a terrific outside-of-the-right-foot curling shot from the edge of the area by the otherwise ineffective Galindo. Chivas pressed hard after this, but were never able to trouble the Cat again and Houston managed out the rest of the game with Odouro, Ashe and Akinbiyi getting substituted in late on.

With the win, Houston move to 7-2-0 in the last 9 games and are just 3 points behind the goats with 2 games in hand in the West. Chivas, meanwhile, continued a streak of its own by not scoring a goal in Houston in 645 minutes of play and will be slightly disappointed with their showing tonight, giving up momentum in the Conference into the bargain and being generally crap.

FOREVER ORANGE

Dallas Sucks.