What in the EAFC?!: Matchweek 10 (Austin @ Houston) Analysis

 Before we Begin…

           …Let us take a moment to celebrate the return of both Hector Herrera and Sebas Ferreira. For the first time this season, the Houston Dynamo had both of their designated players on the field together. It was great to see the two of them on the field together and I cannot wait to see both of them playing the full 90 minutes. Let us also take a moment to recognize what Ben Olsen has accomplished without Herrera, Ferreira, and Nelson Quinones available. Entering the Austin match, the Dynamo sat in 3^rd place in the west. Olsen’s contract extension was well deserved and I am glad the Dynamo were able to find a long-term plan at manager, and secure Olsen through 2026. With that being said…

A Yellow Card Has Been Issued To…

            …The Angel Hernandez of MLS officials and the head referee for the match, Rubiel Vasquez. Like Hernandez behind the plate, Vasquez was just as unpredictable. Nobody knows what Hernandez considers the strike zone. Similarly, I had no idea what Vasquez considered a foul and what he considered clean contact. Additionally, Vasquez was equally as loose with his decisions to hand out cards. I honestly halfway expected to receive a yellow for dissent while exiting the stadium. That is not to say or excuse the Dynamo’s performance. So, let’s get to…

The Breakdown…

…coming off a strong and emotional performance in Minnesota, the Dynamo “welcomed” their in-state “rivals” into the Shell. All jokes aside, while Dynamo fans (including myself) love to make fun of Broccoli FC and not consider them rivals, the Dynamo (and quite possibly their fans) may want to start taking their matches against Austin a little more seriously. Austin is 7-0-4 in all competitions against the Dynamo. Even though Austin has seen a resurgence in form over the past few matches, “Broccoli FC” is not a great team at this moment in the season. Yet, “Broccoli FC” appear to be Houston’s older brother every time they meet. It sickens me to say, but “Broccoli FC” seems to be a mighty tree that finds ways to be a giant splinter in the Dynamo’s side. Saturday was no exception. Despite being dominated all match, somehow, Austin found yet another way to be a thorn in the side of the Dynamo.

The Dynamo decided to start the match with the same lineup that was successful against Minnesota United, except for Micael starting over Erik Sviatchenko who was out of the lineup after an early injury in Minnesota (Micael being his replacement). While this lineup was effective in creating chances all match (more on this later), and this lineup being a result of players not being at full health, the Dynamo were not able to get the result they wanted, and fans expected.

The Olsen mentality of attacking, quick passes, constant movement, making the additional pass, and setting up the best chance on goal was in full effect Saturday night. The Dynamo came out ready to execute the plan and take the match to Austin. To the Olsen and the Dynamo’s credit, they executed the plan well. The Dynamo dominated possession, chance creation, shots, and shots on goal. The one area the Dynamo struggled was finishing. The Dynamo put pressure on Austin’s defense consistently and forcing Brad Stuver to make critical saves throughout the match. Despite Austin’s very narrow defense and low block, the Dynamo were able to break lines, get in behind, get the ball wide to Blessing, Dorsey, and Aliyu. Even with the lack of crossing into the box from the wing, the combination play in the final third was impressive and successful. The Dynamo’s combination play led to 17 shot attempts compared to the 7 shot attempts of Austin. Even when Austin was able to create a turnover in their own final third, the Dynamo did well to counterpress, win the ball back, and start a counterattack of their own. With 67% possession against their rivals in Green, the Dynamo attack and defense did their job. On the few opportunities Austin were able to create, the Dynamo defense tracked back, defend well, and “Captain America”, or (if we are going with Bayou City Soccer’s suggested nickname) Clark “Kent” came up big when needed. Where the Dynamo struggled on Saturday lied in their ability to finish their chances. Despite their 17 shots created, the Dynamo only had 6 shots on goal, all of which were saved by Stuver. To give the Dynamo some credit, there were several shots on goal that required Stuver to make some tough saves included a double (or possibly triple) save in a sequence where everyone in the stadium including Austin players and fans believed the Dynamo would break the scoring open. Even with H.H., Ferreira, and Tate Schmidt coming off the bench, the Dynamo were still aggressive late and created chances. Yet, no matter how many shots you create on target, if they are right at the keeper, it becomes significantly more difficult to score. And Olsen made sure to make that known to his players in the postgame press conference.

It only takes one good opportunity with one well-placed shot that the keeper can do nothing about to score and steal a win despite being dominated. That is exactly what happened in the 86^th minute with a direct ball started by Stuver. Stuver drove the ball directly down the middle, CJ Fodrey flicked the ball forward with his head, leaving Emiliano Rigoni in behind with the Dynamo centerbacks racing to recover. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough, Rigoni took the shot, and leaving Clark frozen and hoping his post would come up with the save. The soccer gods were not in favor of the men in orange, as the shot hit the post and bounced in the goal. A few centimeters off and the post would have saved the Dynamo from their one momentary lapse. This time, the “game of inches” was not on our side, and the late goal proved to be the winner.

This match was reminiscent of a multitude of matches I have played on EAFC (formally known as FIFA). I have been on both sides of the coin. There have been matches where I would completely dominate on the attack but failed to finish, while my opponent took advantage of their one opportunity on goal and capitalized. I have also been the one that stole a win from one opportunity despite being dominated all match. While the latter can feel satisfying and relieving as a player, the former left me angry, frustrated, and wanting to throw my controller through the monitor while snapping the disk in half/uninstalling the game from my computer. If my frustration was that high over a virtual match, I can only imagine how Olsen and the Dynamo felt after this match. With that being said, I want to analyze one more thing…

The Dynamo’s Tactics

            I want to start this section by reminding everyone that the only soccer experience I have in terms of playing is playing in beginning leveled social soccer leagues and the only “coaching” experience I have is when I tinker with lineups, formations, and instructions on EAFC. Please keep that in mind (and feel free to roast me for my opinions). I do not mind the Dynamo lineup given previous consideration. What Olsen has accomplished with the squad available to him is incredible. I still give him props for his tactics on Saturday, despite the loss. It also sounds like help is on the way both during this transfer window and when the summer window opens. I give Olsen all the acknowledgements he deserves.

            I have three frustrations with Saturday’s tactics against Austin. Let’s begin with frustration number one. It was clear that Austin’s plan was to sit deep, play narrow, and dare the Dynamo to beat them from the wings. I know the Dynamo are not the tallest team and so crossing into the box may not be the most effective route. I personally like the “Tiki Taka” style of the combination play we have been seeing. My first frustration with the tactics presented is the lack of runs to the endline for a cross or cutback into the box. The only (fully healthy) overlapping option we currently have on the roster to provide that with on their preferred foot is Dorsey. I do not mind playing Aliyu on the left. As a matter of fact, I think him playing left wing this season has done wonders for him as a player and his confidence. My one frustration with that side is that there is no left-footed option consistently available to play left back. Since Aliyu prefers his right foot, there is no overlapping option to open space in the middle. I get it. Sometimes that happens. Where my frustration lies is not so much with Olsen on this one. My frustration is with Aliyu. Every time he gets the ball wide and has space to run at the defender, he hardly (if ever) makes a move towards the endline unless a midfielder provides the slip pass to the endline, forcing Aliyu wide and having him attempt to slip the pass in with his left foot. Otherwise, when Aliyu gets it wide and could take the defender on 1v1, he immediately does one of three things, cuts inwards to play the ball on his right, hold up play for more runner to join the attack, or set up a cross with his right foot. This would be fine with me if we had an overlapping option who was a threat to cross it in with their left. However, that is not an option as of now. Therefore, the Dynamo attack from the left is extremely narrow, allowing teams to defend the way Austin defended, making it more difficult to penetrate the defense. If Aliyu would attempt to take the defender on 1v1 towards the endling even 20% of the time, even if he has every intention of cutting inside, holding up play, passing the ball backwards, or not using his left foot, just the threat of him going wide will draw a defender out forcing the opposing team to make a decision to cover the voided space, or remain on their runner. Regardless of if the opposing players are aware of their defensive responsibilities, space is created somewhere on the pitch. This is my plea to Aliyu, please take the defender to the endline occasionally.

            Frustration number two. I understand using a window to only sub in H.H. The legend and team captain deserved every bit of the standing ovation he received from the crowd. I also understand using a window for only Sebas Ferreira. Him coming back from injury also deserved a special moment of recognition for him and the fans as Olsen and Sebas work on healing the wounds from last season. My frustration lies in the third window. I do not mind subbing Tate Schmitt into the game. I understand that Schmitt is coming off a nasty knee injury. My question is why use your last window for only one sub instead of two (and I will address this momentarily). H.H. and Sebas makes sense for them to get their moment of recognition. From my understanding, Schmitt has subbed in this season and gotten some minutes in both the CCC and MLS. I thought he also received some minutes at home. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. With that said, why not make one more substitution alongside Schmitt. If he already had his moment to celebrate his return in front of the home crowd, why not include one more substitution. Especially when you had options like Smith, Segal, and Raines available. The only reason I am questioning this decision and mentioning these substitutes as options is due to…

…Frustration number three. With Schmitt being a natural left footer, what was the rationale for having him play right back instead of left. I understand Dorsey was gassed and was not very productive for most of the match. With that said, if the play was always Dorsey for Schmitt, and Schmitt already had his moment of celebration for returning from the fans (this is a big if) then why not sub on Smith for Aliyu as well. With the tactics of Schmitt for Dorsey, the inversion of the left back did not fix the width issue, forcing the Dynamo to play more narrowly than before, allowing Austin to narrow the field. With Smith in for Aliyu, this at least provides a wide option on their favored left foot to cut towards the endline. Ultimately, I trust Olsen and his reasoning. This is much more the frustration of my fan side than my critic side. Again, Olsen knows the game better than me. I just want to give Olsen a yellow card (since they were given out to the Dynamo like candy. Yes, I am petty.) for not considering this barring injury and Schmitt having his moment in front of the fans. Which leads me to…

Stoppage Time Thoughts…

            Overall, this one was a tough pill to swallow. The Dynamo had a chance to beat a rival at home, advance higher in the standings, and show Austin that, despite the head-to-head record, the Dynamo are currently the best team in Texas. The Dynamo played well, created a ton of chances, they just could not finish. One defensive lapse from a direct ball from Stuver, lead to one of the few chances for Austin, and they capitalized on their chance. This one definitely felt like an EAFC match for sure. Despite the loss, the Dynamo are still in a good position in the table. Time to move on to the real rivals. I hope and expect to see the Dynamo bounce back against a struggling Frisco FC. Until next time…

Signing off for now, “El Profe”