You win some (questionably), you lose some (questionably): Matchweek 7 (Dynamo @ Chicago) Analysis

 

Before we Begin…

           The refs giveth and the refs taketh away. Was the penalty on Escobar softer than Charmin? Yes, it was. Should it have been called? Debatable (and not just because I bleed Orange and Purple now? Still don’t know if I can accept those jerseys until we pick up more wins in them no matter how sick I think they are). If you are going to call it ref, then all that I ask is that you be consistent. Even if it is late in the game. We will get to that later. With that being said, anyone else kind of missing the replacement refs or is that my hurt showing?! Anyways, without further to do, let’s get to…

The Breakdown.

With no Sebas available due to injury (can someone either wrap him in bubble wrap or perform a limpia on him please), the Ben Olsen was limited up front at the 9 (we will address this later) and decided to start Bassi as a false 9. This game was back and forth when it came to the counterattacking opportunities. Chicago started out strong and the Dynamo held up defensively. When caught in possession, Sviatchenko, Bartlow, and Artur did well to protect the back line most of the time. When they did get beat (which only highlights the importance of Micael and his speed for coverage), Clark did well to make the big save when needed (be patient, Clark will get his criticism soon). The Dynamo did not just sit back and let Chicago dictate the play. They also created several opportunities either narrowly missing from outside of the box or losing the ball in the box (one too many extra passes can be detrimental). Teams were pretty evenly matched in attack and defense until THE INCIDENT as I like to call it. Whether you think it was a penalty or not (my opinion in a moment), the ref awarded the penalty. There is absolutely nothing we can do to change that fact. In my opinion, according to the letter of the law, it was a penalty. Escobar was warned and did not need to wrap up his mark. Also, in my opinion, according to the spirit of the law, you never call that a penalty. Either let it play out or make them take the corner again. With that being said, it was called, Chicago converts their chance, and the Dynamo are yet again down at the half.

Down but not Out…

            After the break, the Dynamo took control of the game. I have no idea what Olsen said to the players at the half, but whatever he said lit a fire in their attack. While it is a very concerning trend at this point in the season for the Dynamo to start slow and finish strong, I would rater have it that way than the opposite. Great interchanges, smooth transitions, and great counter-pressing lead to Bassi forcing a turnover in the attacking third, a good set up pass to Aliyu, and a goal of the week nominee for the Dynamo. Just like that, the Dynamo are right back in the game and hungry for more. Continued possession, good combinations, and actually taking shots, led to several opportunities. While some of them should have been converted, the Dynamo refused to settle for the point and went after all three. This attitude is what I love to see in the Dynamo under Olsem this year, especially on the road.

            While I do have to give the Dynamo their praise, I also have to criticize their mistakes. Kowalczyk did not have his best performance in his short Dynamo career. Bassi also struggled in key moments. From my perspective (again with limited tactical knowledge) the rotation of positioning seemed to be off between the “front three” in possession. There were times where Bassi would drop very deep to gain possession of the ball; however, neither Kowalczyk nor Aliyu moved up to fill the holding 9 role. While this may have been the intention of Ben Olsen, often times Aliyu and especially Kowalczyk seemed confused as to what their positional role was when Bassi was free roaming to gain possession. When Bassi stayed higher up the field, even in a hybrid 9/10 with Kowalczyk, the Dynamo seemed more dangerous and organized in the attack. Then it happened. What ESPNFC/Futbol Americas has so lovingly calls…

A “Shakastrophic” Moment…

            When the Dynamo were in the attack and turned the ball over, Chicago had one plan in mind; break the counterpressure, play the ball directly into space (via the wings or directly over the top), use their pace to get behind our back line, and create chances from there. Without the pace of Micael (while Bartlow isn’t the slowest, he just isn’t as fast as Micael), Clark was forced to make the tough decisions; come off his line, or trust his defenders to recover, close the gap, and make himself big. For the majority of the game, Clark did well in his decisiveness. There were a few moments where Clark seemed indecisive; however, in combination with the backline, Clark and the Dynamo were able to avoid the danger…until they didn’t. In the 78^th minute, after a beautiful ball over the top from Xherdan Shaqiri, Clark hesitated for half a second before committing to come off his line. That half second proved costly as Clark arrived a split second too late, leading to the eventual game winner by Brian Gutierrez. Was this one entirely on Clark? Not so much. Was calling it “Shakastrophic” a bit harsh, probably. Would Clark have gotten there if he hadn’t hesitated for that split second? Doubtful. Either way, the damage is done. Clark’s excellent game was destroyed in that one moment, leading to the ire of certain Dynamo fans. Despite being down with approximately 10 minutes and some stoppage time remaining, the Dynamo did what they have done all season up to this point; they fought back...

And the Dynamo put up a Good Fight…

            The Dynamo mentality for this season, and the attack came alive. You have to give credit to Ben for changing the culture of the locker room in his short tenure here. The Dynamo of recent would have laid down and taken the loss. Especially without an available DP due to injuries and a season-ending injury to their dynamic U-22 initiative winger. Not Ben Olsen’s Dynamo. They got right back on the attack and created at least 5 clear chances. With the substitutions, position changes, and tactical adjustments, the Dynamo were close to the equalizer several times before the final whistle. Which leads me to…

The ”Referee”…

            Okay so I know I was one of many people calling for MLS to get the PRO referees back. I will be the first to admit I criticized the replacement refs mercilessly. With that being said, I am wondering if that was a mistake. After Saturday’s performance by the PRO referees, kind of makes you wonder if the replacement refs were really that bad. I know this comes off as sour grapes, but lets take this out of context from the Dynamo game for a split second. There were some questionable officiating decisions throughout the league all weekend; none more questionable than the “penalty” call during the “El Trafico” matchup. Last I checked, an offensive player dragging their foot in the box to create contact (which, depending on the angle, the contact was questionable if even existent but that’s just my opinion) is never a penalty and a yellow card for simulation. Now back to the Dynamo calls. As a referee, if you are going to call “soft” fouls, that is fine. Referees have the right to call the match in whatever way they want. If you are strict with contact and call “soft” fouls, so be it. If you are more on the side of letting them play unless something egregious happens, that is fine too. All that I ask (and it sounds like a majority of the league is joining me on this) is that you are consistent throughout the match. So, if you set the tone early on fouls, everyone is on the same page, and will adjust accordingly. With that said, the ref set the tone for “soft” fouls early. This was evident with the penalty call on Escobar. That has already been addressed and discussed. Now, if we are being consistent throughout the match, even if it was “soft” and even if it was late in the match, Segal being taken down in the box (if we want to maintain consistency), should have been a penalty and possibly DOGSO. I understand not wanting to determine the match as an official; however, inconsistency leads to confusion on everyone’s part. And inconsistency with the man in the middle for the Dynamo and Fire match (Malik Badawi), inconsistency is an understatement. Putting the “penalty” and “missed penalty” calls aside, there was no definition to what was a foul and what was not in the eyes of Badawi. This was on both sides. There were times I was certain the Dynamo committed a foul, it may or not have been called, and the Dynamo were on the break if it was not. Similarly, I was certain that the Fire committed a foul, it may or may not have been called, and if it was not, the Fire were on the break. I guess there is something to be said about consistency in being inconsistent?! Now, with that being said, I have never in my life seen a match be called when a team that has a reasonable chance of getting a result, is in an attacking position to do so, seconds after the allotted stoppage time. To not allow the Dynamo to take the corner kick in the 97^th minute (if I remember correctly, there were 6 minutes of stoppage time and the final whistle was blown at 96:15 – 96:30). I understand the referee has a responsibility to maintain time; however, with the amount of timewasting the Fire were doing in stoppage time, I am truly shocked by the decision to end the match in that fashion. After discussing the decision with individuals overseas about the decision, they were also surprised but reminded me that the referee has the final decision. It was a very tough pill to swallow; however, as I started off with, the refs giveth and the refs taketh away.

 

Stoppage Time Thoughts…

            Overall, as a Dynamo fan, this one hurt. While the consistent inconsistency of Badawi did not help, this loss is on the Dynamo. Franco Escobar is an excellent player who deserves to be a starter. He is also a firecracker (which can be a good thing) who is one moment away from getting sent off. It is hard to love the passion of the Dynamo implemented by Ben Olsen and not love how passionate Escobar is as a player for this team. Yet, I am not sure about you all, but I am always holding my breath when Escobar is called over by the referee. Can’t have the fire without sometimes getting burned. This time, we got burned (even if it was questionable).

Corner Before the Final Whistle (yes I am petty)…

            Very final thought before I finish. Dear Dynamo, while I love the fact that you do not give up on the fight and that you are still in a good position in the table despite the injuries, could we please stop giving up the first goal and having to come back. That would be great. That is all for this week.

Signing off for now, “El Profe”