3160ym191150068673908859200">The Houston Dynamo collected their first win away from home in their final trip to RFK Stadium on Saturday night. A goal by each player in the Dynamo forward line secured the victory, giving us these three things to take away:
3160ym191150068673908859203">1. Effective, clinical finishing makes all the difference
3160ym191150068673908859206">The Dynamo could have solidified three points at Minnesota during the first half on Wednesday where it not for missed opportunities. Generating less opportunities on Saturday – 12 less shots to be exact – the Dynamo had the game all but secured in the first half.
3160ym191150068673908859209">The difference is they were lethal when it counted - the Dynamo had six shots on target compared to Wednesday’s four. By the 18th minute, the game looked out of reach for D.C. United.
3160ym191150068673908859212">Effectiveness on the road is something everyone on the team had struggled with, including the club’s top scorer Erick Torres: coming into the match the Dynamo were scoring every 19.17 shots, compared to every 5.36 shots at home. The fact that the Gold Cup participants will be back soon sets up interesting internal competition moving forward.
3160ym191150068673908859215">2. “La Maquina” firing on all cylinders
3160ym191150068673908859218">Midfielder Alex was named Man of the Match by Glenn Davis and Eddie Robinson on the TV broadcast and rightfully so. The 28-year-old Brazilian was the motor behind this win, having a part in each of the three goals.
3160ym191150068673908859221">His three assists on the night gives him 10 on the season and catapults him back to the top of the MLS assists charts in a three-way tie for first with Toronto FC’s Victor Vazquez and FC Dallas’ Michael Barrios. This is the first time Alex has had a double-digit assists year, and the first by a Dynamo player other than Brad Davis.
3160ym191150068673908859224">Alex continues to build on his stellar work in 2016 with an even better statistical output this season. The possibilities of what he and incoming signing Tomás Martínez could do to MLS defenses has to have Dynamo fans salivating at the mouth.
3160ym191150068673908859227">3. Champagne all around!
3160ym191150068673908859230">A game on the road against the last place team was just what the doctor ordered to alleviate the Dynamo’s road woes, delivering the first three points on someone else’s field. Saturday’s win, coupled with Wednesday’s draw at Minnesota, also ensures the team’s first back-to-back road results this season.
3160ym191150068673908859233">These are important results for the team to navigate a pivotal part of the season with a bit of calm but they’ve also provided additional opportunities for younger players to get first team minutes. Memo Rodriguez collected his first two MLS starts and, with a 3-0 lead in hand, Charlie Ward made his MLS debut after subbing in at halftime for Juan David Cabezas. Youngsters Joseph Holland and José Escalante also got playing time on the trip.
3160ym1911500686739088_59236">So as the head coach Wilmer Cabrera continues to manage the season thinking about the big picture, the perfect storm begins to brew for the Houston Dynamo with the positive results and the pending additions to the team. Up next is a game at home – that place where they have yet to lose in MLS play this season – as the next part of the marathon comes in the shape of the Portland Timbers next Saturday (7 p.m. | TICKETS).
