Subtle Hall stymies Union

Inevitably, when asked to choose his most difficult save from a game or stretch of games, Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall makes a surprising choice. He rarely chooses the full-extension fingertip save of a long-range blast or the last-second tip over the crossbar of a close-range header. Hall generally chooses a subtler save, sometimes unappreciated by fans, media, and even teammates, but one that he found especially difficult or interesting.

DYNAMO GKs WITH 10 SAVES


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There was no shortage of choices for Hall on Sunday night, after he was officially credited with 10 saves – a total that could rise to 11 based on a review of a 57th-minute Sebastien Le Toux chance – in the Dynamo’s 2-1 win at Philadelphia. Hall tied a club record already held by himself (twice) and Pat Onstad for saves in a single match, but it was surely one of his most memorable performances. Rather than choosing his second-half stops on Roger Torres from a free kick or Carlos Valdes with the final play of the game, Hall said some of the toughest saves came on shots hit right at him.

“The ball was doing some crazy stuff, so some of the ones that came at me were the most difficult ones,” Hall said. “There was one in the second half I was barely able to get my arm on, and it ended up as a corner kick. I know it looks bad, but the ball’s doing some funny stuff, so [goalkeepers coach] Tim Hanley’s telling us, ‘Get your body behind the ball, let your body make the save, and we can always re-organize and re-group for a corner kick.’”

Hall also cited a first-half shot from Brian Carroll that came through traffic so heavy that Hall began his dive based on the ball’s trajectory but did not see the shot until it came through a maze of legs a few yards away. While several of his early saves did involve rebounds, Hall said nerves played no part in his first playoff game.

“I felt it was like a normal game,” Hall said. “We’ve been putting playoff pressure on ourselves since the Portland game. The last couple games have been must-win games for us, and so it honestly felt like the last couple of games we had in the regular season. It almost felt comfortable like a situation that we’re used to.”

Hall’s comfort was evident not only in his shot-stopping, but also in his organization on set pieces, augmented in Philadelphia’s case by the long throw-ins of Sheanon Williams. It was a Williams throw-in back on March 19 that led to the first goal Hall allowed as Houston’s full-time starter, but on Sunday the 6-foot-4 Hall confidently came off his line to make an important first-half catch of a Williams throw, setting a different tone for the evening.

Hall finished the night two saves shy of the league record for saves in a playoff game, jointly held by Mark Dodd and Joe Cannon. He could improve to third all-time after MLS stats partner Opta’s regular review of the weekend’s games, and it seems like Opta might owe Hall a save or two after he finished the regular season with 99 stops and was not credited with a save for his dive at the back post to stop a deflection against Portland in mid-October.

Numbers aside, Hall’s defenders expect him to be ready when called upon, but they would prefer he had an easier night.

“It seemed like every couple of minutes I was going back there, patting him on the back, and saying, ‘Good job there,’” Andre Hainault said. “I don’t like doing that, but he was big for us, and we’re going to need a big performance from him on Thursday. Hopefully as a team we can limit their pressure and possession so he doesn’t have to be quite as busy.”