When Wade Barrett stepped into the head coaching position for the Houston Dynamo, he preached that he wanted a team that was hard to play against, and tough to break down. Through seven games under Barrett in all competitions the Dynamo have surrendered just six goals, with two of those coming via the penalty spot.
The 1-0 win against the Philadelphia Union was their second consecutive MLS shutout at home, and third overall with Barrett in charge. Left back DaMarcus Beasley told reporters after the match that consistent play week after week has instilled confidence in the back line.
"You know Wade is a defender, a left back; he won championships and he knows what it takes to win here," Beasley said. "It’s very uplifting to learn from him, he takes a lot of pride in how we defend and move as a group, that’s what he instilled since he got the job."
Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtain noted the same thing after Saturday's match, calling the Dynamo "organized and difficult to break down," which the Dynamo see as the springboard to future success.
"We know we’re a good team. We know that we can defend well. We know defense is going to be the backbone of this team going forward," David Horst said. "I think that if we can build off of that, then we’re going to have a lot of success here."
The attacking end of the team has made progress, with multi-goal games in three of the previous four matches before Saturday, but the defense is focused on their end of the deal first and foremost.
"We’re enjoying it, the shutout is the best thing, it’s the goal for us in the back five," Beasley said. "We’re happy to keep the boys in the game, and when Chaco can score amazing goals like that, we have a good future for this season."
