Welcome to edition No. 6 of my weekly blog. It appears on the
new HoustonDynamo.com every Monday.
What’s going on and where do we go from here? I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking, and that’s fair given the recent results.
After all, we are not used to going through such difficult times. It’s been uncharacteristic, unusual, and rough.
We recognize that the recent results are tough to swallow, and we recognize that things need to change. Some changes include getting healthy and simply playing better.
But we will also look at options that can improve the team over the summer transfer window. Any moves would be designed to make us better now and build for the future. A few weeks ago, our primary target was a midfielder. Our scope has likely widened since then.
I think we still have a core of very good players, and we are not out of the playoff race, so we can’t get nuts. It’s not time to panic or blow things up, but we are concerned. The results from the recent string of matches came as a surprise and are causing us to take a much closer look at things. We’re not sitting idle and will consider all options towards improvement.
One specific option we are looking at is central midfielder Anthony Obodai, who is coming on trial for two weeks. Obodai is a Ghanaian national and last played in the Eredivisie in Holland. He is scheduled to play in both upcoming friendlies, including the Dynamo Charities Cup at Robertson Stadium on June 19.
We have trial invites out to other players and are waiting to hear if they will accept. One open invite includes Honduran international Emil Martinez. We placed a discovery tag on him and offered the trial, but he has not RSVP’d as of now.
Some players do not believe trials are in their best interest. We are unlikely to sign most foreign players without seeing them first-hand. This is a philosophy we have developed from prior experiences. As always, we are reviewing stacks of player resumés and game DVDs.
A few other quick non-team-related notes:
1. All-Star games sales have exceeded 30,000.
2. The Summer of Soccer gets underway with Mayor Annise Parker’s reception for all the general consuls in Houston on Thursday and the big USA-England World Cup viewing party at Discovery Green on Saturday. It’s free and will include the Budweiser Beer Garden for adults and the McDonald’s Kids Zone for kids. Come on down and join us from noon-4 p.m.!
3. Dynamo Residential Elite Camp registration remains open, but only a few spots are left. For more, click here.
4. Go for the Goal 5k Run registrations are now being accepted. For more, click here.
Finally, thanks to those fans that have reached out over the last few days. I understand your frustration and concern. I also appreciate your on-going support.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy the World Cup.
