El Profe—literally, the teacher—is a common Spanish term for a coach, but it’s especially fitting for Houston Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera this preseason. In charge of a new team with a host of players who have never played together, Cabrera’s task is to teach his system and style of play in time for the season opener on March 4.
“Obviously, that’s what preseason is for, to get everybody on the same page that Wilmer wants,” defender Dylan Remick said after a training session in Edinburg, Texas. “I think there has been some great strides so far. I think the upcoming games are going to help us, even more in that next step of being a cohesive unit on the field in a game-like scenario.”
The Dynamo got their first chance to work as a group in those scenarios on Saturday night against UTRGV and will have another on Tuesday as they wrap up their trip to South Texas against the team’s USL affiliate, the RGV FC Toros. In between, practice sessions have included full field drills to work on the team’s shape and movements as an 11-man unit.
“Every coach has their own style of introducing tactics into a team. I really enjoy it,” Remick said. “I think it helps, especially because we have a lot of new faces. It’s a great way to sort of get everyone on the same page and make it easy for everybody to know what their role is within their position on the team, in terms of defenders, midfielders, forwards.”
Cabrera’s training sessions are full of teachable moments, stopping play to analyze situations and ensure each individual knows where to be. But across every position, the defining trait of Cabrera’s lessons is the same: intensity.
“Tactically, he is always reminding us that being aggressive is important,” forward Mauro Manotas said. “He always wants us to be aggressive, that no one is just standing still, that we all are always running, that we are always putting pressure on our opponents.
“We are working hard, very good intensity, always moving forward and seeking to score. That is the identity that the coach has given us.”
