Determined to correct the results of recent weeks, Houston Dynamo coaches and players have focused on fixing the little things during an extra week off MLS play.
“This extra week gives us an opportunity to correct that stuff and harp on it and really figure out what the issues are and solve them,” said goalkeeper Chris Seitz, who had four saves against New England last weekend. “It gives us extra time to really work out those kinks and get back on the field and be a better version of ourselves.”
After a dominating start with a 4-0 win against Atlanta United on Opening Day, the Dynamo have one draw and two losses – both coming at home. Despite the final results, head coach Wilmer Cabrera believes his squad’s performances have been promising.
“We have been dominating; we’ve been very good. We are talking about those different situations, but the reality is that we need continue working,” said Cabrera. “We need to understand now that we have to play every two weeks, we need to be sharp, keep ourselves motivated and focused on the games that we have in front of us.”
Two players – defender Alejandro Fuenmayor and forward Mac Steeves – made their MLS debuts in Houston’s last match against the New England Revolution. Both reiterated Cabrera’s points, looking to use the break in play to improve upon the finer details of the game that separate wins from losses.
“I think tightening things up defensively and also creating and finishing more chances in front of the net,” Steeves said of the team’s focus in training. “I think those are two things that we've been working on and that need to work on; and if we can do it in practice, we can implement it in the game."
As the team prepares for next Saturday’s match against San Jose Earthquakes (9:30 p.m. CT, KUBE 57), Fuenmayor reiterated that tweaks, rather than wholesale changes, are needed to set up their success.
“I feel we're good with the ball and we're in a good spot with possession, but we need to get better at the little details so we can start fighting to get to the playoffs, which is what we're looking for.”
