Brian Ching will be called to lead the Dynamo yet again. (Getty Images)

The 2010 season presents a challenge for Dominic Kinnear and the Houston Dynamo. First of all their top two stars from a year ago are now gone to Europe. Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark left a big hole in the midfield and some would even argue that the club is still recovering from the trade of Dwayne de Rosario from last winter.

Today we take a gander at where they are right now going into the new year. So far the Dynamo have shifted some players around drafted a couple guys that may never see time on the field and for the most part done very little in terms of player movement this winter. We’ve actually heard more news surrounding this club’s potential stadium deal than new players joining the roster this winter.

Let’s take a look at who the Dynamo have and where they still need to go before the new season starts next month.

Continue Reading…

Houston had another strong season behind Brian Ching. (Getty Images)

Dominic Kinnear teams always compete, always and the 2009 edition of the Houston Dynamo looked very similar to the ones we’ve seen win league titles over the last few years. Even though the Dynamo lost their big star in the midfield in a trade to Toronto before the season started everyone knew this team would still compete.

Just as in years past the Dynamo started out strong on the year. Brian Ching, Stuart Holden and up and coming stars like Geoff Cameron lead the way for the Orange. Pat Onstad had yet another stellar season in front of the net thanks to another strong defense in front of him.

And just like in years past Kinnear pulled all the right strings in trades by getting parts on his roster that were missing like speed up front when he got Dominic Oduro from New York or some extra size when he got Cam Weaver from San Jose. Yet again we asked questions like “why are clubs even going into business with Kinnear and the Dynamo?” We knew the results would be the same as before as Kinnear would get something out of nothing and lead his club to the top of the standings again.

But then the ladder part of the summer hit. Ching, Holden and Ricardo Clark missed buckets of time with the US national team and that seemed to be when things got a little dicey. They brought in Luis Angel Landin as their DP, and while that should be a good move for 2010 it didn’t pan out all that much for 2009. Also for some reason the club’s discipline kept shooting themselves in the foot. August and September saw more cards, particularly red cards than most would want to see.

By the end of things the Dynamo lost on a weird night in LA in the playoffs. They may have been the better team on the night but moving forward into 2010 will certainly be interesting.

What Went Right In 2009:
A lot of good did happen in Houston this season. Ching produced, Brad Davis continued to be completely underrated, Cameron emerged like most had figured he would and Holden showed he could very well be the real deal. The Dynamo continued to have strong depth that kept them afloat despite all issues they had late in the season with suspensions and what not.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
As mentioned before the lack of discipline they showed late in the season was a real bummer to see. They went from being one of the most consistent clubs in the league on the year to a wildly inconsistent bunch. Offensively they still lacked a punch when needed and Landin didn’t step into the role as a DP like most would have liked this year.

What’s Next:
Well we know Ricardo Clark is out and its possible Stuart Holden could join him. Should that happen this bunch will go from being one of the deepest teams in the midfield to just a mid-level team. Kinnear will have to do his best to find replacements if that happens. They have to find a way to retain Holden and improve their roster on offense. But at the same time they do need to find some depth in defense behind Bobby Boswell and Cameron.

Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

Seattle comes into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams and with the opening game at Qwest you have to believe Sigi Schmid and company will pull out all the stops to make sure the expected large crowd stays happy. Schmid will have to rely heavily on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Leo Gonzalez in the back to slow down the attack from Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

The Dynamo need to find a way to get a goal early and then rely on their strong defense to carry them in this game and in the series. Catching Seattle off guard on corner kicks or free kicks could go a long way for the Dynamo. However the most important thing for Dominic Kinnear’s bunch is staying out of card trouble. These last couple months have been nothing but yellow and red cards for Kinnear’s team. Make no mistake if they get into card trouble it will be another early exit for the Dynamo this year in the playoffs. You can’t beat a club like Seattle with ten men, you just can’t do it.

I think tonight’s game will be physical as Houston will want to use guys like Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell to keep Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg off the boards. Look for Seattle to play the wings a lot in this game and also look for Ljungberg to try to live up to his DP status with the Sounders.

I like the homeside by a slim margin in this one. These two played two exciting games in the regular season and I don’t see anything different here tonight. Goals by Ching for the Dynamo and goals by Montero and Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

For most folks out there the Coach of the Year debate is a three person race. Depending on the how the final week goes we could include one or two others into the discussion.

Some coaches have lead their clubs from loads of draws early to the top of their conferences, one has lead an expansion club to the playoffs for the second time in league history, while others have just done what they always do.

As mentioned the final week will go a long way in determining this awards’ race as it will with a couple others. Below is the list of guys in the running in no real order. That’s where you all come in, who deserves this award? And who doesn’t?

Sigi Schmid (Seattle): Leading an expansion club to a respectable record is never easy but leading an expansion club to the playoffs rarely happens. Say what you will about Schmid and the team that was built up there in Seattle, I believe they wouldn’t be in the playoffs without him leading the way.

Bruce Arena (LA): The early part of the season the Galaxy weren’t losing but then again they weren’t winning either. But a funny thing happened, the roster that Arena tore apart last winter got a couple other additions that made the Galaxy into what they are today. Now some are saying this is his best work yet. I agree with that.

Dominic Kinnear (Houston): Another season, and another year at the top of the western conference for Kinnear and the Dynamo. While I don’t see Kinnear winning this award this year I do think he does deserve a decent amount of consideration for it.

Robert Warzycha (Columbus): Some won’t want him on this list since he basically took over where Sigi Schmid left off but you can’t deny the job that he has done by keeping things moving forward with this bunch.

Preki (Chivas): Its been an up and down season for Preki and Chivas USA but overall the Goats are a couple games away from a possibly Supporter’s Shield. Should Chivas USA win out this week and Columbus lose we could see Preki gain a bunch of votes for this award. A lot of ifs but it is possible.

Anyone else you think should be in the running? Steve Nicol for his work with New England this year? Schellas Hyndman for his late turn around in Dallas? Anyone else?

Cam Weaver and Dave van den Burgh battle again tonight. (Getty Images)

There’s nothing like kicking off a week with a good in-state derby. Tonight we get just that for week 21’s kickoff as the Houston Dynamo travel to Frisco, TX to face FC Dallas. Both clubs are coming off big wins from last weekend and look to take ownership of El Capitán, the prize given to the winning club in the season series.

So far this season Houston has gotten the better of their northern rivals by beating them 1-0 and 3-1. The Orange would love nothing more than to do it again for a clean season series sweep.

Dallas may have gotten their offense off the ground last week against Kansas City but looking at what kind of defense they are going up against I think it will be tough for them to get more than one by the Dynamo defense. Sure Houston let in three last week to DC but I just don’t see Dominic Kinnear’s bunch doing that again.

Houston should be able to control things in the middle with Brad Davis and Stuart Holden, which should allow Brian Ching to find openings in the Dallas defense.

I think the difference will come down to guys like Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron in the back for Houston going against Jeff Cunningham and Dave van den Burgh for Dallas. I’d like to think that Dallas can keep their offense flying here but they’ve never really been able to dominate Houston since the Dynamo were moved to Houston a few years ago. I also wouldn’t expect a good crowd for this one as no one in Dallas likes to travel to Frisco on a week night with all the traffic around here.

Anyways, I see Houston carrying this one out and extending their lead in the overall standings.

WVH Prediction: Houston 2, Dallas 1

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan.com each week. Today he returns to the defense of American managers high and low. Feel free to give him your thoughts below.

In 2009, there has been pieces written on certain web sites and podcasts hosts on shows have said the American player is hurting because coaches within MLS are not up to standard. The big evidence is not one has gone overseas and been successful.

This analogy is completely wrong and I will speak out in Defense of American Coaches.

It took a long time for an American player to play in a top league in Europe and eventually Paul Caligiuri became the first to earn a contract in the Bundesliga in the 1980’s with Hamburg firstly, then Meppen and later Hansa Rostock and finally Freiburg before leaving to help kick start MLS in 1996. It was a milestone for American soccer and so were that generation of players. Now to compare that with American managers it is a completely different kettle of fish in that there are much more player opportunities then head coaching ones. The one similarity is that it’s a major stepping stone once the first coach can do it.

The next big argument that’s been vented against this subject is with the National Team in that some folks think that the USSF should hire a foreign coach instead of an American one. Why? They won’t know the system unless they’ve been in this country a number of years. Steve Nicol would be a perfect example of a foreign coach to take the National Team job because he’s been in the country since 1999 and clearly by looking back at his draft pick choices down the years he understands the American player. However, looking at current American coaches that could take the job there is plenty out there and once Bob Bradley’s reign comes to an end for one reason or another when it does, the top two choices are simple: Dominic Kinnear and Sigi Schmid. Continue Reading…

I know I am a day late on this but it’s still noteworthy to discuss. Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear has filled out the rest of the 2009 MLS All-Star game roster with his selections, three of which are from his very own club. One addition pick was also made due to the injury of Columbus midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

• Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo)
• Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
• Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
• Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle Sounders)
• Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders) -replacing Schelotto who is injured
• Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards)

Below is the full roster (including first XI, Commissioner’s pick, coach’s selections):

Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC), Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo)

Defenders: Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle Sounders FC), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)

Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake)

Forwards: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC)

So what do you make of the final roster? Good? Bad? Happy Beckham was left off it?

Also, Ives has a solid discussion on some rosters that could have been if MLS had not gone to the lovely format that they use now.