McCarthy's Musings: Orange Crushed

By Kyle McCarthy

If only Houston could have ended its 1-1 draw against Atlante at halftime.

At that point in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal at Robertson Stadium, the orange-clad traffic moved in one direction. Kei Kamara hit the bar and cause havoc for the Atlante defense. Brian Mullan and Brad Davis used the wings like the Wright Brothers once did. Atlante looked off the pace and adrift at sea. And Bobby Boswell snapped a header inside the post from a corner kick to give the Dynamo a lead.

Houston entered the break up one goal and unlucky to not have extended that advantage by one or two. For a team in training camp, the Dynamo looked composed and dangerous.

The performance didn't last into the second half. Sure, there were moments in the opening stages, but the Dynamo never really reached the heights they did in the opening period. The relative second half fade was as inevitable as a training camp two-a-day to help conditioning.

Even as their performance waned and the physical side of the contest flared, the Dynamo still would have deserved a lead heading to Cancun for the second leg. The Mexicans were off-form for most of the night, struggling to create chances while improving their second half possession. More of the ball didn't lead to more chances for Atlante.

The lack of cutting thrust wasn't a problem after the Dynamo failed to deal with a long corner to the far post with less than ten minutes to play. After eighty or so minutes of diligence, Julius James switched off to a Fernando Navarro corner kick to the far post, the ball ended up across the face of goal and Gabriel Pereyra bundled home from close range to give Atlante a point it scarcely deserved.

Pereyra's goal puts the Dynamo in significant trouble ahead of the second leg on March 3 in Mexico. With the away goals rule now in effect, Houston will have to go down to Cancun and score at least one goal. That is a formidable task for a team just working its way into form.

Take heart, Houston fans. On the basis of this performance, it's tough to count the Dynamo out in the second leg, even if the odds will be decidedly against them.

Ferreira signing another display of FC Dallas' financial commitment

FC Dallas doesn't look like it has the strength in depth to compete for MLS Cup. But give them credit for putting up the cash to try.

Colombian international playmaker David Ferreira has joined on loan signed from sister club Club Atletico Paranaense on Wednesday. Ferreira, 29, recently spent time on loan with Al-Shabab in the United Arab Emirates before agreeing to join the Hoops. The diminutive playmaker has participated in three Copa Americas and holds over 30 caps for his country.

Players like Ferreira aren't found in the bargain bin. Even if CAP didn't want to retain his services, a lucrative offer could have tempted him back to the Middle East. Instead, FCD has forked over to fill a glaring need at playmaker. While a similar move with Mexican veteran Duilio Davino did not work out last season, that failure hasn't dissuaded FCD from dipping into the market once again this season.

In other FCD news, the Hoops traded Adrian Serioux to Toronto FC for a first-round draft pick and allocation money. Serioux should slot right into the middle of the TFC defense, while FCD can continue its youth movement and use some of that allocation money to pay down Ferreira's loan fee and salary.

Around the League

- Condolences to Houston midfielder Stuart Holden, who recently lost his father, Brian, after a long battle with cancer. Holden's appearance against Atlante is an admirable display of his character. The team showed its support with a special silver sleeve in Brian's honor, according to the Houston Chronicle.

- If you're wondering why Max Bretos wasn't in Houston to call the game on Fox Soccer Channel, it's probably because Max and his wife welcomed another little Bretos, Maximiliano, into the world on Feb. 17. See the requisite baby picture here.

- New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio did an informative Q&A with Red Bulls fans over at Soccer by Ives. It's worth a read.

- Chivas USA hopped up from 800 season tickets in 2007 to nearly 2,000 in 2008, according to CEO Shawn Hunter. Those numbers show just how large of a task Hunter has to make Chivas USA relevant in the Los Angeles sports community and positive on the balance sheet.

- Mike Randolph and Steve Cronin won't be back with the Galaxy next season, according to various reports. The Washington Post added Brandon McDonald to that list late Tuesday night. The Galaxy is expected to announce personnel moves on Wednesday.

- The Galaxy did announce that it has hired David Kammarman as the club's new director of soccer operations. If that last name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Kammarman is the twin brother of U.S. Soccer PR guru Michael Kammarman.

- Interested in reading more about D.C. United's quest for a stadium in Prince George's County? Check out this informative Q&A posted on the team's official blog.

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com.