Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo Struggle To Overcome Slow Start

The two-time champions are finding the early going of Major League Soccer's 2009 season to be a tough slog.

Apr 10, 2009 3:28:48 PM

MLS: Brian Mullan, Houston Dynamo, March 2009 (ISI)

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MLS: Brian Mullan, Houston Dynamo, March 2009 (ISI)

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By Steven Streff

Three games into the season, and the Houston Dynamo have just one point, and that one courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew in their opening game of the season. Since then, they have lost games to San Jose and D.C. United, and sit in seventh place in the Western Conference -- just one point above fierce rivals FC Dallas.

While this version of the Houston team looks like a lot like the Houston Dynamo of the past -- the team your grandfather would recognize -- they did lose one part of the core of their team over the summer. While the squad returned players like Bobby Boswell, Wade Barrett, Brian Ching, Eddie Robinson, and Pat Onstad, one key player depated. The creative lynchpin of the side since their days in San Jose, Dwayne De Rosario, left to return to his hometown city, playing for Toronto FC.

De Rosario, a Canadian international player who joined the team in 2001 (when they were still in San Jose), was part of a successful group that won the Supporters' Shield in San Jose in 2005, and then the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007 after the team moved to Houston. However, when the opportunity arose for a move back to a MLS team in his home country, De Rosario made the choice to leave. This forced Houston to regroup.

Even with the departure of such an influential player as De Rosario, head coach Dominic Kinnear admited that his strategy or approach to the game didn't change drastically.

"We stick with the same plan," Kinnear told Goal.com.

As important as De Rosario was, Kinnear was under the belief that other players on the squad would be able to step up and fill the role left by the Canadian international.

"Dwayne, without a doubt, had a lot of success with our team, but I think all of us believe that we still have an incredible group of players here, and players that are going to step up, and maybe fill that space, that Dwayne left," added defender and team captain Wade Barrett.

With the departure of De Rosario, some of the younger players on the Houston team have had to assume more responsibilities within the setup of the team.

"We definitely have some young players who will have the opportunity to step up. But it's not just those players, it's every one on the field that needs to step up, and do that little bit extra that is required to get the three points," stated Barrett. He mentioned players such as Stuart Holden, Corey Ashe, Geoff Cameron, and Kei Kamara as those who could help fill the spot left by Dwyane De Rosario.

Since the days in San Jose, before the team was relocated to Texas, a tight nucleus of players has stayed together, and has seen their success rise out of the stability within the squad. Players in this nucleus are: Wade Barrett, Brian Ching, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis, Brian Mullan, Pat Onstad and Eddie Robinson, all of whom were part of the 2005 San Jose Earthquakes team that won the best regular season record trophy - the Supporters' Shield - as well as part of the 2006 and 2007 Houston teams that won back-to-back MLS Cups.

Kinnear, who managed the San Jose team in 2004 and kept the team winning in Houston, stated, "They have been vital. We think there is a reason why the team has been successful, and why you want those players to stay around."

Before Houston even began the MLS season, they played competitively in the CONCACAF Champions' League, facing off against Atlante from Mexico in the quarterfinals, after qualifying from the group stages in the fall. Despite a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Atlante, the extra games at the beginning of the season may have had an adverse affect to Houston's start in the MLS season.

However, the players won't blame the slow start to the MLS season on the Champions' League games."I don't think it]s an issue if we're playing for Champions' League or the MLS season, I think we prepare the same way. Obviously, there are more meaningful games, so we have to get fit quicker, but I don't think its a fitness issue. We are just not taking are chances at the moment, and its coming back to bite us," said midfielder Stuart Holden, after the 1-0 defeat to D.C. United, Houston's second consecutive loss.

In spite of the slow start to the season, things are beginning to look a bit brighter for Houston. Houston recently acquired the services of striker Ade Akinbiyi, a journeyman who has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English soccer.

Kinnear stated, "Hopefully, with fingers crossed, he should be joining us for the game on Saturday," ahead of the team's match at home against the New York Red Bulls.

Akinbiyi will add some depth and even more experience to the position, as the 34-year old joins Houston from Burnley Football Club in England, where he spent the past two years, contributing ten league goals in 70 matches.

"He brings size, power, pace, and is a player who can stretch the field, and hold the ball up, and be a physical presence in there," noted Kinnear.

Akinbiyi bolsters a strike force that already has US international Brian Ching, as well as Chris Wondolowski and Kei Kamara.

This Saturday, Houston return home to host the New York Red Bulls, who are struggling through the first three games of the season as well.,

"Everytime we step on the field we try to win, and hopefully we get that win this Saturday," said Kinnear, as Houston hopes to put its early season troubles behind, and take the three points against a struggling New York side.

Wade Barrett added, "We feel urgency to win every game that we step out and play. Yes, of course we are frustrated that we have not got more points from the first three games, but we approach every game with a short memory of what happened in the previous week. We just focus on the one game that is right in front of us."

Already eight points behind conference leaders Seattle and Chivas USA a win is almost necessary for Houston to keep pace with the two frontrunners.

Steven Streff is a contributing writer to Goal.com

Go to Goal.com's MLS section for all the latest on the U.S. game.

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