The Houston Dynamo dropped Leg 2 of their CONCACAF Championship match against Tigres 1-0 (3-0 on aggregate). Here’s the good news/bad news situation from this loss.
Good news:
- Houston can now shift focus entirely to the MLS season. The goal for the Dynamo this season is to return to the playoffs and that starts with racking up points. Four of the next six Dynamo games are at BBVA Compass Stadium, including the first Texas Derby against in-state rival FC Dallas.
- For Houston to get back to the playoffs, three points from home games is a must. The Western Conference only got stronger from a season ago which means the Dynamo need to come out of the gate firing.
- While Houston did lose, they didn’t get run out the building — in either leg. Houston showed great defensive grit and offseason acquisitions Kiki Struna and Matias Veras are looking to be solid additions to the spine of the team.
Bad news:
- La Naranja is out of the CONCACAF Champions tournament, and it will rue its missed opportunities. Tommy McNamara had a GOLDEN opportunity in the first half after a Tigres error in their backline.
Ooohhhhh so close.pic.twitter.com/Lbx16l4Hrc
— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) March 13, 2019
- Had McNamara converted on that opportunity it would have been the Dynamo’s first goal of their series against Tigres. For all the firepower Dynamo possess in the front attack, it only mustered one shot on target — McNamara’s miss in the 23rd minute.
- DaMarcus Beasley was subbed off in the 20th minute. No report yet on if Beasley was injured or subbed out for a tactical reason. The Yahoo broadcast announcer said it was a tactical decision, which if true, begs the question, why not start Adam Lundqvist from the start and not burn a substitution.
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.