The Houston Dynamo walked into Lowe Field Saturday against perennial title contenders and talent-loaded Columbus Crew, earning a point in a nil-nil draw. Here are three thoughts from the match.
Dynamo’s defensive prowess
Over the past two seasons, Houston has been a darling of a certain section of MLS fandom due to their possession-based style of play.
The style produced a U.S. Open Cup trophy and a Western Conference Finals appearance. But while the ball possession got the attention, underneath that machine was a stout defense that took care of counterattacking and run-of-play goals. Houston conceded 38 and 39 goals in the past two seasons, among the league’s lowest.
“If you look at last season, it wasn’t the offense that ended up putting us into the playoffs, it was how stout we were on the defensive end,” said Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen.
Before Saturday’s game at Columbus, that defensive prowess had been sliced up 4-1 against Miami, preceded by a 2-1 loss at home to FC Dallas. The Dynamo needed to be better defensively. They needed to respond. And they did.
“From a defensive standpoint, as far as winning duels, effort, looking after each other and bailing somebody out, box defending, making the plays that matter. And Andrew had a good game,” said Olsen. “All these things can add up to road points.”
It’s one game, but if Houston wants to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season, the defense must continue to be stout.
“Over the last two years, we’ve been one of the better defensive teams in this league, and that has to be the case again this year if we’re going to reach our goals. And that’s putting ourselves in the postseason and having a chance at a trophy,” said Olsen.
Andrew Tarbell answers the call
When Tarbell was called into action, the first-year goalkeeper answered to the tune of five saves. Now in his second season with Houston, Tarbell seemed more confident in the box, got a better jump on the ball, and commanded the defensive line en route to his first clean sheet of the season.
“You’re seeing him grow,” said Olsen on Tarbell’s performance. “Every game, he’s gotten a little bit better, and that will continue with a guy like Andrew. And we saw his leadership this week.”
Tarbell knows his first two games as a starter weren’t up to par. Entering Saturday’s match, he said there was a sense of urgency within him and the team to return to the training ground and play the next game to prove themselves. After Saturday’s clean sheet against one of the best teams in MLS, it could signal the start of a consistent run for Tarbell as the starting ‘keeper.
“It’s just a little bit of validation for the work we’ve been putting in to come here and get a point and put in a good defensive performance,” said Tarbell. “We’re happy with that. It’s one stepping stone on the path, and we move forward.”
First point of the season
Houston needed to respond Saturday after dropping its first two games of the season.
The fact that the losses were at home just added salt to the wound. Olsen has repeated how important it is for the Dynamo to be a strong team at home in order for it to reach its goals. Houston needed to respond and get back on track. The fact that the game was on the road and against former MLS Cup winner Crew just added to the pressure to deliver and respond.
On Saturday, Houston responded. Not emphatically with a win, but by being a pest on defense and frustrating the Crew.
Olsen called Saturday’s clean sheet draw an emotional discipline response and an important moment to avoid three losses in a row.
“We talked about an emotional and physical response coming out of the last two matches, and we got it tonight,” said Olsen. “Now we have to go home and put that type of defense performance on again and then add a little bit more to the offensive end.”
To get the draw, Houston adapted its playing style. Gone was the possession style and in its play, a more pragmatic style, which included long balls, and hitting the crew on the counterattack
“[We] played long a little bit more into Ezequiel from the back,” said Tarbell. “And I think that kind of relieved pressure from us back there. And we could focus on being in a good block and working hard defensively.”
Houston (0-2-0, 1 point) avoids the third loss in a row and now gets a chance to pick up its first points at home Saturday versus Real Salt Lake
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.