HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo made club history — the wrong kind — Saturday afternoon in its 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City as it failed to score a goal in their first two games of the season.
The loss at Children’s Mercy Park extends Houston’s winless road streak to 26 games. The Dynamo last tasted victory on the road on Aug 25, 2020, against, oddly enough, Sporting Kansas City in a 5-2 win.
Two games into the Major League Soccer season, it’s hard to see this version of the Dynamo (0-1-1, 1 point) scoring five goals in one game.
Against Sporting KC, Nagamura said the Houston game plan in the first half was to limit SKC’s opportunities and break out on the counter and during transitional moments.
The second half mirrored the first half until Houston conceded a goal in the 60th minute, which caused them to push for the equalizer. Houston broke through the Sporting KC defense, but the Dynamo lacked the final pass. Not unlike their nil-nil draw against Real Salt Lake in the first game of the season.
“I think that’s what we’re lacking right now,” Nagamura said. “We’re lacking the final pass.”
Houston’s expected goals against Sporting KC, 0.7, was slightly higher than their showing against Real Salt Lake, 0.4, on opening night.
Houston signed Héctor Herrera as its next designated player, and the midfielder will help improve the Dynamo attack, but the Mexican co-captain doesn’t begin playing for Houston until summer. The current roster will have to hold the fort until Herrera arrives. A roster that Nagamura is pleased with but admits they need work.
“I think we need to improve that part [attack] of the field. And again, it’s a difficult game, it’s a difficult environment,” Nagamura said. “We were one play away. If that ball from Darwin [Quintero] gets in, we’re probably having a different talk right here. But yes, we need improvement, and we’re going to work on it.”
Quintero, the Colombian attacker, is a difference-maker, and it’s no surprise that when he’s on the field, the Dynamo attack immediately kicks into another gear. Does Nagamura intend to use Quinter as a super-sub this season?
“I think we have 15, 16, 17 starters right now, to be honest with you. I don’t say super sub. I think there are a lot of guys that can step in and be a starter for a team.” Nagamura said.
“Darwin came on today and gave us a spark. He had a chance to score, made a couple of plays there around the box, and that’s what we expect from him. We expect the subs, or whoever’s playing are coming into the game, to give us a good impact, and I think they [subs] gave us a little bit. We’re just missing the last touch.”
Houston and Nagamura get a chance to remedy their offensive woes next Saturday when the Dynamo hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps at PNC Stadium.
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.
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