Q&A With Dynamo Theory

1 - How would you rate the Dynamo season so far and what are the expectations for this year?

It isn’t easy to rate how the Dynamo have done. On one hand they’ve had some decent results against good competition and on the other hand they’ve only won a 1 game out of 5 and have only scored twice. Defensively this team would get an A- (the minus is for giving up soft goals) but offensively they’re looking at a solid D or an F. The team is still coming together so the fact that the defense has performed well this quickly is a good sign. Dynamo fans aren’t used to missing the playoffs, having only missed playoff action twice in 10 years (with 4 MLS Cup appearances), so our expectations are to bounce back and get in the playoffs, regardless of our new place in the Western Conference.

2 -The team have some scoring problems  with only 2 goals scored in 5 games but they only allowed 3  How can you explain this ?

The formation the Dynamo have been playing this season has been mostly a 4-5-1 which makes it extremely difficult for other teams to possess the ball and create chances due to our numbers in the midfield and on defense. Our midfield and forward(s) have had trouble linking and a lot of it has to do with the formation – at least in my opinion. Momentarily our offense relies on counter attacks which means getting numbers up quickly which has been a problem. If we can commit more players up when we get the ball and possess in the final 3rd, the goals will come, but right now that just isn’t happening enough.

3 -Where on the field does the team need to improve and if they try to get another DP, what kind of player it should be?

There’s been a lot of talk about what players should we or could we get and most of the conversations inevitably lead to "we’ll be fine once Cubo arrives". Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but if we could sign another player or make a run for a DP I think a central attacking midfielder/playmaker or a forward would be needed. Our defense has proven itself well enough this year to be fine, we’re set on the wings, and we have a surplus of defensive midfielders so an offensive minded player is a must at this point.

4 -With Cubo Torres coming in during the summer, how the team will manage the playing time of Forward Will Bruin and Giles Barnes since they have been the top forwards for the Dynamo since a couple of year now ?

Ah, that was a huge question we had over the offseason and it appears now that our Dancing Bear (Will Bruin) has found a place coming off the bench. When Cubo arrives he could partner with Barnes up top or Barnes could find a place in the midfield, but it looks like Bruin has found himself the odd man out before Cubo has even arrived.

5 -Montreal and Houston have a great rivalry since the arrival of the Impact in MLS. Just to mention Brian Ching or the playoff game between the two team in 2013. We always enjoyed a game vs Houston. With that being said what's your predictions for this weekend game? And what is your starting 11?

Houston knows that it has to start scoring goals which MUST be a point of emphasis this week. If we don’t start scoring goals the criticism will continue to mount despite solid defensive efforts. I think we finally find our scoring touch and win the game 3-1 at home.

Predicted Lineup:

Deric; Beasley, Taylor, Horst, Sarkodie; Davis, Sturgis, Clark, Garrido, Boniek; Barnes

Special thanks to Derek Stowers for his time ! You can follow him on twitter @dStowers410 or the Dynamo Theory @dynamotheory