Top Stories

Dynamo dominate flat Red Bulls in Houston

DynamoBeatNY (Getty)

By DAN MONTESANO

It was certainly not the way the New York Red Bulls envisioned the beginning of the Tim Cahill era.

The Houston Dynamo thoroughly dominated the Red Bulls Friday night, earning a 2-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium. The victory helped Houston leapfrog New York to take first place in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls have now dropped two straight league matches, after falling to Montreal earlier in the week.

The Dynamo outplayed the Red Bulls from the start of the match, with New York looking like a flat and lifeless bunch. Missing midfielder Dax McCarty, right back Brandon Barklage and Rafa Marquez, the Red Bulls lacked cohesion, organization and energy in Cahill's first MLS match.

Houston opened the scoring just two minutes into the match, after Jermaine Taylor used his knee to guide the ball into the net after a frantic scramble in front of New York's goal. The Dynamo struck again in the 28th minute when Calen Carr headed in a cross that beat New York goalkeeper Bill Gaudette.

The Dynamo kept the Red Bulls on their heels for much of the day, with Mac Kandji's work on the left flank and Oscar Boniek Garcia's contributions in midfield helping to control the action for the home team.

Cahill struggled to get into the flow of the game, and was forced to play a full 90 minutes, when coach Hans Backe was forced to use his final remaining subsitution when Wilmon Conde picked up an injury in the second half.

The Red Bulls will have a chance to avenge the loss when Houston travels to Red Bull Arena on August 10.

Comments

  1. 06 and 07 were definitely great because of those cup wins, as for 09 as a fan I was so confident the team would win but the blackout truly hurt the Dynamos playoff run. Had they not happened the dynamo had that game.

    Reply
  2. The New York Red Bulls are not a NY team? Amazing. And the city of New York doesn’t mind the RB taking their name? Dude, if New Yorkers are going to claim them in the good times, they’re stuck with them in the bad times.

    Reply
  3. After Houston scored in the 2nd minute the Red Bull didn’t have a chance. I have watched a lot of August games in Houston since the Dyanmo started playing here and the response is generally pretty much the same from the opposition when they fall behind. Survival. It was borderline Heat Exhaustion just sitting in the stadium; can’t imagine having to be an out of town team playing there. I guess Conde felt the same way.

    That being said NYRB looked really lost last night and I am sure Pearce will have nightmares thinking about Khanji running at him all night. I was also very happy to see Cooper sitting on the bench at the beginning of the game. Curious decision since he matches up well with Dynamo defenders and NYRB would have been a mismatch on the left vs. Ashe. That being said the situation will be very different next Friday night. A lot of Dynamo fans are falling all over themselves patting themselves on the back. As has been proven in MLS; championships are not won in August. Dynamo have had a string of home games and have got the job done. Credit where it is due. The fact is that they have won one road game (in Toronto and I am not sure that means a lot) since the first few weeks of the season. The game Friday night in NJ will be a real test of where they are now. That game is followed by Columbus at home and they have always been one of the few teams that comes into Houston to win. That will be another test.

    I am also curious to see how the NYRB star-studded roster plays out over the course of the season as they learn to play together again when they get healthy. The contrast between the star laden roster in NY and the low cost Dominic Kinnear team that was assembled on the AEG non-Galaxy budget is interesting to watch.

    As far as the Dynamo is concerned….Ricardo is back and all is good. Thank you Red Bull for letting us have him back in the day.

    Reply
  4. The very moment Cameron was removed from defense, the Dynamo added Boniek Garcia and shifted to a 4-3-3 which allowed them greater control of the midfield.

    Cameron wasn’t having an All-Star year in defense, but he was hardly having a horrible season. Plus, Jermaine Taylor has emerged as a beast and probably Team MVP this season. Unfortunately, he’s not USMNT eligible so we won’t write off Cameron yet.

    Reply
  5. Boniek Garcia is the perfect example of the DPs that will flourish in this league.

    The Beckhams and Henrys are needed at this point to raise the league profile, but the hard-working and well-scouted acquisitions IN THEIR PRIME are the “sexy” ones.

    Reply
  6. Anyone else notice that the Dynamo started (and continued) playing well the very moment Cameron was removed from the defense?
    #THERESABIGELEPHANTINHERE

    Reply
  7. It’s a ridiculous comment on so many levels, but not least because NYRB are not a NY team. While I’ve never been beyond Houston’s airport, I’m guessing Harrison is a shitehole compared to Houston.

    Reply
  8. Oooh, this loss must have really stung if you’re pulling out “New York: The greatest city in the World!” argument. So what! That argument has been pulled out time and time again by Red Bull (aka Metro Stars) fans … and Mets fans, and Jets fans, and Rangers fans, and Knicks fans, and Islander fans, and Nets fans. All of them underperforming and disappointing teams most of the time.
    Thierry Henry’s salary alone this year is nearly twice as much as the entire Dynamo roster and your team got its asses kicked from one end of the field to the other.
    If you are a soccer fan, I’d be thinking more about your fantastically under-performing soccer team than the fact that your city is home to Broadway, the Empire State Building, the Yankees, and whatever else you’re proud of.

    Reply
  9. Were you there two years ago when the Galaxy thrashed the Sounders 4-0? When the Sounders were so embarassed that they refunded money to their fans? Yeah. That was cool.

    Reply
  10. Agreed, and remember, the only two teams undefeated at home are Houston and New York. I think this sets up a great one next weekend at Red Bull Arena. Can’t wait!

    Reply
  11. Hopper, first of all, there’s no Levesque and no Sutton so I don’t understand your example from four years ago trying to make a point that NY sucks today. Second, you clearly have not been seeing any Houston matches. While they used to be considered “unsexy,” they are now one of the fastest, most athletic, and attack minded teams in the league (yet they have learned how to not sacrifice defense). And at this point of the season I would say they are the best in the league. The only thing I can figure is that you think overpriced, overhyped designated players are “sexy.” I think winning is sexy. I think outworking your opponent for 90 minutes is sexy. I think substance over style is sexy. And I can’t believe you made me just use the word sexy that many times.

    Reply
  12. 2009 was truly a great season. Only difference: Cups in 2006 and 2007. Blackout tainted playoff loss in 2009. As a season ticket holder since the beginning, those first two years were glorious, beginning with Ching’s 4 goal performance against Colorado in the first game in Robertson.

    Reply
  13. Well, I’m not a RBNY fan but to say that they’re crap is not exactly fair. The Dynamo are making everybody look bad right now. At the Oven, they are nothing short of impossible.

    Reply
  14. as a note, i do know NY used all 3 subs last night, but Cooper should have started this match and not came in later… more of a general question on Backe’s sub usage — i was also at the Chicago match in June and it was hotter n hell and he still sat their dippin his tobacco

    Reply
  15. was at this match and felt like the Red Bulls bunch didn’t know how to play together. also, for being as hot & humid as it was, what’s with Backe’s resistance with using subs? As for Conde, he either was done in by the heat or just has a solid case of ‘wuss-itis’. he was doubling over a bit when play was away from him, so either he truely was ill or just good actor. hats off to Dynamo and their fans, it was my first visit to stadium and it was memorable.

    Reply
  16. How about Soler and Backe. They have spent almost $15 million this year — almost 5 times more than Houston — and their team continues to be incredibly inconsistent and lacking chemistry. Money, talent and Backe repeatedly blaming a defense that he built and coaches, cannot distract from the complete underperformance of the duo that runs this team. I’ve said it before…some day fans will look back and wonder how we let these guys do to NYRB what Soler did to IK Start.

    Reply
  17. I blame Rafa. No, he didn’t play tonight but he is taking the spot of another DP. Get rid of him already so we can get somebody who actually cares.

    Reply
  18. Houston lately have actually been pretty sexy. Throughout their history they’ve been a hard working side that grinds out results but Kandji, Boniek, Camargo and Davis have really been displaying quite a bit of skill and the Dynamo have been scoring quite a few goals.

    Reply
  19. The New York Red Bulls just aren’t that good. I know that people want them to be good, but it doesn’t matter how many high-profile DPs they sign, NYRB are not a good team. Just like the MetroStars, even when they were my favorite team and had Djorkaeff, Gaven, Gavara, Clark and Wolyniec, were not a good team.

    Houston is one of the least sexy teams in the league, and New York looked like garbage against them. The Red Bulls aren’t doing anything this year, just like every other year.

    I was there when Roger Levesque took the ball off of Sutton’s foot, scored and scuba dived. NY sucks.

    Reply
  20. Houston, pat yourself on the back. You have NY’s number on this one match day in a small league no one watches. I guess NY will take being the capital and king of everything else in the entire world.

    Reply
  21. “Redbulls are the best team MLS has ever seen!”

    …no wait, still not a valid statement. I’ll be back again next week to see if it works.

    (probably not)

    Reply
  22. Talent and no chemistry will always fail. It’s funny how the Red Bulls think they can acquire all this European players and expect to dominate right of the bat.

    Reply
  23. I can’t believe they keep tweaking their roster. The second they start gelling they mix it up. Dumb management. LA’s roster has taught us two things. 1) It takes four years to buy the cup. 2)Cahill needs to get an underwear line to be successful.

    Reply
  24. What a whiner. This wasn’t anywhere near as hot as it could be. These guys are pros and both teams had to play in it. NYRB are a bunch of wusses who couldn’t cut it tonight in those conditions, but Dynamo had something to do with that. Constant pressure. Never letting up. Pressing advantage after advantage. It was impressive.

    And what a tepid performance from Handball Henry of NYRB. He wasn’t even the best Frenchman on the pitch tonight, and Le Toux wasn’t really lighting it up.

    Reply
  25. I didn’t watch the game but NY needs a new coach. All that talent and he still can’t get it right. He was a crappy all stars coach too.

    Reply
  26. Maybe it’s just me but as a dynamo fan I feel like 09 was honestly the best Dynamo squad in club history.. This season sort of reminds me of the style of play from that season.

    Reply
  27. Dynamo

    Thanks for having cheap owners who couldnt build a retractible roof stadium because playing in 10000 degree weather makes the game look like slow motion….

    Reply
  28. Houston thoroughly controlled the game. They possessed because they had numbers around the ball, played with technical ability when on the ball and most importantly, they ran. If anything, this game highlighted how old the Red Bulls are and how difficult it is going to be for them to win a championship with old, tired legs. I don’t care how great Henry, Marquez and Cahill are or were, if you can’t run, you can’t win. The Red Bull’s model felt exposed tonight. Soler ought to reflect on the organization’s inability to work young guys into the system. I think Soler and Backe need to do better at finding more Lade’s and McCarty’s and at developing guys that have the ability but perhaps not the maturity (Agudelo).

    Reply

Leave a Comment