For 58 minutes, the Houston Dynamo's visit to Crew Stadium was a goal-less snoozer that looked unlikely to produce a goal. Four goals later, fans at Crew Stadium had been treated to an exciting finish even if the home team was unable to secure the victory.
Columbus midfielder Eddie Gaven scored two goals to cancel out an early Will Bruin score and give the Crew a 2-1 lead in the second half, but Bruin set up Ching with a quality chance the veteran buried in the 81st minute to give Houston a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
The draw pushed the Crew's winless streak to three matches, while Houston moved to 2-1-2.
Here are the match highlights:
What did you think of the match? Impressed with Will Bruin's play? Did Gaven's brace remind you of his Best XI days? Think the Dynamo are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference?
Share your thoughts below.
The Dancing Bear is great….
The little things make him a true leader. This is going to rub off on Bruin. Every team needs a Ching.
Oduro had 7 goals in all competitions for the 2010 Dynamo. Ching had the same amount of goals for that same team. Neither prospered or struggled more than the other in 2010, when the team stunk. So one is to blame for their supposed suckitude and run out of town (only to score something like 14 last year) but the other is to be lauded (as he dwindles to 6 2011 goals, and is on pace for the same this year….while some Fs have 6 or more goals already)? He and Davis were the two bright spots on a lousy team….flopped my tush. He then missed a sitter against a Philly team and got traded, then Philly surprised enough that they made the playoffs, perhaps suggesting our opening struggles were more of a reflection of where the team was at the time than Oduro being unable to score on what was probably perceived by DK as a mere expansion team.
Likewise, Kamara had 7 MLS goals over roughly a season here after being traded midseason, but was then traded early the next year after getting crossways with DK. His goal tally then went up to 9 and 10 goals the last two seasons, and he’s had more goals then Ching each of the past two seasons plus the beginning of this one. Totally flopped?
And then I think having traded last year’s Golden Boot (Wondo) and MVP (DeRo) winners speaks for itself. IMO DK did well with a pre-packaged team that arrived in Houston but has been unable to build the team up to an elite level since 2007, in part because his teams have become brawling caricatures of the counter-attacking sides they used to be. We used to be a strong defensive side with plentiful offensive talent to the point Holden was a sub. Now we are a strong defensive side with Davis, an ageing Ching, and that’s about it. The midfield has been allowed to deteriorate and too much emphasis has been placed on ball-winning over playmaking, speed, or virtuosity.
But carry on with the Trust Dom stuff that defends every choice we make as we go that much father from the championship years. I think DK knows how to put together solid playoff teams who like to tussle but I think he’s lost the plot offensively.
Your reality check needs context, which is this: Wondo while at Dynamo — f-all; Kamara while at Dynamo — f-all; Oduro while at Dynamo — f-all. Absolutely nobody thought those three guys were going to be successful. Whether that’s down to the Dynamo system, surrounding players, or Kinnear’s coaching, who knows? But they were given their chances in Houston and totally flopped.
As far as Bruin’s play, I’m just very thankful he didnt do that dorky goal dance.
Reality check: Wondo (traded), 8 goals; Kamara (traded), 4 goals; Oduro (traded), 3 goals; Boyd (beaten to signature), 3 goals. The top 3 teams in the conference all have 12+ goals, we have 5. Like 2 goals from the run of play all year. I respect Ching’s subtle qualities but at this point in his history I’d rather have Henry or Cooper (a rumored trade target the Timbers supposedly decided not to trade us) instead. Irony to me being that Henry is a year older just doesn’t look like it yet.
But we can make do here with forward by committee, the primary issue is the midfield. Not enough service, too dependent on Davis who’s already shown he may not be healthy on and off this season.
And I know I’m supposed to be happy about Kinnear churning another road point but KC has a better road record still and a point a piece from the Fire and the Crew may look h-hum as the season progresses. Sometimes you wish they went for the throat and/or played a more attacking breed of player.
Momentum? That’s two points from the last three games and no wins since March 17th. I realize the template is KC’s mad dash up the table last year after their park opened, but my concern is we, without Davis, maintain too much in common with the team outplayed by LA in the final and without much of a chance offensively.
They need to keep building on this momentum.
Except for Ching’s assist last game and the goal this game…
In general he is underrated, but not this season.. He hasnt dont much of anything, but he is looking better the last few weeks. Much can be blamed on the midfield, but he still hasnt produced.
At first glance I thought you said, “overrated”. But you’re right, he is underrated, he is a hell of a player. Very smart player. I’m glad he’s back with the team and he looks in better shape than in previous seasons. He’s really committed to winning this year which is great. Now, if only he and Davis can stay healthy the entire season we’ll have another shot at the cup.
Ching is still underrated