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Dynamo thump Atlanta United behind four first half goals

Atlanta United made several big splashes this offseason, but it was the Houston Dynamo that started the season with a flurry of goals and a lopsided win.

Behind four first half goals, the Dynamo blew out Atlanta United, 4-0, at BBVAA Compass Stadium to open the MLS season with a blowout victory.

It took just five minutes for the Dynamo to open the scoring through Andrew Wenger. The goal proved little more than a tap-in as the Dynamo forward finished a low cross Alberth Elis to get the hosts off to a perfect start.

Defender Philippe Senderos added the second in the 23rd minute before Mauro Manotas made it three just four minutes later. Following a perfectly-weighted Elis pass, Wenger teed the ball up for Manotas, who beat Brad Guzan with the shot to push it to three.

The Dynamo added one more just before the half on a goal from Darwin Ceren, who marked his Dynamo debut by pushing it to 4-0 in first half stoppage time. From there, the Dynamo cruised through the second half while holding out for an easy win.

Next up for the Dynamo is a visit to the Vancouver Whitecaps white Atlanta will look to bounce back at home against D.C. United.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Although he didn’t score one of the goals, Alberth Elis was instrumental in creating them in a match where he played creator more than finisher.

MOMENT OF THE  MATCH

Andrew Wenger’s goal just moments into the match set a tone, and that tone continued throughout a first half battering.

MATCH TO FORGET

When you lose 4-0, it’s fair to blame just about everyone, but the starting midfield of Chris McCann and Darlington Nagbe struggled from the onset.

Comments

  1. can i get a plug in, is that alright?

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    Reply
  2. ATL were absolutely terrible…..WOW, its like they got surprise with this game and had to prep in a day. Lack of professionalism. Nagbe?? Miguel Almirón?? Josef Martínez?? And Oh, my goodness Guzan!!! Like If the team wasn’t bad enough, the 4th goal for Houston was literally a pass from Guzan to Ceren…. it’s like he put in the effort to keep the ball from going out and gave him the ball,
    ——
    You cant judge a team based on one game….but dang!!!!

    Reply
    • You’re mostly right, but Josef played well, at least comparatively IMO. Earned a pen and should have had an assist but Almiron missed the pen and tried to finish Josef’s cross with his left foot instead of his right. I didn’t see how bad the 4th goal was live, but when watching the highlights this morning, Guzan basically set the ball up for a half volley like he was a setter in volleyball. Yikes

      Reply
  3. Some thoughts on the game and how it relates to the big picture:

    1. It seemed like the Dynamo didn’t do much in the off season and many including myself expected them to take a step back. Was this just a result of the Dynamo being strong at home and benefiting from continuity while playing a team with lots of new pieces?

    2. Cool to see Quioto gave up #12 to home town Arturo Alvarez and is now wearing #31. Hope that’s an indication of good team chemistry.

    3. I’ve generally been rooting for Atlanta to succeed because they are doing such a great job of raising the bar for MLS, but I couldn’t help but remember them booing Jozy and Bradley when they played TFC last season after the USMNT lost to TnT, even though they have been two of the more productive players for the Nats. Then in the offseason, Atlanta sends a boatload of allocation to PDX for Darlington Nagbe, who by all accounts has been one of the most overrated players in MLS and for the USMNT. He was horrific today and it’s exactly what any Atlanta fans that booed Jozy and MB deserve. The funniest play he made today was when he received the ball and instead of passing, took a couple dribbles into the ref and lost possession leading to a counter attack. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Nagbe.

    4. Ditto Brad Guzan. We’ve always had Keller, Freidel, Howard, etc. but with Timmy getting up in age, Guzan needed to step up his game and he was utterly average. Enjoy Atlanta fans!

    Reply
    • In the offseason, the Dynamo quietly made minor adjustments that cut fat from the roster, filled gaps in depth with young and/or utility players, and solidified the two great guys we had on loan. I’d say the 2018 Dynamo kept nearly all the good parts of the 2017 team and brought in youth and depth to make them even more balanced than last year. Did the Dynamo get lucky in 2017? The harder you work, the luckier you get.

      Reply
      • I would argue that besides trimming the fat, the Dynamo focused the the current team chemistry and better defined everyone’s roles. I’m excited to see if they can stay consistent for the season.

      • Hopefully that’s what they were trying to do. I’d rather have the front office focus on making small incremental improvements without taking while home run swings that will screw up the salary cap. I just have a natural inclination to assume the front office’s hands are being tied by cheap (at least relatively speaking compared to teams like TFC) ownership. Hopefully they can do well to start the season with continuity and then make a smart DP signer in the summer.

  4. This game was straight TRASH!!! I was there … so was my son … it was his 1st game and I’m sorry for him. This was HORRIBLENESS… I have no words ?

    Reply

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