Here are three takeaways from the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers, giving the Orange consecutive losses.
Five games in 15 days
Saturday’s 2-1 loss marks the end of a brutal stretch for the Dynamo in which they had five games in 15 days. Of the five games, one was for the U.S. Open Cup, which the Orange won 4-2 to put them in the semifinal of the competition. Houston will host LAFC August 8th for a chance to advance to the final. In the four Major League Soccer games, however, the Dynamo didn’t fare as well. Houston went 0-2-2 in that four-game stretch only getting two points from the stretch of games.
Two points out of a possible 12 is not a good outcome for a team that’s trying to climb the Western Conference Standings. The Dynamo currently sit 9th in the West with 27 points and need to make up ground quickly and they still have time to do so. The Orange is only six points off fourth place and four points off sixth
Late-game execution non-existent in road games
For all the betterment the Dynamo have had under head coach Wilmer Cabrera, one aspect that has yet to be fixed and improved upon is the team’s performance on the road. This season Houston is 1-5-4 on the road. Worse yet is Houston could only muster five shots, with only two being on target. The only positive is Houston’s goal against Portland was their 14th road score of the season, matching all of their road output from last season.
And that’s where the positives stop. But make no mistake, Houston could have walked out of Portland with a point, instead, an 80th-minute goal from Fernando Adi adds to what has been a tumultuous road trend for Houston.
This season, the Dynamo have allowed seven road goals after the 80th minute. In those six games, Houston was either winning or tied. Had the Dynamo not conceded a score late, it would have picked up 14 points from those six road games. Instead, Houston took just three. The additional 11 points would have give the Dynamo 38 for the season. Good enough for second in the West.
Lack of production off the bench
The Dynamo could have used a difference maker off the bench against Portland but sadly, at this point in the season, Houston doesn’t have one. Last season, late in games and in the latter part of the season, Cabrera relied on veteran Vicente Sanchez, and the Uruguayan playmaker paid dividends for Cabrera and the Dynamo.
Sanchez was a spark off the bench and would run at tired defenses. But Sanchez opted to retire and Houston was left with a void. Arturo Alvarez was brought in this season to try and replicate what Sanchez did last season but the Houston native hasn’t exactly been producing on the field. The hope now is that recently arrived forward Ronaldo Peña could aid in that regard.