HOUSTON — Nobody saw that coming, not even the Houston Dynamo.
The Dynamo dominated rival FC Dallas from the opening whistle Saturday, finishing with a 5-0 victory that stands as the most lopsided in Texas Derby history.
"No, I could never have imagined five," defender David Horst said after the match. "We showed last week that we have a very dynamic offense, and I think we have a lot of dangerous guys this year. We said from day one that we’re going to be an exciting team, a disciplined team, and I think we showed both of those things tonight."
The discipline wasn't exactly there in week one, a sloppy draw with the New England Revolution that ended 3-3 when the Dynamo conceded a late goal. And FC Dallas appeared to pick up in week one where it left off at the end of last season, with Mauro Diaz dishing out assists and Fabian Castillo scoring goals.
That made the Dynamo's clean sheet all the more impressive. Houston was able to clog the wings, rendering Colombian wingers Castillo and Michael Barrios largely ineffective. Fullbacks Maynor Figueroa and Atiba Harris were too busy with defensive duties to bound forward as they had against the Philadelphia Union in the opening-day win. With play running through the center, defensive midfielders Ricardo Clark and Alex converged on Diaz and made it difficult for him to play in his compatriot Maxi Urruti or any other teammates.
"They did a great job shutting down Diaz, and if you shut down Diaz, you shut down their offense because he’s pulling all the strings. He’s playing all the balls in. I thought those guys did a great job in there," Horst said in praise of the midfielders.
The win obviously bodes well for the Dynamo's goal of making the playoffs. Coach Owen Coyle and technical director Matt Jordan have been the subject of some criticism for what fans saw as a quiet offseason. But Andrew Wenger and Cristian Maidana appear to be perfect fits in Coyle's system, and forward Will Bruin is also benefiting from the switch. Coyle hopes the lopsided win will signal that the Dynamo are a team to watch.
"I think tonight we showed our class, not only as a team, as a club, as a franchise," Coyle said. "We won a very tough game. We don’t gloat about it. We accept it in the sporting matter it is.
"We always have respect for our opponents. I just felt they weren’t up to the game. Maybe it’s just that people have a very high opinion of them, FC Dallas throughout the league and with all the websites. I don’t think too many people gave us a chance. So after tonight maybe they sat back and thought you know what? Maybe Houston Dynamo are a half-decent side."
Though Coyle's men are still undefeated, they're not entirely unscathed. Both Giles Barnes and Maidana left Saturday's match with injuries, and either of those players missing significant time could diminish the effectiveness of the team's newfound potency.
While it's dangerous to draw conclusions just two weeks into the season, the contrast between weeks one and two show that even if the Dynamo attack doesn't flex the same muscle, it's at the back where matches will be decided.
