Tyler Deric goes full stretch to deny Kaka’s free kick, but it wasn’t enough to save the Dynamo as they fell 0-1 to Orlando City SC
One simple mistake and it can all change so quickly.
That’s the reality of soccer, that’s the beauty of it — that’s why we love the game. Consequently, it’s why we hate the game too. One player can go from hero to villain in a matter of minutes.
Forty minutes had been played and it was Kaka lining up the free kick. Tyler Deric prepared his wall, but it would prove to be no good.
Tyler Deric, as if from nowhere, hurled himself at the perfectly struck ball and used every inch of his frame to get a big right palm onto Kaka’s free kick. The Brazilian was stunned, the fans at BBVA Compass Stadium sent into raptures. Tyler Deric had pulled off his 4th amazing save in two home games.
Tyler Deric: New Houston Dynamo Hero
However, in the 74th minute when David Horst played a routine back-pass to Deric Dynamo fans would be forgiven for thinking that the ‘keepers clearance would be a routine one.
The outcome, however, was something nobody expected. Deric took a heavy touch allowing Pedro Ribeiro to block his clearance, sending the ball toward the goal. A tussle between the two then ensued before Deric punched the ball into his own net.
One simple mistake and it can all change so quickly.
It was a harsh reflection on a game that was admittedly disjointed and sloppy throughout, but that was in large part down to a fantastic pressing game by Owen Coyle’s men. Deric’s mistake aside, usually a silver lining presents itself from within the cloud of a loss.
That silver lining for the Dynamo against Orlando City? David Horst.
David Horst stepped-in for the injured Raul Rodriguez superbly, at times one could’ve been forgiven for asking the question: “Is that John Terry, or David Horst?” The big man was absolutely dominant in the air, and though it was his back-pass that led to the Orlando City winner, he was flawless all night.
What Horst’s performance does is put Jermaine Taylor’s place in doubt. Jermaine Taylor and David Horst are much in the same mould but there are rumblings from fans that they believe Horst offers more when building an attack than Taylor does, and I agree.
When the line-up came out it was obvious that the Dynamo would miss Raul Rodriguez’s passing ability. Houston looked disjointed at times in building attacks compared to the game versus Columbus Crew, that was evident when you consider there were no shots “on target” for Owen Coyle’s team.
Rodriguez is a very composed player, in-fact, he’s the conductor. The Spaniard orchestrates the play from the back line and moves them forward, even if he is not directly involved. It is clear that he has more of a “footballing brain” than his two potential partners at centre half. Think back to the goal versus Columbus. The ball broke free on the right to Rodriguez who played a one-time pass to Kofi Sarkodie down the right hand side, the rest is history.
A partnership of Raul Rodriguez and David Horst is something that the Dynamo could benefit form as the Major League Soccer season winds on. Jermaine Taylor is a fixture, that’s for sure, but my feeling is that Horst complements Rodriguez better than Taylor.
The stats from last season actually show that David Horst is the better defender. Horst won more aerial duels (122) than Jermaine Taylor (62), and won a higher percentage too (71.76% to Taylor’s 56.88%). When you look at total duels (headed balls, tackles, etc), Horst wins out again 60.44% to Taylor’s 47.03%
As aforementioned Jermaine Taylor has been a fixture in Houston, and many believe that’s why Coyle has opted to stick with him for now. But it wont be long before “the Gaffer” needs to make a decision whether to include a player alongside Raul Rodriguez who made 211 clearances last season (Horst), or one who made 129 (Taylor). Would “gaffer” rather have a guy who makes 29 blocks per season (Horst), or 19 (Taylor)?
Jermaine Taylor slides in on Rivas during Houston’s 0-1 loss to Orlando City SC
One thing that stood out to me in the Dynamo’s game versus Orlando was that David Horst was literally willing to put everything on the line to prevent an opponent from winning a header against him, something that Jermaine Taylor has not exuded upon watching in the offseason, or in regular season thus far.
There’s no need to debate who offers more in passing ability, and no need to debate whether Horst made the wrong pass to Deric on Friday night — they’re both career 80% passers, and Horst’s pass was not counted against him as an “error leading to goal.”
More than anything, though, David Horst brings a kind of presence to the defense that Jermaine Taylor does not. Taylor is a very good player, he’s an experienced international, but he’s too laid back.
So it’s time for more difficult decisions for Owen Coyle, and before long I believe we will be seeing more and more of Horst and Rodriguez, and less of Taylor and Rodriguez.
