United, Dynamo look for consistency in Saturday night tilt

The early part of the season is perhaps the most frustrating part of the season. New coaches are adjusting to their teams and players are figuring out how to work with one another. Even supporters are still trying to figure out how to sing in unison. Consistency is the key for any team and both D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo are still searching for it. The two teams will square off on Saturday night at 7pm EST at RFK Stadium. The match will be shown live on Comcast SportsNET in Washington D.C. and in Houston and on MLS Live.

While both teams are looking for that perfect match that is not to say that either team has played poorly early on. United despite playing without forwards Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva, and Eddie Johnson find themselves in first place (3-1-1, 10 points) in the Eastern Conference. The Dynamo meanwhile are in sixth place in the Western Conference (2-2-2, 8 points) a surprise showing considering the club switched conferences this past off-season.

The Dynamo may be making their return to the Eastern Conference with some familiar faces (midfielders Brad Davis and Ricardo Clark, and forward Giles Barnes) but this is a very different club. After legendary coach Dominic Kinnear left for the San Jose Earthquakes, Dynamo management opted to go with former Bolton and Burnley manager Owen Coyle.

Both Kinnear and Coyle may share a Scottish heritage, they have fundamentally different approaches in building a team. While Kinnear’s sides were known for their midfield possession and their patience in building plays, Coyle’s team seems to like to go for the quick attack and are not satisfied 1-0 results. Last week’s 3-0 victory over the Montreal Impact showed them to be a side that can make the drive deep into the box and are confident that they can score.

The player that seems to have benefited the most from this change of approach is Barnes (11 goals in 2014). Coyle likes to run the 4-5-1 with Barnes up top by himself and midfielders Luis Garrido and Brad Davis supplying him. Barnes’ goal off of the free kick was impressive but his chip shot that went wide in 40th minute showed more promise as to what he can do an everyday basis.

The Jamaican international has always had the athletic ability but he has only recently found the technical skills to be an everyday forward. In the lead up to Clark’s goal against the Impact, Barnes wisely avoided getting involved as he was an offside position. While moving away from the play he provided sort of a pick for Clark who used the hole to give Houston their second goal.

To stop Barnes, United will need to force him to take his shots outside of the box. In the Dynamo’s 0-0 draw with the Colorado Rapids and their 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders, Barnes and Houston were forced to mostly long-distance shots. He can certainly still whip in the shot from beyond the eighteen yard box, but it less likely that a shot from distance will go in the back of the net. Look for United center-back Kofi Opare and right-back Sean Franklin to play a huge role in limiting their opportunities.

The one area that the Dynamo are still very dangerous at is on set pieces. Davis is still one of the best free kick and corner takers in all of MLS. United showed last week against the Red Bulls that they lack size and strength without center-back Steve Birnbaum. Although Bill Hamid has been impressive this season, goalkeepers depend upon their defenders to clog up the attack on set pieces. The same goes for Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric, who has saved his team countless times this season.

If United can withstand they will likely find their best opportunities on the counter-attack. The club has a variety of wing players with speed including midfielder-forwards Chris Rolfe, Luis Silva, and Chris Pontius. But the biggest surprise was the attacking play of Perry Kitchen. Kitchen scored two goals last week against the New York Red Bulls.

Kitchen’s second goal was a play that United will look to employ against the Dynamo. Rolfe drove deep into the Red Bulls defense and then crossed the ball to Kitchen at the top of the eighteen yard box. With a few inches of space Kitchen hammered his shot. Against both Seattle and Orlando City, Houston fell prey to defensive miscues which gave their opponents the chance to seize the lead. Dynamo center-back Raul Rodriguez is still out with a concussion so Coyle will likely go with Jermaine Taylor and David Horst.

Midfield play will go a long way to determining who wins this match. With both teams trying new things on the attack they will rely on their midfield to provide shape and composure. Whichever team can score first will dictate the pace of the match and force the other to change their strategy.