Houston Dynamo and Wilmer Cabrera: Don’t fix what ain’t broken

Houston Dynamo made the 4-3-3 work against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Wilmer Cabrera must be careful to not fix what ain’t broken.

On a rare below-60-degrees daytime kickoff, the Houston Dynamo made the 4-3-3 work against the Vancouver Whitecaps’ midfield blockade. The Whitecaps showed a 3-4-3 throughout much of the March 16 contest.

After the Dynamo saw shocking resistance to the 4-3-3 in CONCACAF Champions League play, they looked at different schemes to give them a greater tactical edge. But with dependable results from this formation among MLS competition, they’ve made it work at home and, so far, remain undefeated. They may have been eliminated from Champions League earlier in the week, but for this MLS game, the Dynamo won 3-2.

Vancouver’s idea was to overwhelm the home team in the midfield. But instead, they overwhelmed their own attacking players as they neared Houston’s net. They were easily dispossessed as they pushed forward from the midfield. As a result, the Whitecaps could only mount solo attacks.

Focusing a 3-4-3 against Houston’s 4-3-3, both Vancouver’s scores came unassisted. The Whitecaps scored early on a penalty kick. In the second half, substitute Alhassane Bangoura scored a 54th-minute goal. It was a solo effort.

Unlike the CCL 5-3-2 experiments against the Dynamo, Vancouver’s formation and personnel didn’t stop Houston from scoring. And in those prior contests, opponents crippled their offensive effort while improving their defense. The same happened here. Vancouver got off only two shots the first half. The only one on goal was the penalty kick.

In one scouting report, the 3-4-3 stifled the Whitecaps from exhibiting any significant strengths throughout the game, often forcing attacks with a single player, the scouting report noted flurries of individual errors.

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Without many passing options, players were frequently dispossessed. A typical scene was in the 20th minute when Dynamo defender A.J. DeLaGarza quickly and easily dispossessed an isolated Fredy Montero and instigated a Houston attack.

Houston finished this game with 528 passes, 101 more than the Whitecaps. In any game with this passing dynamic, the better team looks like they have two extra players. Especially when Houston Dynamo have the 4-3-3 working, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2 formations end up harming more than they help. The best the opponents can hope for is a draw.

The Dynamo pulled this game off without DaMarcus Beasley, who remains out with a knee injury. Depending on future injuries and international call-ups, they may have some other personnel shifts. Should these shifts not fully support head coach Wilmer Cabrera’s 4-3-3, he’s demonstrated that he’s not married to that formation.

But with it working this well, and getting better, Cabrera should be careful not to stray too far from what is successful. And for now, the 4-3-3 is very successful indeed.