Houston Dynamo Vs Tigres: CD Guastatoya 5-3-2 offers hope

CD Guastatoya stifled the Houston Dynamo with a 5-3-2 shape last week. But the Dynamo’s attacking struggles offer hope versus Tigres UANL in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League this week.

For the first time since the U.S. Open Cup, Houston Dynamo faced an impenetrable 5-3-2 formation. This time it was against CD Guastatoya from Guatemala in the Round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions League. Although the home team won 2-1 on February 27, it’s the closest thing to a perfect formation to stifle the Dynamo’s 4-3-3.

The visitor’s formation worked just like when amateur juggernaut NTX Rayados used it against the Houston Dynamo in June 2018. Like Rayados, the 5-3-2 worked so well for CD Guastatoya that the Dynamo couldn’t score in the first half.

But here’s the tragic flaw in the scheme: CD Guastatoya couldn’t score either in the first half. That’s also what happened back in June to Rayados. So the first half was a stalemate and, after a first leg defeat, that renders useless to the Guatemalan team’s mission to stay alive in the CCL.

So they changed things up in the second half as they were forced to chase the tie. As a result, they left ever-so-small holes in the defensive wall. In the 72nd minute, Aaron Navarro scored on a high bounce over Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis and into the net. Dynamo head coach Wilber Cabrera had hoped to keep Mauro Manotas on ice, waiting for the MLS opener Saturday against Real Salt Lake, but he saw that Guastatoya’s scheme had started to work where it never had in the past and swiftly looked to change things up.

So by the 69th minute, Cabrera subbed in Manotas. 16 minutes later, Manotas had scored twice and secure the victory for the Dynamo, taking advantage of the gaps in Guastatoya’s more attacking approach.

This might not be the last time the Dynamo see the 5-3-2 in this competition. Teams are intently studying how to get it to work against Houston. Guastatoya is only the latest. The two teams using it in Houston, enjoyed great success implementing the shape. But goals were a problem.

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When the scheme doesn’t help to create chances, players have to abandon it for a more effective offensive system. In doing that, however, they abandoned the defensive system that delivered for them earlier on in the match. And each time, the Dynamo took advantage and won the game.

The Dynamo’s next Champions League match is at home, Tuesday, March 5, against Tigres UANL of Liga MX. Tigres are the favorites to win the CCL. This will be a hugely difficult task. But in the Dynamo’s struggles in breaking down the 5-3-2, there is reason for hope.

Tigres, unlike Guastatoya or the NTX Rayados, will not sit deep and compact the space in which the Houston attackers can work. Even away from home, they will still expect to dictate the game, looking for that crucial away goal to defend in Mexico. As the second half versus Guastatoya displayed last week, when teams push forward and look to dictate against the Dynamo, spaces are vacated at the other end. And there are few better teams in CONCACAF play at exploiting them than Houston.

The 5-3-2 is a problem that Cabrera will have to solve this season. But, for now, that problem can wait, because Tigres won’t play like that. Tigres, in fact, might just play right into the Dynamo’s hands.