Houston Dynamo: From glimpses to completeness

The Houston Dynamo are off to a great start this season. What exactly has changed for this squad compared to last year and could it lead to further success?

The season is still young. It is naive to draw any meaningful conclusions. But my, what a start it has been for the Houston Dynamo!

6-1-1? Third place in the West? A far better record compared to last season? There is little to complain in Houston.

Last season, the Dynamo were like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. They played well against tough competition but fell to lesser opponents when it mattered most. There are some familiar players still doing what they did last year, but it is some of the new faces that have been added make a difference to this team.

One example of this is the defense. Houston was not a solid defensive team last year — a lot of that had to do with injuries, both in the midfield and backline, but their record was still one of the worst in MLS. Not the case this year. Only LAFC and Atlanta have conceded fewer goals than the Dynamo.

The momentum for this season can be traced to last season, it just only came in glimpses. Remember when the Dynamo denied Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy from the postseason? That was the good version of this team. Or how about when they started last season by beating Atlanta United 4-0? The point is, this team had potential when healthy and when they wanted it.

The season is really young still and the positive changes that Houston have made must now be sustained. But, I am really enjoying what I see so far from the men in orange. And fans should too.

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Overall, this team is playing well as a unit. For starters, guys like Tomas Martinez and A.J. DeLaGarza are back fully healthy. They look to be back in some really good form, especially Martinez. Follow that up with Alberth Elis playing stellar on the wing — four assists in eight games — and Mauro Manotas scoring at a high rate — three goals in the last two games and five on the season — and you have balance. And balance is what this team desperately needed.

However, there are other players whose efforts cannot go unnoticed: Defenders Kiki Struna and Maynor Figueroa have added some nice depth and experience in the backline, while young stud Memo Rodriguez can really play.

In seven appearances, Rodriguez already has four goals and is a superb creator on and off the ball. Seriously, watching this kid run and cut through the midfield is spectacular. It is this kind of spark and rejuvenation that the Dynamo desperately needed. A solid backline, a tough as nails and creative midfield, and a stellar attack. Suddenly, they are not inconsistently brilliant but consistent.

Indeed, what a start it has been in Houston. There is still a long way to go, and questions regarding the competition of their opponents persist. This season looks immensely promising and we’ll be here to see how they do the rest of the way.