Last week was a great week for the Dynamo!
We played three games in seven days and came away with the full nine points.
We continued our success at home, making it 19 in-a-row without a loss, which is the longest active streak in MLS (the technical streak is 18, but I include the home playoff game vs. Philadelphia).
Three games in seven days is a difficult challenge for everyone (especially in mid-July), but the team came through, and so did you. More than 59,000 fans came out to BBVA Compass Stadium during the homestand for an average of more than 19,000 per game.
We knew these games were critical going into the week and that our position in the Eastern Conference standing could be greatly affected. We jumped from fifth place to third place, which is important because the top three teams avoid having to play in the one-game Wild Card match and get a bye onto the aggregate round.
We outscored our opponents 9-1 and improved our goal differential from minus two to plus six. Goal differential is important if it comes down to playoff tie-break scenarios.
Seven different players accounted for the nine goals. Mac Kandji and Calen Carr had two, while Brad Davis, Will Bruin, Boniek Garcia, Brian Ching and Bobby Boswell each had one.
It’s great to see us scoring goals, but the defense has been strong as well. We have not given up a goal in the run of play since the opening minutes of the second half vs. Philly on June 30. Since then (5 ½ games), we have given up one goal, which was the penalty kick vs. KC last Wednesday.
The international transfer window closes on Friday. This means that we have until close of business on to acquire players via transfer that are under contract with another club. Once the window closes, we can still sign free agents up until the MLS roster freeze deadline (September 15). We can also make trades within MLS up to the roster freeze date.
The Geoff Cameron deal is in the final stage of completion. He is now seeking his work permit, which will enable him to play in the UK. If the permit is secured, then the transfer will be complete and he will officially be removed from our roster. Until then, he remains on our active roster. If it is not secured, then the transfer will not go through and he will remain with the Dynamo. There is no clear way to predict whether or not he will receive the permit, although all parties are optimistic.
Without over-complicating things, I can tell you that this process has created challenges for us on the transfer market. This is because Geoff's deal going through is tied to future moves. The challenges come mostly from the transfer window closing before Geoff's deal is official and final.
We go on the road to Toronto this weekend (FSH, MultiMedios 3:30pm). It's always a tough place to play and they are hot. Hopefully we can get a result and keep our unbeaten streak alive for our showdown with New York next Friday at BBVA Compass Stadium. Very few tickets remain and they can only be purchased by calling our ticket office at (713) 276-GOAL. This is also another great opportunity to showcase our stadium to the world as the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
That's it for now. I'll check in soon. In the meantime, follow me on twitter @chriscanetti for more frequent updates.
