As I was recently reminded by long-time Dynamo fan and Texian Army member, James Hromadka, it’s been a while since my last Canetti’s Corner blog post, and now feels like a good time to get back at it.
I write today knowing that our Dynamo season is off to a disappointing start. All of us, which includes the ownership, the front office, the technical staff and the players, expected to be in better position 11 games into the year.
While things haven’t gone as planned through the first third of the season, I can tell you that our group is united, continues to believe in itself, and is working extremely hard. We have things to improve and need to find the right chemistry for a consistent, winning formula. Everyone understands those facts and is keenly focused making it happen over the final 23 games.
We are not a group that makes excuses, so you’re not going to hear any of that here.
We know we can win at home, as evidenced by our 3-1-2 record. We know should be 5-1-0 (after conceding late stoppage time goals). With 11 home matches remaining, we are confident in our ability to pick up points at BBVA Compass Stadium.
We need to find the recipe for winning on the road. It’s something that has eluded us and is a point of emphasis. We have competed well in 4-of-5 road games (SJ being the exception), so we know we can get road results with changes and improvement. We had second half leads in two road losses and fell 1-0 on penalty kicks in two others. We need to get over the hump and a get a road win to build the mentality that’s necessary to get points on the road. An important stretch of three road games starts this Saturday at Chicago (4pm CST, ROOT SPORTS primary channel), so now would be a good time to get things going.
We remain in the playoff race at this early point of the season, sitting six points out from the final spot and nine points from third place. We all know that a few wins in a row in MLS can get you right back in the thick of things. We have to find the consistency and string together a positive stretch that will get us up there with the rest of the pack. We know have the ability to do this.
The summer transfer window opens in July, and we will seek all opportunities to make the additions to the team we feel are necessary to improve us over the second half of the season.
As always, I appreciate the support of Dynamo fans and your love for the team. We know how much you want to win, and we share that desire with a burning passion for success.
Thanks for the reminder, James. Glad to share these thoughts with the fans.
-Chris Canetti
