Consider the litany of questions surrounding the Houston Dynamo answered.
Can a team that’s nails at home perform on the road? Can they put together complete performances? Where will the goals come from?
As it turns out, the Dynamo can win on the road, they’re well on their way to playing 90 minutes at a high level and Will Bruin and Giles Barnes have the whole goalscoring thing covered.
READ: The best of Will Bruin? Once again, United bring it out of Houston Dynamo forward
And on Wednesday, Houston answered another question that’s dogged them recently: Can they put away a struggling opponent? Following a 4-0 romp at RFK Stadium against last-place D.C. United, the answer is an emphatic yes.
“We came out right off the bat and we definitely wanted to get after them,” Brad Davis told reporters after the victory. “They were struggling a little bit and we really wanted to come here and [we] felt like we had a good opportunity. We had a lot of confidence coming off a great win out in LA, and we wanted to come in here and get after them and I think we did that.”
Last season, Houston struggled to put a notch in the win column against bottom feeders, taking just 18 points off teams that finished in the bottom six of the standings. Wednesday night, however, Houston outplayed D.C. in every facet of the game.
READ: Road trip provides boost for Houston Dynamo heading into Sunday's match vs. Sporting KC
One area that stood out at RFK Stadium, as well as during Sunday’s 1-0 win at the Home Depot Center against the Galaxy, was the midfield play that made things easiest for everyone else on the field.
Andrew Driver, Boniek Garcia, Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat and Brad Davis have been this side’s fulcrum – contributing on both sides of the ball to great effect – during two complete performances that have resulted in six massive points and a shared spot at the top of the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t think you get those [wins] without them,” head coach Dominic Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com after Wednesday’s win over D.C. “It doesn’t happen. That’s the plainest way I can say it.”
While the midfield has played a crucial role, Houston hasn’t been lacking for contribution from other areas. Barnes and Bruin have produced up top, and the backline and goalkeeper Tally Hall have made life difficult for their opponents.
TICKETS: Support the Dynamo as they look to complete their nine-point week Sunday vs. Sporting KC
The demolition job in the nation’s capital coupled with a marquee win at the Home Depot Center on Sunday show the type of force Houston can be when they’re firing at all cylinders. If the Dynamo keep it up, they’ll be firmly in the Supporters’ Shield discussion come fall.
“Anytime you win 4-0 you’ve got to say it was a good team effort,” Bobby Boswell told MLSsoccer.com. “Credit to the guys, we came out and took of business in the first half. [I’m] really proud of everyone, and anytime you go two games and get two wins, especially the way we got the one tonight, is very satisfying.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
