The summer transfer window has often been used by the Houston Dynamo to add a player or two to help a run to the playoffs. With the team giving up the most goals (38) in MLS and just now rounding into form in the attack, it’s a different situation.
As the team searches for answer, the window is an enticing time to see if there is a fix. That is not the outlook the club is taking, however.
Quick fixes can be fool’s gold, offering temporary benefits but long-term problems, head coach Dominic Kinnear said, especially in the salary-cap structured MLS. Instead, he offered up a vote of confidence in his team.
“If you get one person, it’s not going to be the cure-all,” Kinnear told the media Tuesday. “I think we have the ability and quality in the locker room to fix things ourselves. It’s just guys playing better and me coaching better and we’re all coming together at the same time and thinking the same and have one goal in mind and that’s thinking what’s best for the team.”
In the last seven games, including their 4-2 loss to Toronto FC on Saturday, Houston have conceded 19 goals and pulled off just one point.
While one player may not turn the season around, the option to bring in a player to add quality, especially in the defense, is a possibility as long as there is a fit with the player and the salary cap, Kinnear has said. That and adding depth to the forward corps.
From the players' point of view, the transfer window is something out of their control.
“The transfer window’s up to the coach and president and the staff and what they do with that,” said right back Kofi Sarkodie. “For the players, we’ve got to continue to do our job and train every day and give our best on the pitch.”
However, poor performances lead to questions about quality and thoughts of potential changes. With the Dynamo’s current stretch, those feelings are floating around.
“Its professional sports; the team’s not doing well and you feel like your job is on the line,” said goalkeeper Tally Hall. “I feel like my job is on the line. I don’t feel comfortable at all. I feel like I have to win in training to prove I’m the goalkeeper for this team, and I hope other players are thinking the same thing.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
