Owen Coyle is readying his troops for another tough battle when BBVA Compass Stadium hosts the first Texas Derby of the season on Friday night (7 p.m. CT; TICKETS).
The Dynamo head coach was delighted with how his team stood up to the physical challenge in last week’s wild 4-4 draw with Sporting Kansas City, and is expecting FC Dallas to arrive in Houston with a similar gameplan with state pride on the line.
“There’s no doubt there is that rivalry; the game will be played I think at a very high intensity, we have to bring our quality,” Coyle told HoustonDynamo.com.
“Every week I think more or less we’re playing teams that made the playoffs last year. Dallas are another one, a very good side with some very good players. But we know the quality we have and that’s what we’re looking to impress on the game. We’re at home, it’s a tough game, of course it is, but we know when we get to our best we feel we can win these games.
“Whatever the opposition comes with, we’ve got to stand up and be counted as we always do. We’re no shrinking violets ourselves, if we have to stand up and be counted we’ll do that but in essence we want to play a game, we want to pass and move the ball, we want to be pleasing on the eye and also be competitive with it.”
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For Coyle, who managed Bolton, Burnley and Wigan in England before taking charge of the Dynamo last December, fierce games such as last Saturday’s are signs of progress in MLS.
“When you get to the top leagues all over the world then that competitive edge is always there. MLS, as I’ve said before, is striving to become one of those top leagues and I think year-in year-out is improving. The standard’s improving, the quality of play, and equally that competitive edge. So there’s no doubt that before each game you enter into you know it’s going to be a tough game, you know you have to earn the right, earn your passage in the game. Nobody’s going to stand back and allow you to pass and move the ball at their expense.”
The Dynamo entered the game having failed to score a home goal against SKC in 375 minutes of play, a shutout streak that was emphatically broken with two goals from Giles Barnes and one apiece from Will Bruin and Raúl Rodríguez.
For Coyle, only “uncontrollables” prevented a deserved Dynamo victory. With the home side 3-1 up and looking comfortable, a bad backpass let in SKC for a goal that reversed the match’s momentum, then the visitors were awarded a dubious penalty for handball that allowed them to equalize.
The ten-man Dynamo rebounded to retake the lead, but SKC made it 4-4 with a spectacular stoppage-time equalizer from Benny Feilhaber — though there was a suspicion of handball in the build-up. Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor was sent off after the penalty was awarded but he will be available for Friday after his red card was rescinded.
“This is a tough team to score against and we could have had five or six, truth be told,” Coyle said. “Everything that could go against you did, but the bottom line is we know when we get to our level how good a team we are. We were delighted with the play we brought to the game and the atmosphere was incredible. Our fans are a credit to themselves, a credit to the club, and as much as we didn’t win the game I think they’ve seen a team giving everything they could to win the game for them, so that was pleasing from my perspective.”
Boniek García missed the match with a left knee injury but has made progress in training this week and his availability will be assessed on Thursday. If he is unavailable, the midfield ranks could be bolstered by Alex, who was signed from the Chicago Fire earlier this month in the trade that saw forward Jason Johnson head the other way.
The 26-year-old Brazilian was on the bench against SKC but is yet to make his Dynamo debut. Asked for his first impressions of life with the Dynamo, Alex praised the atmosphere in the squad. “I need to work hard to get the opportunity to play,” he told HoustonDynamo.com through a translator.
He brings a wealth of experience, having spent five years in the Swiss league. “There the tactical mentality is very important. In MLS there’s [more of an emphasis] on being strong physically,” he said.
Coyle is looking for his team to blend aesthetics and aggression if the occasion demands it, and would love a repeat of last week’s offensive explosion — only this time ending the night with all three points.
“When Will Bruin and Giles Barnes and these boys are on top form they’re a handful for anybody. We have to try and nullify [Dallas’] threat but look to get our players, our matchwinners at the top end of the pitch on the ball and in areas that can hopefully entertain our fans and get the three points we were probably deserving of last week,” Coyle said.
Tom Dart is a contributing writer to HoustonDynamo.com and HoustonDashSoccer.com. Former editor and reporter for The Times of London and reporter for SI.com, Dart currently freelances for The Guardian.
