The Houston Dynamo lost their second road encounter of the year on Saturday afternoon, a 2-0 result at the New England Revolution. The loss drops the club to a 3-2-0 overall record (0-2-0 away) and a 2-5-5 record when playing at the Revs' Gillette Stadium.
3160ym19114916920070462520">Here are three things that stood out from the match:
1. The attack was shutout.
3160ym19114916920070462528">The Revolution poured a bucket of cold water on the red-hot Dynamo attack that included the league’s leading goalscorer in Erick Torres. Torres four-game scoring streak also came to a halt as New England’s defense limited the Dynamo to a season-low five total shots.
3160ym19114916920070462531">It is normal for Torres to have an off-day, every player has them. The problem was that neither Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas or any other Dynamo player could find the back of the net to make up for that lack of offensive production.
3160ym19114916920070462534">The Revolution’s explosive offense came alive in the second half and the Dynamo couldn’t match them on their end, much like their other road loss in Portland. This is one of the next challenges for the team to overcome.
3160ym19114916920070462537">2. The depth finally gave in.
3160ym19114916920070462540">The Dynamo entered this match with five players on their injury report, six total with A.J. DeLaGarza’s right calf injury that kept him out of the gameday roster. The Revs, on the other hand, had all their weapons at their disposal with zero absences to injury or suspension.
3160ym19114916920070462543">The absences forced head coach Wilmer Cabrera to field a fourth different combination in his backline and his fifth different starting XI this season. It’s not an excuse but it can’t be overlooked when dissecting the reasons why they lost this game, especially when one of those absences is the team’s second top goalscorer in Romell Quioto.
3160ym19114916920070462546">The depth had been paying dividends but they could only bend so much.
3160ym19114916920070462549">3. Still homesick
3160ym19114916920070462552">It is hard to win on the road in Major League Soccer. There are only two clubs with a positive road record so far this season and no team has finished with a winning road record since the 2014 campaign. For whatever factors the home field contributes to, the Dynamo have been able to overcome their deficiencies when playing at BBVA Compass Stadium. They need to learn how to translate that over when they travel.
3160ym1911491692007046_2557">The good news for the Dynamo: four of their next five matches take place in Houston. They need to take advantage because the next three straight after that are all on the road.
