3160ym19114993160981392989">The Houston Dynamo dismantled the Montreal Impact 3-1 on Wednesday night to keep pace in a competitive Western Conference. The Dynamo will now take a two-week break as the league pauses during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage.
3160ym19114993160981392994">Here are three things that stood out from the Dynamo’s latest home win:
3160ym19114993160981392999">1. The team elicited a response
3160ym19114993160981393004">After the team’s poor showing in Colorado, ending in a 3-1 loss on Saturday night, the team needed to respond with a better outing – and they did. The Dynamo immediately took control of the match through an Andrew Wenger goal in the first minute.
3160ym19114993160981393009">Midfielder Alex extended the lead 23 minutes into the first half and homegrown Memo Rodriguez added the clincher later in the second half. It was another dominant showing, just like the team’s previous midweek league match against Real Salt Lake.
3160ym19114993160981393014">It was important for the team to pick up three points and leave for the two-week break with positives to build on. One of the team’s priorities continues to be collecting their first road win – which they'll be looking for in two weeks when they return to league play at Minnesota.
3160ym19114993160981393019">2. Alex elicited his own response
3160ym19114993160981393024">“La Maquina” (the Machine) continues to have the best year of his career by scoring his second goal of the year. Benched in the previous two league games in favor of Boniek García, Wilmer Cabrera turned to the Brazilian maestro to recuperate the spark that led Alex to the top of the league assist charts.
3160ym19114993160981393029">Cabrera mentioned in one of his earlier press conferences that he sat Alex due to a drop in performance. The 28-year-old midfield responded to his manager’s decision with a goal, certainly looking to find his way back into the team’s starting eleven for good.
3160ym19114993160981393034">It’s just the latest example of the internal competition going on at the club, and another “champagne problem” for Wilmer Cabrera.
3160ym19114993160981393039">3. Cabezas the spine of the team
3160ym19114993160981393044">Cabrera has used 19 different lineups in as many league games this season. One constant in the last 13 XIs has been defensive midfielder Juan David Cabezas.
3160ym19114993160981393049">The 26-year-old midfielder is one of those players whose effectiveness isn't immediately noticed by a quick glance at the box score, but a deeper dive shows his steadiness: his 86% pass completion rate is tops on the team (minimum 20 passes), and his 53 tackles are 15 more than anyone else.
3160ym19114993160981393052">He’s also been the spine of this team, being a constant in the starting lineup while others around him have been shifted in and out. One of the Dynamo’s players on loan, he definitely looks like a player the Dynamo can build with in the future.
