Written by Sam Mbonu
The long faces and other non-verbal reactions of Houston Dynamo fans at the final whistle against Pachuca in a 2-1 defeat finally sealed Houston Dynamo exit from the Leagues Cup. Another stark reminder of what the team’s 2024/2025 season has been. A season that has seen the team lose more homes games than they have won the entire season, a season that has tested the patient and loyalty of the fan base.
The once impregnable Shell Energy Stadium no longer a fortress, it is where teams comes to better their goal difference. The Leagues Cup stats stand at 8 goals conceded in 3 games while they scored 3, zero point in the group phase.
Even the GM and President of soccer operations, Pat Onstad knows that the team has been terrible at home. In an interview conducted at Dynamo/Dash charity event, this was even weeks prior to the three Leagues Cup defeats at home he acknowledged the poor home form.
Onstad said “I would not even say we are inconsistent, we have been terrible at home, we have been consistently bad at home unfortunately, we have lost 5 games at home which is unheard off”.
Now the catalog of home defeats has ballooned to 9 home. The exit from league cup is a testament on how horrible the season has been. Even though head coach Ben Olsen still adamant that the team can sneak into the playoffs but the reality is that winning games only make such possible.
Then and Now
Since his tenure as the manager, he has qualified the team to successive playoffs, won the US open cup and lost in the western conference semi finals of the MLS Cup playoffs two seasons ago but all these have been buried in the rubbles of poor output on the field as fans could barely remember them because a team is as good as its last result and Dynamo last result was a 2-2 away draw at the Q2 stadium against state rivals, Austin FC on MLS match day 27.
Consequently, with the team looking like a shadow of what fans used to remember, 6 points adrift from the playoff spot, and 9 matches to the end of the season, 4 home and 5 away games getting back to winning ways will only make the playoff push possible and it starts with their away trip to Vancouver Whitecaps on MLS match day 28.
The chief complaint has been how leaky the defense has been, Pablo Ortiz who was bought to replace Micael who was transferred to Palmeries has not really fill that void, Femi Awodesu had a solid promising start this season but couple of rookie mistakes relegated him to the bench, injury to Erik Sviatchenko who is the fulcrum of Dynamo defensive set up did not help matters as it aided inconsistent performance at he back 4.
As for Toyosi, not getting game time questions Ben Olsen faith and confidence in the former St Mirren man, even a fan on X reacted with this tweet, Nothing against Gabe, but what has Toyosi done to be refused game time?”
The playoffs battle is stiff, Dynamo will play away to Sporting Kansas and St Loius, two teams they are in competition for a spot, no more sermons from Ben Olsen, is time for 3 points.
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