Houston Doing Things Right…Again…

Sometime after the moving van unpacked the San Jose Earthquakes in Houston, and their name changed to Dynamo, they took the reigns from DC United as the class soccer club in MLS. DC United led the way, and San Jose slowly chipped away as Landycakes won a trophy or two but Houston has taken it to a new level and two championships later are the top of MLS.


This off-season they lost two young goal scorers when Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya signed contracts with European clubs. I thought for sure Houston would crumple back into the Western Conference pack. However, early pre-season matches show other signs. Last night they thumped Sydney FC 3-0 with youngster Chris Wondoloski showing he can finish. Dominic Kinnear told Glen Davis on air that Wondo is the best finisher on the team. Remember when I pointed out Wondo? Yeah, that is right, I saw him coming…

Now news comes that Houston is close to signing 21-year-old Franco Caraccio. I don’t know Caraccio from Adam, but this is what professional soccer clubs do in the rest of the world. They try to find the best talent at a young age so that the kid can grow and help the club. To this point most MLS clubs have focused on signing international players who are established names and generally on the down side of their career. However, you don’t see Barcelona doing that, do you? They sign Messi when he is a youngster based on the potential shown and the faith that their good coaching can improve his natural skill. That is what MLS needs to do with both young American players and young international players.

I’m not saying Caraccio will be a superstar, but imagine if this kid does become a great young striker in MLS. If John Spencer can coax the right stuff out of him, MLS could have an Argentinean Olympic player, or a multi-million dollar player who earns a real profit when sold to Europe. This is the direction MLS needs to move. Who knows if he will be successful with the Dynamo. His time with Argentina's under-20 national team and an Argentinean first division club points to future success. Who knows, MLS may have scooped Europe on the next big thing, or they may be signing a 21 year old has been. Whichever it is, I’d rather see 21 year olds joining MLS with their careers ahead of them as opposed to 35 year olds looking for a good retirement starter…cough… Juninho …cough…Claudio Lopez…cough…Joao Pinto….

Ohh yeah, he’s hung with Maradona, that must be worth something.

The Young Guys Are Getting It Done In Houston...

Houston got off to a shaky start this season. People questioned their ability to defend the MLS Cup they won in 2006. Those questions are not asked anymore as the Dynamo have gone on a huge winning streak by not losing in nine game and haven't allowed a goal in 605 minutes of play.

Houston won the 2006 MLS Cup based on the strong play of a few veterans like Brian Ching, Pat Onstad and Dwayne De Rosario. This current winning streak is being maintained by young guys getting a chance to play due to a busy national team summer. I knew some clubs would be hurt by the call ups, like my Colorado Rapids have been. I knew in the back of my mind some clubs would benefit from the call ups because the young guns who needed a chance to shine could finally take the field.

Let's take a look at the American college products who are driving Houston to the best record in MLS:

Stuart Holden - Clemson : Holden took a different route to MLS, via South Carolina and then England, having left Clemson early for Sunderland. In 2006 he came back to the US and signed with Houston. So far this season Steewy (as some Houston fan referred to him in the middle of Denver's British Bulldog while Houston was killing the Rapids) has been a one man highlight reel scoring some great goals. He is also creating for Houston from the wings.

Joseph Ngwenya - Coastal Carolina '04 : Ngwenya was picked #3, ahead of Cochrane in 2004, by the LA Galaxy. A couple of recent trades moved Ngwenya around the league and many people saw him as a prospect in decline when he didn't produce a goal in five games for Columbus to start the season. Something about the air in Texas has Ngwenya back on form and he has been able to provide the goals the Dynamo were missing in Dwayne De Rosario's absence. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you watch the highlights from last night's ESPN Prime Time match to see what creativity and finishing skill Ngwenya possesses. If I had been writing this blog back in 2004, I would have singled out Ngwenya as a future star because when he was playing at Coastal Carolina you could tell he was going places.

Ryan Cochrane - Santa Clara '04 : Cochrane's teammates, Richardo Clark and Nate Jaqua went #2 and #3 in the 2003 MLS draft while he went #5 the following year. A college standout at Santa Clara, Ryan also played in the 2003 U-20 FIFA World Youth Championships in the UAE after having played for many of the lower aged youth teams. This season Cochrane has showed his leadership and ability while helping Houston to the lowest goals against total in the league at the halfway point, 10 goals.

Zach Wells - UCLA '04 : Drafted by the MetroStars in the third round of the 2004 draft, Zach Wells left UCLA a decorated player. He had set the lowest single-season goals against average with a 0.52, he was a First team All-Pac-10 selection, he set a new school record for career saves with 269, he was the College Cup Defensive MVP in 2004 and on and on. All of that success in college got him playing time with the US U-20 team. He has also earned one cap with the senior national team. Wells filled in for Pat Onstad twice this season and he has played well earned a .32 GAA in the two games. Houston must feel secure with Wells as their backup, because we all know Pat Onstand will have to retire one of these days.

Houston has their veterans back for the second half of the season and now they have the problem of how to integrate all the solid veterans with the young up and coming stars. What a problem to have. Last night Brian Ching and DeRo were able to start the game on the bench to get some rest. That kind of depth will carry Houston back into the playoffs this season and with some luck, back to MLS Cup.