#HOUvCOL: 3 Questions with Dynamo Theory

This week, John Rosch talked with our friends at Dynamo Theory to learn more about what to expect from the Houston side.

Burgundy Wave: Cubo was sold in the offseason and just moved again. What were the motivations for moving him?

Dynamo Theory: Cubo Torres started the 2017 season on fire, but he quickly cooled off. After a summer shooting slump Mauro Manotas began to get some of Cubo’s minutes and he made the most of them. Wilmer Cabrera often alternated which player he would start and Cubo never regained form failing to score in his last 13 games including the postseason. His price and designated player status made it easier to invest in the younger Mauro Manotas looking forward.

BW: Last year was a great season for Houston. Is 2018 proving it is a sustained run of solid football, or is 2017 feeling like a fluke?

DT: Last season was great and we started getting hot at the right time – the playoffs. I think our form right now is up and down depending which way the wind blows, but a big contributor to our inconsistency is tied to the health of our players. Our backline has been hit hard by injuries along with the defensive midfield position. We’re missing the Dynamo’s 2017 MVP in Juan David Cabezas who is a player that can sit deep in the midfield to let the offense focus on offense. His backup Darwin Ceren is also injured. It’s really difficult to look at last year and say it was a fluke when we have so many players out and many others playing out of position. I don’t think it was a fluke because we’ve seen flashes of what this team can do, but mistakes at the back where we’ve been hit hardest by the injury bug have changed the outcomes of games.

BW: What needs to happen for the Dynamo to make the playoffs this year?

DT: Get healthy and stay healthy. Really it might come down to that, but I think the team needs to eliminate ever sitting back on a lead for 30+ minutes because even a healthy Dynamo backline would struggle against a team constantly pressuring. If we can continue to press, attack, and learn how to manage games through possession then we should be in good shape to make the playoffs and I expect we will.

Formation/lineup Prediction:

4-3-3: Joe Willis; DaMarcus Beasley, Leonardo, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Adam Lundqvist; Eric Alexander, Tomas Martinez, Oscar Boniek Garcia; Romell Quioto, Mauro Manotas, Alberth Elis

Score Prediction:

3-1 Houston. Both teams really want a win here and I think with the top forward group of Quioto, Manotas, and Elis we will be able to get goals at home. Of course, our backline will be pushed hard and they’ll make a mistake costing them the clean sheet.