Rest vs Rhythm as Dynamo prepare for Austin in home opener
(image via Houston Dynamo FC/Twitter)
The Houston Dynamo are coming off a bye week looking for their first win of 2023. They’ll try and get that first taste of victory as they open their home schedule at a renovated Shell Energy Stadium. Losses at Cincinnati and New England to kick off the campaign weren’t ideal but head coach Ben Olsen told the media today that there are some things to take from those matches.
"We'd all like to have a point or two, but we also are realistic that we went on the road twice and played pretty well in Cincinnati and thought we should have got something out of that,” Olsen said. “Then New England, you know, was it a 3-0 game? Probably not. The scoreboard said it is. So that's ultimately what it was. There was still a lot of good there. If we tweak a few things and a little bit better in certain areas and areas that we've worked on over the next two weeks to get better. If you show them that we're moving in the right direction through some of the metrics that are important to us and showing them on film, some of the areas of concern that we now are taking out of the film, putting it out here in practice, getting better, showing that we're moving in the right direction. I think that's one way to take the emotion out of it and make sure everybody understands that we're moving in the right direction. Hopefully it clicks sooner than later, but it will click at some point."
Dynamo fans are hoping it clicks on Saturday with in-state rivals Austin FC coming to town. Austin played last weekend and also have a CONCACAF Champions League match tonight. Olsen mentioned that the team played a match against a Canadian team this past weekend to stay in rhythm. So which is better, Austin playing so many matches in a row or the Dynamo coming off an extended break? "It's rest versus rhythm, right?” Olsen said Tuesday. “They've got a lot of games and they're utilizing a lot of players. I don't think that's really a negative, these guys are elite athletes and they're able to play every few days. They're a pretty deep squad, so they'll rest some guys, I'm sure, and manage it. Whether it's tonight or on the weekend. Nothing will change as far as what they do, and they do it very well."
Whether Austin is fatigued or the Dynamo are rusty, that will all go out the window as the derby kicks off on Saturday. The Dynamo want nothing more than to win their first game of the season and break the losing skid, but even moreso, take down an Austin team that they have struggled against. A home-opener, in front of a big crowd, in a derby, the stakes aren’t lost on Olsen. "I'm new here. The Texas derbies are different or new to me, but I'm feeling it. You know, I'm jazzed up. I understand. I hear people talking about it, I hear the players talking about it. I can feel the energy with not only it's the home opener, but it's the home opener against Austin. They're a damn good team and they get results. What they did last year was pretty impressive, but that doesn't matter. On Saturday we hit the field and again, physicality, energy, we're looking forward to putting our best performance of the year together. I love these types of games. I love the fact that Dallas is right down the road. Austin, three Texas teams, in the Northeast, we had it, but it was kind of a different state, you know, D.C. and Philly and New York and it was close proximity in some ways. But this this whole state rivalry is new for me. And I'm personally looking forward to it. I certainly understand the magnitude of it."
Players shared Olsen’s sentiment today. “It's a derby. These are the games that we as players want to play. There is an added incentive to it being the Texas Derby and there is a little added motivation,” Dynamo captain Hector Herrera told the media. Ivan Franco is new to Houston but the importance of a derby was not lost on him either. "It’s a derby so it’s important, but it’s even more important for us because we’ll be playing at home, in front of our fans,” Franco said. “We need to try and get three points this weekend.”
It’s the home opener and it’s Austin FC. Not that the fans need any more incentive than that but Olsen did share a message for the Dynamo faithful. "We need that energy,” Olsen told reporters. “This game, whether it's the physicality and the energy that we bring, having that home field boost from our fans is going to be vital to getting results. My message is we need them.” See everyone on Saturday!
