Three things we learned: Houston Dynamo vs Inter Miami

(image via Aldo Canale)

The Houston Dynamo were battered 4-1 by Inter Miami on Sunday night at Shell Energy Stadium. After each game this season we’re going to bring you three things we learned from the match. Here is our next edition of after watching the Dynamo lose their second straight match to begin the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

Defensive mistakes are still an issue

Ben Olsen spoke in the post match press conference about the team shooting itself in the foot and that’s a good way to describe what is happening. After two mistakes lead to goals last week, Houston once again caused their own demise. Miami’s first goal came from a Femi Awodesu pass that put Jack McGlynn under pressure and led to a turnover. Their second and third goals also came from turnovers, one from McGlynn in the attacking third and one from an uncharacteristic mistake from Artur on the stroke of half time. If you can’t get out of your own way it’s going to be tough to win any games, especially against great teams like Miami and next week’s opponent Columbus.

The midfield needs time to gel

I mentioned the mistakes by McGlynn and Artur above and both had two of their worst performances, probably in quite a while. McGlynn played great against Dallas but was off all night against Miami. Besides the turnover that led to the opening goal, he was off on his deliveries into the box and set pieces all night. Miami’s midfield, led by Serigo Busquets is fantastic, but it was a rude awakening for Houston. It’s only the second game since Coco Carrasquilla and Hector Herrera left town so this midfield unit, with Sebastian Kowalczyk, is going to need time to gel and figure things out. After two straight losses, that timeline will now need to be sped up even more.

Erik Sviatchenko needs to be healthy

Olsen spoke after the game about the importance of having Sviatchenko fit. The Dynamo head coach also said they don’t have Micael to clean up mistakes and be one of the best defenders in the league anymore. Femi Awodesu made just his second start and plenty of players have been put on highlight reels by Luis Suarez. Awodesu has been thrown to the lions, somewhat, and with Sviatchenko only getting a half of play in yesterday, the defense is still trying to figure things out. Six goals in two games, at home, is awful. While the Dynamo figure out who replaces Micael, having Sviatchenko available and at his best is going to be a must if this unit is to succeed in 2025.