West Notes: New faces in Dynamo defense
Hainault, Cameron turning heads along backline in Houston
Granted, you still have some of the Dynamo's usual suspects keeping their net clean. Ricardo Clark's range remains unsurpassed, the ageless Pat Onstad looks sharp in goal, and Bobby Boswell remains a rock in the center of defense.
But if you had predicted in preseason that Geoff Cameron and Andrew Hainault would be two of the building blocks in the back, while Eddie Robinson would be a long-term injury casualty, you would have gotten some quizzical looks from Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear.
"I wouldn't have been surprised so much about Hainault, because we brought him in and thought he could play," said Kinnear. "In preseason, I would've been surprised to know that Geoff would start at center back and play seven games."
After a stellar rookie campaign in 2008, Cameron's play has made a mockery of the term "sophomore slump," providing a speedier counterpoint to Boswell's aerial dominance and rugged tackling. And while Cameron did see time at center back last year, including the SuperLiga final, it's still a position that he had played only played a handful of times at the professional level heading into this season.
Yet he's managed to excel in that spot, and in the process he's softened the blow of losing former Best XI center back Robinson to knee surgery in early March.
"He's just one of those who players who's comfortable and confident and has the ability to play anywhere on the field," said the Houston manager about Cameron. "His height and his athletic ability make it easier for him too."
Hainault has also impressed while playing out of position. A center back by trade, the Canadian international had been in camp with Houston for most of preseason. But a dispute with his previous club, Czech side FK Banik Most, prevented him from suiting up in official games, with the Czechs claiming Hainault was still under contract to them.
That disagreement was finally settled on April 25, and in the last two games Hainault has filled in capably at left back in place of injured captain Wade Barrett. Barrett went down with a calf strain during the first half of the Dynamo's 2-0 win against New England on May 3. Hainault not only did a solid job on Revolution speedster Sainey Nyassi, but he shut down Dallas' Andre Rocha a week later.
"We just told him, 'Go out there and play,'" said Kinnear. "We didn't want to overcomplicate things. But he attacks the ball well and he closes down space. I think 'intense' is an overused word, but his concentration level in defense is very good."
The tricky part now for Kinnear involves what to do when his injured defenders return. Barrett told the Houston Chronicle he was at 80 percent prior to Saturday's game against Dallas, meaning he could return this weekend against New York to face old nemesis Dane Richards. Robinson is still a ways away from returning, but given his past performances in MLS, it would be extremely difficult to keep him out of the lineup once he returns to health.
"You always try and put your best team on the field," said Kinnear. "That's what you always try to do. But we feel comfortable enough with Boswell, Hainault, Cameron, and Julius James, that when Eddie comes back it's the right time. If it gets to the point where Eddie is a clear starter, then we have some selection issues, which is great."
Yet this summer's packed international calendar could allow Kinnear to keep everyone satisfied. The likely loss of Clark to the U.S. national team could see Cameron slide into the center of midfield, which would allow either Hainault or Robinson (if healthy) to move into the middle.
Either way, Kinnear looks to have once again found some championship level depth in defense, which is bad news for the rest of MLS.
Speaking of defense: Seattle Sounders FC have also been among the league's best this year, defensively. Like the Dynamo, Sounders FC have only conceded five goals, yet they'll face a bit of a twist this weekend with right back James Riley suspended due to the red card he earned in Sunday's 1-1 tie with Los Angeles.
Look for Nathan Sturgis to switch flanks and take Riley's spot on the right, while Zach Scott will resume the left back position he manned at the start of the season. That will result in Sturgis going up against one of the best crossers in the league in FCD's Dave van den Bergh, who is the main conduit to forwards Kenny Cooper and Jeff Cunningham.
Easy decisions: Finding the silver lining in a 4-1 defeat usually requires use of the Hubble Telescope. But if you're San Jose Earthquakes general manager John Doyle, last weekend's hiding at the hands of the New York Red Bulls did have its benefits.
Oftentimes, narrow defeats can give the impression that wins are just around the corner, and hence delay making tough decisions. But with San Jose sliding alarmingly down the Western Conference table, Friday's defeat has put into focus what needs to be done.
"This last game in New York -- for me, the staff, the players -- it was embarrassing," said Doyle. "We were playing New York, who was also struggling, but we let them get away at home so easy. That was where myself and Frank [Yallop] said 'Things have to change.' All the positive encouragement, now we have to put a little bit more pressure on the guys, because we've given them every opportunity to succeed."
Doyle is already looking at other options up top, bringing former MLS veteran Cornell Glen in on trial. A trip to Costa Rica to scout players is also in the works, as are trips to Gold Cup matches. Doyle also indicated that his immediate plans are to shore up the spine of the team, with a central defender, a center midfielder, and a forward tops on his priority list.
"We didn't want to change things around at all," said Doyle. "We thought we had done all the work at the start of the season, with the exception of one or two players. But we have some work to do that's for sure. We're very disappointed with the way things are going."
Different formation, same result: In a bid to change their woeful road form, Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis opted for a 4-5-1 formation last Saturday against Chivas USA, and despite falling 1-0 to the league leaders, Kreis liked what he saw.
"I thought we limited the number of chances Chivas had," Kreis said. "In previous road games I thought we gave up a whole lot more chances than we did tonight. And for the first time we've ever played in that shape I thought we attacked pretty well out of it as well, and created some things, so that's a positive thing for us that we can draw from that game."
One item that Kreis still has left to ponder is the rough patch that forward Yura Movsisyan is going through. The Armenian-born striker has been on the end of some great chances during RSL's away games, yet hasn't been able to convert. He hasn't fared much better at home, with just one goal and an assist to his name. With Fabian Espindola and Luis Miguel Escalada pushing for more playing time, Kreis will likely find it difficult to keep both players on the bench, no matter how his team lines up.
Jeff Carlisle is a regular contributor to ESPN Soccernet, and covers the San Jose Earthquakes for Center Line Soccer and MLSnet.com. Jeff can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
