Houston Dynamo

MLS may have one of Mexico's most talented players in Giovani dos Santos, but there's another Mexican forward who will make his league debut this month in Erick Torres.

Torres' arrival has gone under the radar thanks to Dos Santos' move to the LA Galaxy, but the former could well be more integral to his new team. 

The Dynamo are in eighth place in the Western Conference and are six points away from a playoff spot. Houston's defending has prevented the team from moving up the standings, but its attack has also been a major problem.

Now that Torres has joined, the Dynamo have another clinical striker who will be able to finish chances. Houston has been shut out seven times in 19 games and recorded multiple goals in just six matches. The Texan side won five of those six contests.

The Dynamo has a solid option in Will Bruin, who has scored eight goals in 18 appearances. However, he has mustered just 13 shots on target, per the official MLS website.

Bruin is a solid striker, but having quality depth is important in MLS. Torres scored 15 goals in 29 games for a lackluster Chivas USA side in 2014. He also took 95 shots last season, which ranked ninth in the league that year, per the official league website.

Generating shots has been a huge issue for the Dynamo. No team has recorded fewer attempts on target than Houston's 64 this season, according to the league's official website.

This is where Torres can help. He's a smart and strong forward who can score in the air and with his feet. With Davis out wide and Barnes in behind, all the 22-year-old has to do is make runs and finish the chances.

The only issue for the Dynamo is Torres' fitness. He played just five games for Chivas in Mexico during his loan. Houston head coach Owen Coyle will have to manage his minutes accordingly as the Mexican eases back into a starting role.

Torres could make his debut in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, per Tom Dart of the official Dynamo website. However, the player isn't in a rush to play right away:

I did two double sessions, meaning I trained twice a day, then single sessions during the rest of the week. I feel I’m ready but it’s one thing to train and it’s another thing to come into a team and fully integrate yourself. A team has its own way of doing things, its own philosophy, so it’s going to be a matter of coming in and making sure I’m fully adjusted.

Torres also has to learn Coyle's system and develop chemistry with his new teammates. This will come with time, so if he struggles initially, the fans shouldn't fret too much.

Ironically, Torres could get his first start against Dos Santos and the Galaxy. The former Chivas forward was reportedly interested in playing for LA before he signed with Houston, so he'll have extra motivation in this match.

Houston might be out of the playoffs right now, but if Torres can replicate his 2014 form with Chivas USA, the Dynamo could squeak into the postseason.

If Torres starts regularly and scores with consistency, it could lead to a return to the Mexico national team, where he'd link up with Dos Santos.

Peter Galindo covers MLS and U.S. soccer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @GalindoPW.

When the Houston Dynamo unveiled Erick "Cubo" Torres as their newest signing Tuesday night, team president Chris Canetti had the perfect words to describe the move. 

"This is a monumental signing," Canetti said in the team's press release announcing the deal for the electric 21-year-old Mexican forward. 

Torres will join up with the Dynamo after a six-month loan spell at his former club, Chivas de Guadalajara. 

When he enters the fray in Houston, Torres will become the marquee name in the lineup, who Houston fans have been waiting to see for a long time. 

The Dynamo have always had productive players in attack like Brian Ching, Will Bruin and Brad Davis. But the popularity of those three players combined will not match the recognition Torres receives when he begins his time in the Lone Star State. 

For years, Houston has been searching for a player to attract the massive Hispanic audience in the city. By obtaining Torres from Chivas, the Dynamo have done just that. 

Not only did the Dynamo need Torres to create a more passionate fanbase than they already had, the acquisition will help new manager Owen Coyle adjust to the league faster.

Coyle, who comes to MLS after managerial stints at Burnley, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, has already compared the young Mexican to Daniel Sturridge in a conference call, per MLSSoccer.com. 

It has been made clear by that statement Coyle has his guy up top in an already dangerous attack, where Bruin and Englishman Giles Barnes were the top scorers during the 2014 season. 

When Torres becomes a member of the squad during the second half of the 2015 season, the Dynamo will have three players on their roster who are coming off 10-plus goal seasons. 

Now that Torres is a part of the Houston squad, it will be able to challenge for a playoff position in the Western Conference. With the addition of New York City FC and Orlando City in 2015, Houston and Sporting Kansas City were shifted to the West. 

When the conference realignment was first announced, some thought Houston would be doomed in 2015 because of the stifling defenses put out by the likes of LA, Real Salt Lake and Seattle. 

In Torres, Barnes and Bruin, the Dynamo possess a three-pronged attack, which can go head-to-head with any defense in the league. 

On top of the tremendous forward trio, Davis and Boniek Garcia will still be manning the flanks. Davis and his feared left foot produced 11 assists in 2014, while the Honduran Garcia brings balance to the midfield on the right flank. 

Add in a World Cup veteran in Ricardo Clark in the middle of the park, and a few solid full-backs in the starting 11, and you have a strong team ready to take the field to kick off the Coyle era. 

Not only does the signing of Torres mark the start of a new era in Houston, it also marks a new beginning for MLS. 

In recent years, the league has seen stars like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones come stateside after long spans of success in Europe. But the one problem that was never addressed was the locking up of younger domestic players. 

A prime example of this is Tottenham's signing of DeAndre Yedlin, who was a star in Seattle over the last two seasons at right-back. Failing to keep Yedlin at home was a blow to the league, but it recovered well with the signature of Torres. 

The final goal of the league is to be a primary destination for stars from all around the world. But before they can attract players in their prime from the European leagues, the 20 MLS clubs must sign young North American stars. 

MLS has already begun to make strides in South America, but key players like Kaka, Federico Higuain and Pedro Morales were established before making a move to the United States and Canada. 

The league has done a solid job attracting young American players through academies and the MLS SuperDraft, but there are still plenty of American-born players who opt to go overseas to begin their careers. 

One factor that will play a big role in keeping the younger Americans at home is the draw of the United States men's national team. If players like Wil Trapp, Matt Hedges, Luis Gil and others can impress in the next year for the Yanks, it will do wonders for the image of MLS.

MLS has set a major precedent for itself over the next few years by committing to Torres, who is one of the brightest rising stars in CONCACAF. If the league is willing to dish out more money to other young North American players, it could become one of the premier leagues in the world over the next decade. 

The league certainly has a long way to go before it reaches that point, but sometime in the future, we could look back on the Torres signing and agree with Canetti that it indeed was monumental. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Heading into Saturday night's Texas derby at BBVA Compass Stadium, the pressure will be on both the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas to prove that a hot start can turn into a big result early in the season.

Both sides got off to blazing starts in the month of March with 16 combined points earned from seven games played between the two sides.

Houston has been one of the most consistent franchises in the league over the last five years, and in its first two games, it proved that this year will be no different.

The Dynamo thrashed New England in Week 1 at home before beating Montreal the next week by a 1-0 score.

After a bye week, Dominic Kinnear's club faced a trip up to BC Place to take on Vancouver, a game which resulted in a 2-1 loss.

That result could have been much different had Houston put away another chance or two on the treacherous turf up in British Columbia.

FC Dallas has come out of the gates on fire for the second consecutive season, as the team is currently in pole position to win the Supporters' Shield.

New manager Oscar Pareja ignited his team with a spark in Week 1 against Montreal and it has not faded away in four weeks of play.

Wins over Chivas USA and Portland, as well as a draw on the road against Sporting Kansas City, have handed the team plenty of confidence heading into one of the most difficult stadiums in Major League Soccer to earn a point in.

The matchup between the two sides will see a team with a very creative and fluid attack go up against a gritty midfield that has a few playmakers as well.

FC Dallas' trio of Mauro Diaz, Fabian Castillo and Blas Perez has combined beautifully during the first four games of the season to produce some visually appealing soccer that any fan around the league would love to watch.

The trio has combined for six goals and one assist, with Diaz becoming the breakout star because of his creative abilities behind Perez in the attack.

Pareja has also received strong production in defense, as just five goals have been conceded by the back line led by center-back Matt Hedges.

Houston boasts some similarities to FC Dallas since it has an explosive forward on its roster in Will Bruin, who showed during the first two weeks of the season that he is out to prove a point in 2014.

While the output of Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia may be subtler than the flashy display of the FC Dallas midfielders, the pair is still able to provide Bruin and Giles Barnes with plenty of quality chances.

The most striking similarity between the two sides may be at the full-back position, as both teams contain a pair of defenders that are not afraid to move forward in attack, while having a strong defensive game at the same time.

Houston's Kofi Sarkodie and Corey Ashe will be household names in a year or two, while Jair Benitez and Kellyn Acosta are also eager to be mentioned by more players and fans across the league for their play.

The terrific defensive contributions from each back four has let the attack flow freely and not chase in desperation from behind.

Thanks to all of the impressive play in March from all the players on both teams, Saturday's clash will be a must-see match that could teach us a lot about how both clubs will do against the league's best in 2014.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

The New York Red Bulls may be the Supporters’ Shield winners and riding high with a current eight-game unbeaten streak, but anything can happen come playoff time.

The Red Bulls will face off against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals. As with any postseason showdown, there are plenty of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on.

Let’s dig into a few.

New York’s Head-to-Head Dominance

New York ran rampant through much of the MLS this season—hence the Supporters’ Shield—but it was particularly strong against Houston.

The Red Bulls knocked off the Dynamo all three times they met by a combined score of 9-1. What’s more, two of those games took place in Houston. That’s the type of dominance that could come into play mentally for both squads if New York gets off to a quick start on Sunday afternoon.

It is worth noting that the Red Bulls also won in Houston in their lone postseason meeting there five years ago, but that won’t have as much of an impact as this season’s head-to-head matchups.

It will be important for Houston to get off to a quick start so potential self-doubt doesn’t creep into its players’ minds as the game wears on.

Will Bruin’s Postseason Goal Scoring

Houston had the tendency to go into scoring droughts this season—especially at home—but Will Bruin will look to continue his goal-scoring momentum and find the back of the net against New York.

Bruin scored twice when the Dynamo defeated the Montreal Impact in the knockout round. It was the second time in his career that he scored multiple times in a playoff game (he did so previously against the Chicago Fire).

Bruin has six goals in 11 career postseason matches and will look to add to that impressive total against the Red Bulls. If he can't, though, the Dynamo will have issues keeping up with New York.

Dynamo’s Makeshift Defense

Injuries are always a concern in the postseason and Houston will certainly feel their effects on the back end.

Jermaine Taylor is out for the remainder of the playoffs after fracturing his left foot, meaning Eric Brunner will be asked to play central defense. Fortunately for Houston fans, he did so in the last game against Montreal and the defense kept a clean sheet.

In an interview with MLSsoccer.com, teammate Bobby Boswell expressed his confidence in Brunner’s ability:

He knows what he's got to do, and as a unit we know what we have to do. I've played with him in CONCACAF games, Open Cup games, things like that, so it's not like this is going to be our first test.

 

Luis Robles’ Injury

Luis Robles’ injury is nowhere near as severe as Taylor’s, but when such an important player is anything but 100 percent, it is worth keeping an eye on.

Robles appeared in all 34 league matches as goalkeeper for New York, but suffered an injury to his left knee in the season’s final game. According to the MLSsoccer.com article above, the injury is not something particularly serious, but his lateral movement could be of concern.

If the Red Bulls do have to look elsewhere, they have Ryan Meara waiting in the wings. He is talented in his own right, but Robles is still one of the best in the league and critical to New York’s title hopes.

On Sunday, both the Houston Dynamo and Montreal Impact slid into Major League Soccer’s playoffs on the last day of the season. Now, as the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference, they will face each other in the dreaded one-off play-in game.

The match will take place in Houston, courtesy of the Dynamo’s higher finish in the standings and will kick off on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.

Here is breakdown of the matchup.

Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo, despite their lowly finish in the standings, are still a team to be feared in the playoffs. Last season, the Dynamo finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference before dispatching the Fire in the play-in game in Chicago, top-seed Sporting Kansas City in the conference semifinals and D.C. United in the conference finals.

While the Dynamo went on to lose to the L.A. Galaxy in the MLS Cup in 2012, it was Houston’s second straight appearance in the league finals and they return a roster full of experience.

Led by Dominic Kinnear, who helped the Dynamo win back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007, Houston has more top-to-bottom talent than any other team in the league. Their back line is anchored by goalkeeper Tally Hall and MLS veteran Bobby Boswell, and they have two of the best outside backs in the league in Corey Ashe and Kofi Sarkodie.

Their midfield is run by MLS stalwart Ricardo Clark, and Houston has two of the best wingers in the league in Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia. The Dynamo front line is led by bruising front-runner Will Bruin.

Maintaining the home-field advantage for the match, Houston is 9-4-4 at home in 2013, but tends to grind out wins at home. Of all MLS playoff teams, Houston has the least number of home goals scored and the worst home goal differential.

Entering the playoffs, the Dynamo are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games. In head-to-head matchups against the Impact, they beat Montreal 1-0 in Houston on October 4, but lost 5-0 in Montreal back in August.

Montreal Impact

The Montreal Impact literally limped into the playoffs, going 2-6-2 over their last 10 games. Having to win a one-off in Houston is going to be a difficult challenge for Montreal, who are 4-9-4 on the road in 2013 and have the worst road goal differential of any of the five Eastern Conference playoff teams.

The ace up Montreal’s sleeve, however, is 20-goal scorer and MVP candidate Marco Di Vaio.

Di Vaio is one of the most feared forwards in the league and has the ability to take a game by the throat and win it himself.

The big question for Montreal is whether or not they can reverse the form that had them in danger of not even making the playoffs. When the Impact played on Saturday, they knew they needed a win to guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs. But despite playing lowly Toronto, they couldn’t get the job done and lost 1-0, thereby relying on other results to keep them alive.

Earlier this season, the Impact were one of the most feared teams in the league. They will need to recapture that form if they are going to pick up a victory in this must-win playoff game in Houston on Thursday.

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In 2015, New York City FC will be the newest member of Major League Soccer.

While there certainly won't be any expansion teams in 2014, it's entirely possible there will be a club or two entering MLS in 2015. But for the sake of this article, let's pretend that this will not happen.

When NYCFC—which has a nice ring to it—enters the league, there will be 20 teams. Which means (hallelujah!) there will be two conferences with the same number of teams in each.

With 10 teams in the East (NYCFC will play in that conference, obviously) and nine in the West, an Eastern Conference club will make the switch to the West. The question is, which one?

The teams on the coast are ruled out, so no Red Bulls or Revolution. Any team in the Eastern time zone is safe for that matter, so Toronto, Montreal, Columbus, Philadelphia, and D.C. United will all be staying put. 

That leaves the three teams in the Central time zone, Chicago, Sporting KC and Houston. Chicago is safe, because it's visibly more east than either Kansas City or H-Town.

On a map, Houston is only slightly more to the west than KC. That's not the only reason they should move to the West, though. 

Firstly, they were there until 2010, when the Portland Timbers expansion would have overcrowded the West, so they switched to the East. It makes sense to return them to the conference they played in for so long and where they won both of their MLS Cups. 

Secondly, FC Dallas is in the West. If MLS wants to market the Texas Derby as a real rivalry, they need to play three teams a year. With the new scheduling, the teams switch from playing one to two games every year. How can El Capitan be decided in one game every other year?

In-state games are great: MLS should ensure they happen as much as possible. Two teams from the same state shouldn't be separated by conferences. 

Returning to geography, if you look at every MLS team on a map, there's a grouping of teams (from KC to Montreal) in the northeast quarter of the United States and east of Canada. Houston is pretty far away, considering how far south it is. Dallas, Colorado and even LA are closer than the northeast. I'm sure MLS wants to market itself as an environmentally friendly enterprise, so the Dynamo shouldn't have to fly so far all the time.

Houston should therefore be the Western Conference addition. But as a Dynamo fan, I am conflicted by this prospect.

On the one hand, it will be great to return to our old conference and play Dallas three times a year; but when the Dynamo go to the west coast, which will be fairly often, the games always start late here, at 9pm or 10pm. When they travel east, the game usually starts no later than 6:30pm.

And I'm not looking forward to facing Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Clint Dempsey five times a year.

The Houston Dynamo are set to begin the 2013 MLS season on Saturday night against DC United. First, the club had to unveil the new kits they will wear throughout the campaign, and it did so by posting a series of pictures on Twitter.

While the changes to the overall style are limited, Jonathan Kaplan of the club's official site reports the streamlined design was developed to help the club survive the harsh weather conditions in Houston. Team president Chris Canetti was pleased with the result, stating:

Introducing a new uniform is always exciting for a team and its fans. We are proud of the new look and how it represents the club. The base concept remains the same, but the new version provides a fresh, new look for the club.

Let's take a closer look at the new home and road jerseys, grading them for their wow factor and overall design. Of course, winning in them will make a much bigger difference in the grand scheme of things.

Wow Factor: 5 of 10

In today's world, it seems like every professional and collegiate sports team around the country is trying to attract attention with the wildest jersey designs possible—flashing something that will jump off the page and get people talking about it on social media.

The Dynamo clearly weren't interested in any radical changes of that nature. They kept things relatively simple with the only standout portion of the jersey being the stark contrast between the bright orange and white.

There are no crazy patterns or unnecessary additions just to make it different. It's a pretty basic kit with a cool color scheme and normal patches—something that wouldn't look totally out of place if you saw it on a youth tournament field any given weekend.

Design: 8 of 10

The design category gets a much better grade. That's because simple isn't always a negative. Sometimes going with what works, and just making minor changes to make it more sleek, is just as effective, if not more so, than a major overhaul.

Houston certainly proved that with its new jerseys. Not only does the kit keep with the club's tradition, but when MLS fans look at it, they immediately identify it with the Dynamo. That's crucial when it comes to new kits.

Too many times a club will attempt something completely unique, but in the process lose their club identity. The Dynamo avoided that by sticking with the same scheme and upgrading it. The result is a really good overall design.

Overall Grade: 7 of 10

Ultimately, the new kits deserve a clear passing score. They are solid, albeit unspectacular, and keep the club style intact. If they really do help the team in the heat of Houston like the club claims, that makes them all the better.

Sure, they could have gone for something a little more outlandish and hoped it worked. But the risk would have far outweighed the potential reward. They made the right decision to stick with the basics with minor alterations.

The true test will be how the Dynamo fans respond in terms of purchasing the new kits. After two straight trips to the MLS Cup, fan enthusiasm should be riding high, and the fresh jerseys are another reason for them to get excited for the new season.

Once the initial shock of the tragic events two weeks ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut wore off, many Americans began wondering what they could do to help.

Chris Canetti, President of MLS’ Houston Dynamo, is doing his part by organizing an event called “Soccer Night in Newtown."

Canetti, who is a 1992 graduate of nearby Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut and whose hometown is Guilford, Connecticut, hopes the January 7 event will serve two purposes.

First, according to an interview he gave to Fox 26 in Houston, Canetti wants the event to provide a night of fun and diversion for the people of Newtown.

It'll be fan-festival type of event, taking photos, signing autographs. The idea is to give kids a chance to come out, have some fun, have some memories and take a diversion from the difficult realities that they're facing right now.

The second purpose, according to the Fox 26 story, is to raise money to help both the survivors and victims' families.

“Canetti said the Dynamo franchise has also established a charitable auction with proceeds going to the United Way Sandy Hook fund, which is helping pay for counselors and funerals and things like that.”

A link to the United Way’s page supporting Newtown can be found – HERE.

A link to the flyer for the event can be found - HERE.

Coming with Canetti from the Dynamo will be players Corey Ashe, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching and Tally Hall.

And, according to Canetti’s Twitter account, he has also received commitments from former USMNT star Alexi Lalas, former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly and current USWNT captain Christie Rampone.

More to come on this event as it develops. My friend, US Soccer legend & ESPN analyst @alexilalas just confirmed attendance & participation.

— Chris Canetti (@ChrisCanetti) December 21, 2012

I'm happy to announce that US Soccer legend Mia Hamm has volunteered to join us for Soccer Night in Newtown. Thank u Mia.

— Chris Canetti (@ChrisCanetti) December 23, 2012

US Women's Soccer legend Kristine Lilly just confirmed her attendance at Soccer Night in Newtown. She is also from CT. Thank you Kristine.

— Chris Canetti (@ChrisCanetti) December 28, 2012

Looks like USWNT captain Christie Rampone will be joining us at Soccer Night in Newtown on Jan. 7. The list of soccer celebs keeps growing.

— Chris Canetti (@ChrisCanetti) December 26, 2012

The event is being coordinated with Quinnipiac University, Quinnipiac men’s soccer coach Eric De Costa and local WPSL club CFC Azul.

While nothing can reverse the damage already done, it is heartwarming to see the American soccer community coming together to do what they can to help.

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