It's a cliché used often in sports by a struggling team searching for answers after a slow start. It gets used more often than not when that team is probably better than its results in the standings might indicate.
One step forward; two steps back.
One thing gets better, only to have others fall apart, resulting in another loss. That is the perfect case in point for the Houston Dynamo last week, who finally got goalkeeper Pat Onstad back on the field, but lost Saturday's game, 1-0 to the Columbus Crew, because they could not convert any of their scoring chances.
Onstad went down in a Week 2 draw to FC Dallas. He watched from the sidelines as Tony Caig was blitzed for three goals in that game, saved only when Geoff Cameron scored in extra time to make it 3-3.
He was on the sidelines for 0-0 and 2-2 road ties to Kansas City and Los Angeles before finally getting the start last week against Columbus.
A former friend and teammate, Alejandro Moreno, netted the game's only score, a goal for which Onstad cannot be faulted. The Dynamo worked ferociously to even the score, but came up short against a Crew squad that earned its first ever win against the back-to-back defending champions.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear is glad to have his first-choice 'keeper back, not only because he is one of the league's best, but because of how the team responds to his leadership and ability to rile the team in just the right way.
"Pat was very good against Columbus and he had no chance on the goal they scored," Kinnear said. "He made some key saves for us in the second half, and his voice and leadership are very important to have back there as well."
Onstad, who has allowed four goals in two-plus games this year, said he was disappointed that he got the loss in his first game after the shoulder injury. Getting back and finding a good rhythm, however, is exactly what he wanted to accomplish.
"It was really nice for me to get back in there," Onstad said. "I have been telling everyone that I am getting kind of long in the tooth and there really aren't that many games left in my career. It is very frustrating when you are injured and out of the lineup."
There isn't any doubt, barring the unforeseen, that Onstad will be in goal when the Dynamo play host to Chivas USA in their first match at Robertson Stadium since April 6.
Getting injured and missing games isn't something that Onstad is used to and says he hopes a win against Chivas this weekend will help his team and fans forget about the injury and Houston's overall slow start to the year.
"I have been pretty fortunate, touch wood, in this league," Onstad said. "I missed one game last year in Dallas due to injury and that is about it. Any of the games that I have missed leading up to this season were all international games playing for Canada. I have been pretty lucky, pretty fortunately and healthy to play in this league."
Despite getting hurt and missing time, Onstad is sure of one thing. He is not going to change the way he approaches each match and he will not adjust the intensity that he brings to the field every time he runs out for pre-match warm-ups.
He made an aggressive move to get a ball in the box that led to his collision with FC Dallas' Blake Wagner. Looking back, he'd do the same thing all over again.
"It's not an injury that could be avoided," Onstad said. "I thought I did the right thing at the time, and it happens in soccer. But I find myself fortunate that I don't get hurt more often. For me, saying that I am frustrated, I would have to say no. For me, it's good to take a step back and see what is going on out there."
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
