The frustration was palpable. Minutes after his team lost yet another 1-0 game this season, Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching repeated his mantra over and over again. Four times, to be exact.
"We're just not putting the ball in the back of the net," Ching said.
The four times Ching uttered that phrase matched the number of shutouts the defending MLS champions have suffered in their last five games overall, the latest coming Saturday night against the New England Revolution, in a rematch of MLS Cup 2006.
After losses to New York and Chicago, it looked like Dynamo broke out of their scoring slump with a 3-1 win at Colorado on May 5. But the Orange have not scored since, despite dominating play in each of their games this week.
A good effort turned into a disappointing 1-0 loss at Toronto on May 16. Dynamo carried play again on Saturday in front of a season-high home crowd at Robertson Stadium, but the results, despite the heart, effort and desire, were just not there.
"I think we are playing good football up until the point where we are putting the ball in the back of the net," said Ching, who finished with a game-high four shots. "We are not getting the breaks right now even though we are controlling the pace of the game. We are outshooting our opponents by a fairly large margin."
Indeed. Dynamo outshot the Revolution 11-3, but it was New England who won the game because it converted its only shot on target in the ninth minute on a strike by Shalrie Joseph.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said goalkeeper Pat Onstad could have spent half the game in a lawn chair. It appeared that Onstad was screened on the goal by Joseph, but his counterpart Matt Reis was busy and saw plenty of Dynamo chances that could have either tied or won the game for the disappointed hosts.
"I am pretty much at a loss for words," Kinnear said. "When you spend pretty much 80-plus minutes in the other teams half, and you have plenty of chances and good movement and the effort is fantastic, what do you do?
"Our effort is there, our conviction is there (and) the attitude is perfect. We are just not getting the right bounce and their 'keepers are playing really well. We are just not getting that goal."
Ching and Ricardo Clark, who also had four shots on goal, had most of the scoring chances and the two teamed up to nearly tie the game in the 67th minute.
After Ching's pass got through to Clark, Reis got just enough of Clark's ensuing shot to prevent bedlam at Robertson Stadium.
Kinnear said that goal could have led to more, but the missed opportunities have just been the team's unintended modus operandi for the last three matches.
"Right now, I just feel sorry for them," Kinnear said. "I really do and I told them that. I said I feel sorry for you because you are not getting the reward that you deserve."
Clark echoed Ching and said the team just didn't capitalize despite several good looks at the net. And like Ching, he buzzed around Reis and the New England net from start to finish.
"There might have been a few times I could've gotten on the end of it," Clark said. "There's nothing much you can say. It's a game where just the result matters so hats off to New England for putting the ball in the net. We just have to come back next week and try to get a win."
Playing their second game in four days, fatigue could have been the excuse used by the team to explain away another scoreless defeat.
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
