A look at the big questions surrounding Houston Dynamo for the 2006 season and looking ahead to the 2007 campaign:
WHAT DOES HOUSTON NEED TO DO TO REPEAT AS MLS CUP CHAMPIONS NEXT YEAR?
Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear believes that his squad has the talent to repeat as MLS Cup champion in 2007. However, conventional wisdom suggests that it's more difficult for a team to repeat as champions than it is to win the first, no matter the quality of the squad. According to Kinnear, the key to overcoming any potential post-championship slump is the same thing that many Dynamo players credited for the team's success: mental toughness.
"It's always harder to win the title the second time," Kinnear said. "Teams are trying to beat the champ in exhibition, the regular season (and) the playoffs. Everybody wanted to beat the (2005 MLS Cup champion) Los Angeles Galaxy this year. Our mental toughness needs to be (even) better than it was this year."
WHAT WAS THE TEAM'S BEST MOMENT?
Though the climax of the season was Houston's victory against the New England Revolution to win the MLS Cup, Kinnear singled out Brian Ching's spectacular bicycle kick goal against D.C. United as one of the team's brightest moments. The score, which took 2006 MLS Goal of the Year honors, clinched Houston's berth in the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs.
"It was a boost for our confidence (and) it took some pressure off of us as far as qualifying," Kinnear said of the goal. "(It) gave us some excitement going into postseason."
Ching's playoff-clinching strike was a herald of things to come, as the forward led Houston in goals during the playoffs with three and scored the winning penalty kick try in the MLS Cup.
WHO MADE THE BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON?
Kinnear prefers to not evaluate individual performances, but instead prefers to focus on the team as a whole.
"I try not to look at individuals," Kinnear said. "Everyone stepped up and played a big part in different games and at different times in the year ... everybody contributed equally."
From an outsider's perspective, however, it's hard not to consider defender Craig Waibel as a strong candidate for the "most improved" designation. Coming back from a 2005 season that saw him miss all but six games with torn ligaments in his knee, Waibel posted career highs for goals and minutes played in 2006. He was also an important component of a Dynamo defense that allowed only 40 goals during the regular season and one goal per game in the postseason.
WHAT BENCH PLAYER IS MOST READY TO CRACK THE STARTING LINEUP?
Kinnear mentioned Stuart Holden, Kelly Gray and Kevin Goldthwaite as examples of players who might be ready to step into the starting lineup, should some of Dynamo's 2006 starters be lost during the offseason.
Among the Houston starting eleven who might not be returning next year are team MVP Dwayne De Rosario and MLS Cup MVP Brian Ching, both of whom could draw interest from European clubs. Dynamo defender and native Canadian Adrian Serioux, who had a solid 2006 season in spite of injury troubles, is already gone, selected by Toronto FC in the expansion draft, though he was then dealt to FC Dallas for mercurial winger Ronnie O'Brien.
WHAT AREA OF THE TEAM NEEDS THE MOST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE OFFSEASON?
Kinnear believes that Houston has a solid core of talented and tough players that will enable the team to compete for the MLS Cup in years to come. He cited no deficiencies in his squad, saying that, like any team, Dynamo had ups and downs performance-wise over the course of the season, but performed well overall. However, he's not about to let the offseason go by without making efforts to further improve his squad.
"If you look at our team, we have a good attack, a very strong midfield, and a very organized, hard-working defense," Kinnear said, "(but) you always want to add depth and quality to your squad. After every year, you always want to improve all three lines, and if you do that, you've done a good job in the offseason."
Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subjcet to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
