HOUSTON – One percent.
That’s the probability the Houston Dynamo have of making the MLS playoffs, according to ESPN’s Paul Carr and the latest Soccer Power Index projections. The single digit may be dispiriting for most teams, but Dynamo interim head coach Wade Barrett still believes there's plenty to play for this season.
Barrett did not want to concede the Dynamo were eliminated from playoff contention ahead of Saturday's game against the Colorado Rapids (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“I’ve said this multiple times, I’m not giving anything. When they guys get in and play it’s because they’ve looked it in training, they’ve earned the time. It’s difficult because there’s more than eleven players that have earned that time.”
But even those players not in Saturday’s lineup could find themselves getting playing soon enough. Starting with the Rapids game, the Dynamo will have three matches in nine days and Barrett expects every player on his roster, “to be prepared to play a full 90 minutes at any point over the next 10 days.”
Barrett’s attitude and approach to the remaining four games will be the same no matter Houston’s place in the standings. The goal is a simple one: win at all costs.
“Do we have anything to play for? Every single game we do,” Barrett said. “We have three points to play for and if that’s not big enough, if that’s not good enough, if that’s not a grand enough scheme, then we all need to find a new job.”
In a month’s time, Barrett himself could be out of a job. The Dynamo have given no indication publicly whether or not they plan to lift the interim tag from Barrett’s title at the end of the season.
Does Barrett — a former Dynamo player and assistant coach with a 4-5-9 record since taking over for Owen Coyle this season — think that a winning streak is his best chance at getting the interim tag lifted?
“Nope. Not thinking about that right now,” Barrett said.
“My full focus needs to be on preparation for this week and for this game," he added. "We need to prepare. We need to look at everything we can to make sure there’s no stone unturned for our preparations so that when we step on the field we’re as ready as we can to win. That’s my full focus and it will be for every single game that we play from now until the end of the year.”
