Houston Dynamo defender Craig Waibel picked the perfect time to score his first MLS goal in more than two years.
Already up 2-0 early in the second half, Waibel found the back of the net in the 50th minute, giving the veteran back his first MLS goal since the season finale against Colorado in 2006.
The Dynamo seemingly cruised to a 3-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes and Waibel, starting in place of the injured Richard Mulrooney, looked good in his first start since March 3, at Atlante in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
"It's always good to be out there, but I contribute weekly during training and by helping to prepare the team," said Waibel.
Waibel might be the first to admit that he did was not at his best as the Dynamo dropped a 3-0 stinker in Mexico. But he played well last weekend, and could get more time on the field as the Dynamo welcome an old friend to Robertson Stadium this weekend.
Dwayne De Rosario and Toronto FC will be in Houston this weekend as the Orange wrap up a two-match homestand against the Reds.
While it is not certain that Waibel will again get the call this weekend, the team does seem to play very well when he is in the starting 11. The Dynamo are 43-20-29 all time when Waibel starts and just 16-14-18 when he does not. In 2008-2009, Houston is 14-6-8 when Waibel starts and just 9-6-16 when he does not.
"It's nice to be a part of it and to get a goal is a nice reward, I am not going to lie," Waibel said. "It felt good, and it was fun just to be able to celebrate."
Ah, the celebration.
After the goal, Waibel ran behind the goal and stood under a sign in a celebratory pose. As it turns out, Waibel is hosting a charity event this weekend to help raise money by getting Dynamo fans to shave their heads before the game against Toronto.
"The idea was to get low enough so that if the TV camera could find me, they could see the 'Bald is Beautiful' sign above me," said Waibel. "It was a shameless promotion for my event (this) week, where I will be helping to raise money to fight children's cancer."
Waibel wasn't completely happy with his performance last weekend because less than two minutes after his goal, the Quakes came down to the other end and slipped one past goalkeeper Pat Onstad for the final margin.
"I wanted to celebrate (Saturday) with a shutout," said Waibel. "My job is to keep the ball out of the net, so I'll consider myself plus/minus even."
Waibel played a few minutes in stoppage time during the Week 9 game in New York, but Kinnear jokingly said he started Waibel because he had a vision.
"I thought he played well," said Kinnear. "What was the logic? We thought he was going to score off a corner kick."
All kidding aside, Kinnear said it was just time for him to start his veteran, an original member of the Dynamo.
"I just thought that Andrew (Hainault) was playing really well ... and I thought Craig has been really looking good in practice," said Kinnear. "He just really deserved to play."
Waibel never complains, but the fiery competitor does not like sitting on the bench. On a deep and veteran team like the Dynamo, many talented players have to wait their turn based on injuries, international call-ups and other issues that affect every club.
But right now, after a big week against the more-hated-than-ever Earthquakes, Waibel is just going to enjoy the ride and contribute whenever he gets the chance to do just that.
"I think we are on a really good roll right now, and me, I was just trying to stay out of the way," joked Waibel. "This team has been doing a pretty darn good job the last couple of weeks ... and I just try not to stand out like a sore thumb ... and let the guys do what they have been doing."
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
