Name: Houston Dynamo

Head Coach: Dominic Kinnear

2011 Record: 12-9-13, 2nd Eastern Conference, 7th overall

Twitter Hashtag: #HoustonDynamo

The Dynamo are the defending Eastern Conference champions, but all the talk this offseason has been about other teams.  That’s not to say the winter has been cruel to the team; in fact they will be opening a new soccer stadium this year.  Their captain has returned after a hiatus and their ownership situation is getting a little clearer.  And they have one of the best coaches in the league.

But all is not perfect in Houston.  The team needed a late hot streak to make the MLS Cup, where it offered next to nothing in terms of competing with LA.  Despite their strengths, there are certain weaknesses throughout the team.  Is this team good enough for back-to-back MLS Cup appearances for the first time since, well, the Dynamo did it with the Revs in 2006 & 2007?

Coaching And Front Office: At this point Dominic Kinnear has to be recognized as one of the best coaches in MLS.  Despite not having the financial resources as some of his compatriots (wait, there’s a salary cap?) Kinnear seems to get the most out of his players every year.  Since taking over for Frank Yallop with the old San Jose ‘Quakes, he has taken this franchise to three MLS Cups, won two Supporters Shields, made one CONCACAF Champions League semifinal, and only missed the playoffs once.  He’s a definite strength every time the team takes the field.

Key Losses:  The team lost some depth players this offseason but nothing too earth shattering.  Hunter Freeman goes to Colorado robbing the team of a proven fullback.  Danny Cruz makes the long plane ride to DC in a trade for allocation money, robbing the club of some midfield depth.  Same for Carlo Costly, except in the forwards’ spot.  Where this hurts Houston is if the replacements they’ve brought in so far are unable to add good depth, which is especially important with the team’s CCL commitments.  The positive is that most of the players released freed up cap space.

Key Additions: Although he’s not technically an addition, the re-acquisition of Brian Ching after not protecting him in the expansion draft gives the team a leader and a decent threat at forward.  Another forward option acquired was Macoumba Kandji from Colorado.  Kandji is athletic and talented, and gives the Dynamo a good option off the bench at that position.  Getting Nathan Sturgis from Seattle was a good pick-up, as the midfielder can contribute some minutes to the club across their fixture list. The team also drafted seven players in the 2012 Super- and supplemental drafts.

Projected Starters: Tally Hall picked the wrong year to have his breakout.  His outstanding season was overshadowed by the growth of the younger Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson, making his chances at a national team spot seem remote.  Still Hall is good enough to play internationally (or at least get a shot) and has become one of the best keepers in MLS.  For the back four, Andrew Hainault has locked down a spot with Jermaine Taylor, veteran Bobby Boswell, and Corey Ashe.  Kofi Sarkodie will push for a starting spot or push Ashe forward but after those names there is a definite lack of proven depth.

Brad Davis is the key to the midfield.  Pushing David Beckham for the assist lead the entire season, Davis was a finalist for the MLS MVP award.  Look for him to continue setting up the forwards for scoring opportunities.  Geoff Cameron can play holding midfielder or drop back to the backline.  Former Sounder Sturgis could challenge for a starting spot on the wing.  Davis and Cameron alone make this a good midfield, but their support players are lacking.  Look for draftee Warren Creavalle to possibly make a run at starting.

Up front it will be starting by committee.  Will Bruin was sporadic as a starter last season.  He looked awesome at times and disappeared at others.  He needs to be more consistent this year to earn a starting spot.  Caleb Carr is a good option to start at forward but could be challenged by players behind him.  Kandji may be able to use the move south to find a consistent starting role.  First round draft pick Colin Rolfe could also challenge for starting time.  And of course there’s Brian Ching.  But to be honest, there are a lot of good to decent starting options here but no one great #9 who will convert all of those Davis passes.

Player To Watch:  Will Bruin was drafted last year to be the next Brian Ching, a forward who can score consistently and be a fixture in Houston.  While he is only a second year player, he hasn’t shown signs of that promise yet.  Maybe this is the year he takes a big step forward; if he does that would be a huge help to a team that has some cap space but not a ton for a high-priced player.

Best Case Scenario:  Kandji and/or Bruin and/or Carr and/or Rolfe is the answer the team was looking for at forward.  The added fixtures don’t dent their depth and the reserves and draftees are solid.  They make another run at the MLS Cup but this time push the Galaxy to the brink in the championship, beating the overwhelming favorites for a third MLS Cup as the Dynamo.

Worst Case Scenario:  The striker situation is as bad as feared and Brad Davis can’t turn sublime passes into assists due to lingering injuries.  The team doesn’t have the depth to withstand three competitions and there is no gas for a late season run.  The Dynamo limp into the playoffs in the fifth spot but bow out quickly.

Prediction:  Never doubt a Dominic Kinnear team, but I don’t see this team as having improved substantially while some of their rivals in the East have.  I think they will make the playoffs but the increase in games and lack of substantial depth will prevent this team from back-to-back Eastern Conference championships.  They will finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” said a famous philosopher centuries ago, but he may as well have been writing for MLS Talk about the 2011 Eastern Conference champions.  The Houston Dynamo took advantage of a weak conference and a hot streak to face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup last season.  This is not to take anything away from the Dynamo: they are a very talented team centered around 2011 revelations Tally Hall, Geoff Cameron, and Brad Davis.  To dismiss this team as a one-year wonder could be a mistake, as they return most of their conference championship line-up in 2012 as well as their most critical component: Dominic Kinnear.

However, the team does face some critical questions in the new year, questions that require some attention in the few months remaining before First Kick 2012.  As such, here are “Three Questions” about the Houston Dynamo:

1. Who will play up front?

The big offseason story for the Dynamo (more than the stadium naming or the rumor that AEG might sell their stake in the club) is that legend Brian Ching has accepted his role as a member of the Montreal Impact (for background see the article I wrote late last year).  While it allows the club to move forward without sacrificing a good player to Montreal and with a little more cap space, the impact (no pun intended) of Ching being left unprotected will resonate with the fans and their view of management.  Setting that aside, the loss also leaves the team with a bit of a gap at the forward position, especially considering that Carlo Costly has moved on to Atlas.

Currently, the club has three forwards under contract: Calen Carr, Will Bruin, and Cam Weaver.  All three are good players, none of them are currently consistent top-level goal scorers the team needs to take advantage of Brad Davis’s assists.  While the team has limited cap space (more on this below) they need to find that Blas Perez-type consistent, veteran presence who they know will finish the chances the midfield will create.

2. Is the defense the best in MLS, or as good as it looks?

Don’t look know, but Houston may be challenging Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake for the best defense in the league.  It may not be this year, but probably soon.  Start with keeper Tally Hall, who made a huge step forward last season to enter into top-flight MLS keeper status with an excellent year.  In his late twenties, he is approaching the prime years for a keeper and looks to add some polish to his already impressive game.

In front of Hall is a back line that is coming together nicely.  Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron form a good center back pairing that lacks the pizazz of some other partnerships, but is effective for the team.  The two starting full backs (Andre Hainault and Corey Ashe) look to have established themselves as ideal for the positions.  Right now Houston does not have the best defense in MLS, but with an offseason of growth we may soon be speaking of them with the likes of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Real Salt Lake.

3. What’s the money situation?

Ownership has already made a few moves to bolster the team, specifically making a trade to acquire Nathan Sturgis from wheeling-dealing Toronto FC.  However, ownership has stressed that they will be making do with little cap space.  These pronouncements come at an odd time: the new stadium has a naming-rights deal and the team even has a small local TV deal.  However, the biggest financial question mark is the announcement by AEG that they want to sell their 50% stake in the team.  This is a positive development for the league (anyone who says last year’s MLS Cup was not a conflict of interest is crazy) but how the salaries will be managed until the deal is complete may limit the team’s financial flexibility.  Keep an eye on this situation.

Last night I laid out the pros and cons of Dwayne De Rosario winning the MLS MVP award.  Everyone on each side of the argument can agree that a De Ro MVP would be unprecedented, as he would be the first MVP in any sport to have been traded twice in-season.  But what about the other candidates?  Who out there deserves the award the most right now?

Now I recognize that there are a few weeks left in the season and how the playoff race shakes out could determine the MVP.  That said, I think it’s important to establish a benchmark now and see if peoples’ opinions change between now and the end of the season.  So vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section: who today deserves to be the MLS MVP?

USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley annouces roster for January Camp

A pair of Scandinavian stand outs as well as few MLS emerging stars headline Bob Bradley’s 30 man roster for the annual January training camp.  Rising MLS stars, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Pontius and Kevin Alston will have the opportunity to show their skills to Coach Bradley ahead of the opening of camp on January 4th. The camp leads up to the first match of a vital year for the US Men’s National Team, against Honduras on January 23rd.

The January camp typically includes the best players from MLS as well as the Scandinavian leagues which are on winter break. Although typically made up of players from MLS and Scandinavia, the January camp allows the brightest stars of the past MLS camp, a chance to show their worth with the national team. This year, such stands outs include MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton, MLS Champions Nick Rimando, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman as well as MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham among others. In addition to their MLS compatriots, several Scandinavian players join the mix including, Marcus Tracy and Alejandro Bedoya who have earned a place on Bradley’s radar with strong seasons in their respective leagues.

Here’s the complete roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes)

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS: Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake),  Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

What are your thoughts on this roster? Who do you feel should have been included? Who should have been excluded?

Testify in the comments below.