Dynamo know they must alter tactics in 2018

SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 30: Juan Cabezas #5 of the Houston Dynamo and Victor Rodriguez #8 of the Seattle Sounders battle for the ball during the first half of the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Finals at CenturyLink Field on November 30, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) less SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 30: Juan Cabezas #5 of the Houston Dynamo and Victor Rodriguez #8 of the Seattle Sounders battle for the ball during the first half of the second leg of the MLS Western Conference Finals ... more Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Dynamo know they must alter tactics in 2018 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The Dynamo’s tactics last year under first-year coach Wilmer Cabrera caught MLS by surprise – so much so that after his team lost the season opener in Houston, Seattle Sounders FC coach Brian Schmetzer called it a ‘dangerous game he’s playing.’

As preseason training for 2018 began on Tuesday, Cabrera said the only dangerous game the Dynamo could play in his second year would be one that features zero adaptation.

The Dynamo catapulted to the top of the Western Conference early last season by using a 4-3-3 formation and a counter-attacking style that often meant scoring goals just moments after they gained possession.

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By the second half of the regular season, however, opponents figured out how to slow down those counterattacks. The Dynamo stopped winning on a regular basis and eventually fell below the playoff line in the final two months.

Because opponents will have a full season of game tape to view, Cabrera said it is important the Dynamo find alternative ways to win in 2018.

“We were in high school (last year),” Cabrera said on Tuesday. “We graduated from high school and now we’re going to college. It is tougher in college. Now we need to step up in our preparation. Homework is tougher for us because now it is not a surprise.

“Everyone is waiting for us to counterattack. We’ll see. We’re going to prepare ourselves for more. We have to be able to display different things if we would like to be more competitive and create more difficulties for the opponents.”

Creating those difficulties could prove challenging because most of the key players from last year have returned. Early last season, Cabrera said he chose his counter-attacking tactics because they best suited the players he had.

Whether Cabrera changes formations remains to be seen, but if he doesn’t, the key to creating more possession could be midfielder Tomas Martinez’s growth in the league.

Acquired from Portuguese club Braga last summer, the 22-year old Argentinian took over the central attacking midfield role in September. It did not make sense for the Dynamo to change tactics that late in the season, but it might now that he will have several months of games and an entire preseason camp under his belt.

Juan David Cabezas likely is a shoe-in starter in the defensive midfield, which leaves open one other starting midfield spot. That spot could go to Eric Alexander or the newly acquired Darwin Ceren. Though Cabrera did not discuss various options Tuesday, using four midfielders could be a possibility, too.

No matter the formation or method of attack the Dynamo ultimately choose, Cabrera said the one idea that will remain is their emphasis on scoring goals.

“If you have that mindset with 6, 7, 8 players, you’re good,” said Cabrera, whose team scored a club record 57 goals last year. “We feel like we’re good in that aspect. (The question is) how we’re going to do it and how we’re going to compliment (the counterattacking). The game Houston displays this year is not only counterattack.

“We have to be able to manage. We have to be able to improve our possession and to create possibilities, especially when the other teams come over here to wait for us. We need to understand that. We are clear with that situation.”