The Houston Dynamo offense only generated 39 goals last season—tied for second least in all of Major League Soccer—and the club hopes their offseason signings are the answer to their offensive struggles.
“Of course, that’s why they we’re here,” said forward Alberth Elis after Thursday’s practice, when asked if it was expected of him to generate goals. “[We’re here] to try and do things well, score goals, provide assists and fight for the team.”
Elis is one of 12 new signings for the 2017 season, scouted by vice president/general manager Matt Jordan and head coach Wilmer Cabrera. The new faces were brought in hopes of providing a better control of the ball and to generate a more explosive attack, which is what Elis says fans can expect beginning Saturday (7:30 p.m. CT, TICKETS).
“[Fans can expect] a team that will go out and look for the win from the first minute, a strong team, fast,” Elis said. “I have really enjoyed the formation that [Cabrera] has been using. I feel comfortable playing on the right wing and we hope to do things well on Saturday, and win which is most important.”
Cabrera is expected to continue using the 4-3-3 formation he has utilized in the preseason, which featured Erick Torres as the center forward with Romell Quioto and Elis flanking him on the wings. But don’t be surprised if that exact combination isn’t starting, as Cabrera believes each of his forwards brings explosive qualities.
"I like that everyone has special characteristics and everyone likes to score or assist,” said Cabrera. “If we are with Vicente (Sánchez), if we are with Erick, if we are with Mauro (Manotas), if we are with Andrew (Wenger), if we are with Alberth, if we are with Romell, all those six can not only score and want to score, but can also create and generate danger. So that gives peace of mind to any football team and any coach."
Torres in particular is a player hoping to thrive under the guidance of the new Dynamo head coach, as he scored 22 goals in 44 MLS matches under Cabrera at Chivas USA. The Mexican international, however, says whoever hits the field for the club will provide problems for defenses.
“We have a very explosive team, we have players with a lot of quality,” said Torres. “We could see in the preseason a constant pressure to the defenses, a lot of speed, plays through the wings. I think that a good year is expected for the Houston Dynamo.”
