Previewing Houston Dynamo vs St. Louis CITY SC with Justin Horneker
(image via St. Louis CITY SC)
The Houston Dynamo will try to stop their losing streak as they host St. Louis tomorrow night. We talked to our friend Justin Horneker to get some insight on CITY SC ahead of the match.
Bayou City Soccer (BCS): St. Louis made a coaching change already this season. What went wrong early on in the season and has there been signs of improvement recently?
Justin Horneker (JH): St. Louis took a gamble on hiring Olof Mellberg last offseason. Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel wanted to evolve the club's playing style into a more ball dominant style. It did not go well.
Mellberg's style was less of a small evolution and more of a complete abandonment of the club's principle of play. The attack struggled to create, and the defensive structure was too conservative for a roster that was built with a higher pressing, more direct mentality.
The club decided to pivot, moving on from Olof Mellberg and promoting St. Louis CITY 2 manager David Critchley as caretaker manager.
Critchley has brought the squad back into the club's desired playstyle, the attack is more direct and aggressive, while the defensive structure has the ability to collapse into a more compact unit. It's been a mixed bag so far, the transition is going to take some time to really click but they've generated more chances.
BCS: CITY played a very distinct style in their early seasons. Have they kept that identity up with their changes in coaches in the last two years?
JH: The evolution under Critchley has been noticeable but it is a slight deviation from the first year and a half under Bradley Carnell. The attack is more comfortable building with the ball and the pressing triggers are more pragmatic compared to Carnell's approach. Critchley ball, much like John Hackworth's approach as interim manager last season, has been more in line with Pfannenstiel's idea of an evolution in the club's style.
BCS: Joao Klauss seems to have found his scoring form of late. How important is he to the St. Louis attack and the way they play offensively?
JH: I hinted at this above but Klauss's uptick in scoring form is a direct result of the return to the club's desired play style. Klauss has looked confident, and has benefitted from an attack built around chasing down passes and exploiting his hold up ability. As Klauss goes, so does St. Louis and finding Klauss in more advantageous positions further up the pitch has been the key to the scoring turnaround. Before firing Olof Mellberg, St. Louis averaged 0.116 expected goals per shot attempt, since the firing they have averaged 0.160 expected goals per shot attempt. Klauss has scored five goals in the last four matches and his improved form has influenced the attack around him.
BCS: St. Louis brought in a number of new players in the offseason. Who are some of the new players that Dynamo fans should be aware of on Saturday?
JH: The biggest offseason addition has been midfielder Conrad Wallem. Wallem has played most of the season as a wingback, but has been shifted into the midfield after Critchley moved on from the wingback focused system of Olof Mellberg. Wallem is returning from injury so he has yet to return to the starting lineup but Houston fans may remember NYCFC, San Jose Earthquake midfielder Alfredo Morales. Morales was signed after spending time on a trial with the club this preseason. Morales was signed as a 'break glass in case of emergency' option to take some load off of Eduard Löwen, but Löwen's personal leave and hamstring injury (along with many injuries in the midfield) has resulted in a more influential role for the veteran midfielder. Morales has offered a calming presence in a midfield that has been overrun many times this season, and will most likely play a big role on Saturday.
BCS: Are there any injury concerns for St. Louis on Saturday and what do you expect to see for a lineup?
JH: St. Louis has had an ongoing injury crisis all season and that will continue into Saturday. Midfielder Chris Durkin is close to returning but ultimately wasn't cleared for the weekend. Striker Cedric Teuchert is questionable along with CB Timo Baumgartl after the German took a tough landing on Wednesday night. Critchley spoke during Thursday's press conference about the need to rotate some players that played 90 minutes this week but injuries in the midfield and along the backline will limit his options. Still, I'd expect João Klauss, Simon Becher, and Marcel Hartel to continue in the Starting XI, as well as FBs Jay Reid and Tomas Totland, and GK Roman Bürki.
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We want to thank Justin for his time and wish our friends in St. Louis the best of luck tomorrow night.
