The scoreline may not seem that impressive, but the Dynamo's finishing of Club America in their 1-0 Superliga win was execution at its finest. Dominic Kinnear is making a case for himself as the best coach in US Soccer, and perhaps the biggest bullet point in his "Pros" list is his in-game management.
When Dominic's Dynamo have you down, the best you can hope for is to tie the game, and that is a long shot.
Consider this - the Dynamo have had a lead on their opponents in eleven 2007 MLS League games. They have won 10 of those games, and they have only given up points just once. In their last game against New England, they briefly held a lead in a back and forth battle before the Revolution were able to capture a tie on a controversial penalty kick. That means the Dynamo have a 94% (10-0-1) winning percentage, and they have conceded a total of 3 goals after going ahead.
Let's compare that briefly with Bradley's US Team:
Bradley's US teams have also held the lead eleven times. Bradley has a stellar record in those games as well, going 10-1-0 for a 91% winning percentage. There's a little more to worry about behind those numbers, though. Where Dominic's Dynamo have given up only 3 goals after gaining the lead, Bradley and the US have given up 9. Four of those were after the 75th minute.
The numbers reflect a story we've seen on the field. The United States under Bradley's direction hasn't adjusted their high-pressure, high-energy style of play after getting a lead. That nonstop running has resulted in the US appearing to tire and let the game get away from them. This started in the Gold Cup. Against Panama, the US gave up a goal in the 85th minute after dominating most of the game. The last few minutes were a mad scramble to finish the game. It got worse against Canada in the semifinals. After stomping on the Canadians in the first half, the US fell apart after the break. Canada got a goal back in the 76th minute, and things even got worse for the US. They lost shape and they lost composure, and Julian De Guzman and his teammates started to run the show from the Canadian midfield. The US managed to hang onto the lead until the very end, when Canada finally scored the equalizer, only to see it wrongfully called back by a horrific offsides call.
In contrast, see what the Dynamo did to Club America last night in the Superliga. They owned possession in the second half, picking and choosing when to attack, and when to back off and keep America chasing. Dominic and the Dynamo had control of the game and kept generating chances without exposing themselves defensively. America had a couple of semi-opportunities that didn't amount to anything, but it was interesting to see it was the team down a goal trying to apply high-pressure, counter attack, quick strike soccer. By the time the referee blew the whistle, America players had no legs underneath them and were ready for the game to come to an end.
I believe there is a primary difference between the Bradley and Kinnear philosophies. Bradley subscribes to the Arena school of thought. You kill games by conceding possession and subbing in more defenders once you've established a lead. Kinnear subscribes to the philosophies used by Frank Yallop during the San Jose's Earthquakes' domination of MLS earlier this decade. You kill games by controlling the pace of play through possession, and you substitute fresh midfielders and attackers to keep the opposing team honest.
Frankly, I think Kinnear's method is better. I think his teams adjust far better to what we've seen with Bradley and the US Team. I think Bradley would be wise to put on a tape of last night's Dynamo-America game to see one way how he can reverse the late game meltdowns trend of his US teams.
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