HOUSTON – With just two goals in their first five matches, the Houston Dynamo have done just about everything in attack but hit the decisive final ball.
Could a difference-maker currently be sitting on the bench in the form of Alexander Lopez?
The 22-year-old Honduran was signed in 2013 as a young Designated Player in part for his skilled passing and ability to direct the attack. Since then, he’s had a tough transition grasping the up-and-down, two-way nature of MLS play.
With the Dynamo looking for a spark, Lopez’s skillset could provide a solution. With Boniek Garcia a possible scratch because of illness against the Montreal Impact on Saturday (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), the young Honduran might get a chance to prove himself.
“I truly believe he’s a talented player,” head coach Owen Coyle told MLSsoccer.com. “I think there’s an element of frustration with him and his Dynamo career because he came in with a big reputation. For whatever reason, whether it was lack of chances or whatever, he’s never got to the level we all believe he can.”
Chances for Lopez have been few and far between in a Dynamo uniform. Since his transfer from CD Olimpia, he has made just 13 MLS appearances, two of them starts, and notched just one assist. That’s a slim sum considering the $1 million transfer figure the Dynamo reportedly paid to obtain his services.
Why has he remained a bystander? The common refrain was that he struggled playing both sides of the ball.
“I can understand people have that perception of him,” Coyle said. “Sometimes a player’s body language is such how people perceive him on the pitch. For me, he’s got a great work ethic. He’s a young player that we believe with the more games that he gets he can make that final pass, he can score goals. It’s getting the balance in the team that’ll afford him to do that.”
Lopez’s passing range has been noted since his arrival. But the young Honduran has taken a long time to add less glamorous skills into his game, such as tracking back and covering lanes or hustling to recover loose balls. Without that, finding playing time for Houston – a club that takes pride in their work ethic – has been difficult.
“At this level, in this league you have to be able to play both sides of the ball,” club captain
Brad Davis
told MLSsoccer.com. “He can hit that last pass, he can pass the ball well, and he can switch the point of attack and things like that. Never will we question his ability to go forward. But you have to be willing to sacrifice on the other end of the spectrum as well.”
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With Coyle arriving this offseason to take over the team, Lopez looks to have new life. He has continued to try and break into a team that’s still looking for consistent contributors.
To make his mark, Lopez has to show that consistency.
Coyle spoke highly of his sub appearance two weeks ago vs. the Colorado Rapids, when he came off the bench for the final 31 minutes and showed well.
Now Lopez wants to extend that good half-hour into long-term quality. It’s the next step that everyone in orange is waiting for him to take.
“He’s a young man who’s got talent, there’s no doubt about that,” Coyle said. “What we’ve got to do is encourage him to flourish and give him the opportunity to show everybody the ability he has. But ability’s not enough. Ability will only take you so far. I think he understands what’s required of him and now he’s waiting for the opportunity.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
