HOUSTON – Finally the Houston Dynamo are at a full complement of forwards. Erick “Cubo” Torres is finally with the club, and Giles Barnes is back from a second tournament stint with Jamaica.
Toss in a red-hot Will Bruin, and Houston have three forwards that not only can start but have game-changing potential. After Saturday’s 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy in which both Bruin and Torres played well, head coach Owen Coyle was not shy about looking forward to having three seasoned attackers at his disposal.
“What I know is when we get [Torres] up to speed, then I get Giles Barnes back, and I really believe I can find a front three of Barnes, Bruin and Torres that can really compliment themselves,” Coyle said. “For me it’s exciting moving forward.”
Eventually the question will become how does he maximize all three players?
“When you have quality players at your disposal you want them in your team. Now, does that create one or two dilemmas, in terms of selection dilemmas and such, then yes there’s no reason to be evasive,” Coyle told the media Tuesday. “I’ve got no doubt good players like playing with good players, and they’ll complement each other.”
If Coyle is intent on switching to that three-man frontline there are a few ways he can do it. He could deploy all three in a triangle at the top of the formation or split two out wide.
It looks as if Bruin will likely stay in the middle. After Saturday’s win Coyle said, “Will Bruin’s a number nine at this moment, and it’s up to Cubo to battle away and join him at this moment and for Giles Barnes to come in.”
With a team-best nine goals in league play, Bruin’s carved out a role in the middle of Houston’s attack; meaning that a straight three-man front would require an adjustment to the wide areas for Barnes and/or Torres. All three players have said all the right things, mainly that they’ll play wherever Coyle asks them to, and the nature of their play and attitudes do nothing to make anyone think otherwise.
“I will play wherever the coach tells me to play,” Torres said through a translator. “If he tells me to play defense, I will play defense, that’s the way it’s going to go. It doesn’t really matter to me where I play as long as I can get the chance to contribute.
“It’s something that’ll be good at the end,” Torres said after the Saturday’s game. “This is something that ultimately falls on Owen as to what he wants to do and who he wants to put on the field.”
Getting the most out of those three will be integral to any move Houston plans to make up the standings. After all, with three players who have shown they can score in droves, finding a way for them to be productive can only benefit the club.
The time to make that decision is unknown, however, and there are other factors.
Torres is working his way to full, 90-minute fitness, and Barnes will have to make sure he is ready to start after a long couple of months on the road. Also there is the case of how to configure a midfield behind them where Ricardo Clark and Brad Davis have been staples and a number of players are showing signs of improved form.
Coyle has not been shy about playing matchups against opponents that could change things up.
“It’s up to Owen to see what he wants to do,” Barnes said. “Not that I’m in any of the same grace … but [Luis] Suarez, [Lionel] Messi and Neymar, not that we’re that three, but it’s three strikers that play whichever positions they’re told to play and have been successful. Whichever works best for the team. I’m sure we can all play together and make a very successful partnership.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
