Dynamo Repeat!

Congratulations to the Houston Dynamo for repeating as MLS Champions. The championship game was the culmination of a very fine season. As a fan of good coaching, I think that is what you saw with the Dynamo. Dominic Kinnear, the coach sets the tempo for this team. He is steady and confident in his approach, he never panics. He commands the respect of his players. His emphasis is on team chemistry, many coaches talk about this but he lives it. When they had the opportunity to acquire Cuauhtémoc Blanco as their designated player, he opted out of that choice because he felt that adding Blanco would disrupt team chemistry. What kind of message does that send to the players? He believes in his players and they play hard and good soccer as a reflection of that belief. I worked with Dominic when he was a player with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. He was a real team player. He was asked to play out of position in a position not suited for his strength, but he did it and he played the position well. He was a quiet leader on the team, who led by example. He coaches the way he played. Coaching does make a difference!

It is also interesting to note that many coaches get to a championship game and try to do something different. I think their win reinforced the concept in my mind that in championship games you do not have do anything different, you have to keep doing the things that got you there.