Houston Dynamo takes big gamble by elevating youth to senior squad

With several key starters leaving the team in the offseason and some others dealing with injuries, the Dynamo’s coaching staff has had to look for solutions to fill all the uncovered positions. With the Dynamo II squad at their disposal, they opted to bring some players into the senior team.

Houston Dynamo takes big gamble by elevating youth to senior squad

Obafemi Awodesu was one of them and performed well enough to not only be offered a contract at the beginning of the year but also to be given the starting position. The defender has been able to rise to the occasion most of the time, but in some cases, his lack of experience has gotten the best of him. 

There is also Brooklyn Raines, who played in the Dynamo II in 2022 before transitioning to the first team. As of now, he is an important player. Even though he is not a starter, he plays a significant number of minutes.

Some other Dynamo II players have not been able to step up their game when getting called up, and as a result, have not been given more opportunities in the senior squad. This is the case of  Andy Batioja and Diego Gonzalez. Even though Gonzalez had a great game in a friendly against El Salvador, where he scored an incredible long-distance goal, he has not been considered much since then by manager Ben Olsen. He was called for a few more games, but did not get playtime. 

Although players might be doing well in the second team, being moved up to the first squad to face high-quality opponents puts them to the test. Some have been able to prove themselves, like Awodesu and Raines, while some did not meet the expectations like Andy Batioja. 

Batioja was given a short contract so he could be a part of the Dynamo for a few games, but unfortunately did not perform well enough. He even looked nervous and as a result, lacked precision. Both are a terrible combination if your goal is to be considered as a possible replacement in the midfield.

It is a gamble to bring young, inexperienced players into the first team. Experience cannot be taught. Players have to go through tough moments to grow and improve, but in the process, they can make mistakes that end up harming the team, which is why it is so risky to rely on the young players to take the team all the way.

Awodesu, for example, has had great games, and you can see him becoming more mature and confident in his game as the season goes on, but at the same time, there have been matches where it has been a roller coaster. Awodesu or “Femi” as fans call him, recently scored his first professional goal with a great header, but less than 10 minutes later he was shown a red card for a handball near the penalty area. 

An action that changed the course of the match, which up to that point seemed up for grabs for either team. 

It takes time for the newcomers to raise their level to that of the most experienced players in the senior crew. And because the Dynamo has not stopped signing new players all season, it is safe to say the coaching staff does not trust this to be the best long-term solution. So far they have brought in two forwards (Lingr and Olusanya), two center backs (Ortiz and Andrade), and two midfielders (Dueñas and Urso)

It is not a bad idea to have a mix of both; veteran players playing together with the younger players. Ben Olsen talks a lot about the Dynamo finding its identity. With so many new players coming in, it is a challenge to build a solid foundation, and establishing good chemistry between so many different players might be harder than it looks. This mix can be what helps the team turn this season around and be well-positioned to make the playoffs, only if Olsen figures out how to balance both age groups successfully.

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