It's time for the Houston Dynamo to move on from Fafa Picault

Midfielder Fafa Picault's days as a key member of the Houston Dynamo are slowly coming to an end. Although, both the midfielder and the organization have denied any exit strategy for the 31 year old, his play on the pitch is beginning to say he is more of a liability then an asset. It's time to move on from Picault and here are three reasons why.

Picault came to Houston in exchange for allocation money in the 2020 offseason. Less than a year removed from double digit goals, the production this season has fallen precipitously. Only four goals and two assists in a 2022 season when Houston has needed him most. For a player who has logged more then 1400 minutes, and is expected to help facilitate the offense, this is unacceptable.

Once one of the best pressing wingers in the game, Picault this season has been unable to consistently beat his defender one v one. When he has, his shot has been unable to find the back of the net. In 20 appearances with 16 starts, his moments have been far and few between. He averages more than a shot per game, puts nearly 40% on goal yet can't find the back of the net. Not good. Too be fair though, Picault has always required a lot of shots to find a goal. From 2018 through 2020, he took 173 shots with 75 on target to find 17 goals.

As a winger, Picault is expected to connect passes and find the right teammate at the right time. This statistic has been lacking as well. In his last 10 matches across all competition, his passing percentage has been 75% or less in half of those games including a 42.9 passing percentage against Sporting Kansas City. In nine of his 16 starts, his passing percentage is less than 75%. Ironically as a sub, seventy five percent of the time his passes have not connected on the positive side of 75%.

Maybe an even more alarming issue this season is the number of times, Picault is called offside. An offside call disrupts the flow of the offense many times when it should have the advantage. In 2021, he was whistled for 31 offside infractions. and already 18 times in 2022. In less than two full seasons in Houston, he has drawn more offside calls than his previous three seasons combined in Dallas. He has accumulated more than half of the offside calls leveled against the Dynamo this season. In nearly one-third of the matches in which he has appeared, he has been the only one whistled for offside. In the month of July, Picault has six of the club's eight offside calls. He has six in his last four matches making him more an offensive liability then an asset.

In total, when your wing player cannot beat his defender consistently one v one, pass effectively nor be disciplined enough to stay onside, it is time to move on to someone who can do the job. With the team needing a big playoff push, it's time to move Memo Rodriguez and Tyler Pasher to the wings with Hector Herrera in the middle. They can't do any worse.