Seattle Sounders v Houston Dynamo - Three Questions

Part Dark Cloud, part powered by Naranja Zach Woosley writes about the Houston Dynamo over at Dynamo Theory. The Houston side troubled Seattle in '09, and are only challenged by the Los Angeles Galaxy for team most often in opposition of Seattle. The Traffic Cones take on the Safety Vests tonight, so what should we know?

DC - South Sounders know Tally Hall fairly well, but why is the organization confident that he can be the keeper to lead Houston back into the Playoffs?

Woosley - Tally Hall was signed with the eventual retirement of Pat Onstad in mind. He's young, tall and takes up space in front of the net and most importantly has earned the confidence of Dominic Kinnear and goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley. Hall has spent the last two season learning from Onstad, never once complaining about lack of playing time. Instead he worked hard, learned and ensured he was ready to seize the job once it became available. His intensity and focus during a match reminds me a lot of Onstad while he still has a lot to learn, it's an education that must be completed through match experience.

DC - Geoff Cameron has played nearly any where in his time with the Dynamo. Where should Seattle expect to see him now? And has he finally settled into a permanent role?

Ginge - Cameron will be in the attacking mid role for the foreseeable future. The Dynamo are committed to giving him every opportunity to grow in to that position and while I personally wonder if his skill set is right for that spot, he deserves a fair chance. He's definitely not settled yet. The knee injury last season set him back so instead of being able to learn and get comfortable during what was a poor season for the team, he's going to have to grasp the position with a considerable amount of pressure on him.

DC - Will Kofi Sarkodie challenge Hunter Freeman for a starting role this year, or is his future to be a left mid this season?

Zach -  I think the biggest problem in terms of lineup decisions facing Kinnear right now is where to use Sarkodie. He's clearly a talent and can potentially really give the Dynamo an offensive boost, but he's going to have to show in practice that he can handle defensive duties. It certainly would make sense to consider him in a left mid role, but there is such roster congestion at that spot I just don't see it right now. Given Freeman's ability to play either fullback spot, it's certainly possible we could see them on the field at the same time as well. I liked what I saw from Sarkodie in the pre-season but Kinnear has always been wary of starting rookies, but he gave Bruin a shot against Philly so I think it's only a matter of time before Sarkodie gets his chance.