SpicyTricks

Will Bruin is the Dynamo striker of the future Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

It's official; change is happening in Houston right before our eyes.  We are seeing the passing of a torch in 2012 from the legendary forward that has always been our goal scorer to a young dominant forward who will be our goal scorer for the foreseeable future.  Since the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston for the 2006 MLS season, Brian Ching has been our leading scorer (or at least tied for it) every single year.  As Dynamo fans, we learned to put our trust in him and he'd find the back of the net time and time again.

Our additional forwards have always felt like "fill in" players.  We've never really had a second forward in 6 seasons in Houston.  Through the years we've had Alejandro Moreno, Joseph Ngwenya, Cam Weaver, Kei Kamara, Dominic Oduro, and others.  None of them cracked the code and could sustain a starting position in Houston.  That's a large part of the reason Brian Ching is so beloved by Houston fans, he's always been there when we've needed him.

Year	Leading Scorer	Goals	Other Forward	Goals	Honorable Mention	Goals
2006	Brian Ching	11	Alejandro Moreno	3	Dwayne De Rosario (M)	11
2007	Brian Ching	7	Joseph Ngwenya	7	Nate Jaqua	6
2008	Brian Ching	13	Nate Jaqua	4	Kei Kamara	2
2009	Brian Ching	8	Kei Kamara	5	Cam Weaver	3
2010	Brian Ching	7	Dominic Oduro	5	Cam Weaver	3
2011	Brian Ching	5	Will Bruin	5	Geoff Cameron (D)	5
2012	Will Bruin	9	Brian Ching	1	Brad Davis (M)	3

2012 is different.  Not different like he's not productive any more, different because currently second year forward Will Bruin sits fourth in MLS with 9 goals and Brian Ching has just one.  While Ching struggles to find the back of the net, Bruin is on a pace that will break our all time record for goals scored in a season, which is 13 by Ching in 2008.

While Bruin was expected to go in the top four picks, fans still weren't too sure what to expect when the Dynamo drafted him 11th overall in the 2011 MLS Superdraft.  His college stats don't jump out aside from 2010 which saw him score 18 goals and he was the runner up for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top male and female soccer player. There were comparisons right away to none other than Brian Ching due to Bruin's good physical play and his skills in the air.  Ching is a big, strong forward that can play off the ball and get free in the box when a cross is sent his way.  He has always had great ability to find the best positioning for goal scoring opportunities.  It's almost haunting that Bruin has a very similar style of play.  Houston was fortunate that such a capable goal scorer was available that far down in the draft.

Bruin started 2011 off with a bang and netted four goals quickly and was certainly in contention for MLS' Rookie of the Year.  In July, he left a match against Seattle with a knee injury and that slowed his season but he finished with five goals, tied for first among rookies.
With Ching struggling to find goals in 2012, Bruin's emergence was right on time.  Not only is he scoring goals, he's carrying Houston on his back at times.  Last week, we saw him score two late goals to salvage a much needed draw against Toronto to maintain our unbeaten run at BBVA Compass Stadium.  This past Saturday, Bruin's header in the 45' of the first half leveled Houston and Montreal going into the break.



While Ching only sits on one goal in 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes between 5-8 goals this year.  Ching hasn't had a bad year, he simply has just been inches off at times and with such a good goal scoring mentality, it's only a matter of time before he finds the net again.  What's great about the veteran leadership of Ching is he is still making the Houston  Dynamo a better team while he's on the field.  Ching has three assists on the season, including a pair to Bruin.

As Houston Dynamo fans, don't let history elude your eyes.  While the goal scoring conversations have always centered around Brian Ching in the past, we'll soon be talking about Will Bruin and how many goals he will score each year.  A wind of change is blowing in Houston, but it's a good one and something that will positively impact the Dynamo for a while.  Because Will Bruin is a completely different person and player, I won't say we may have found our next Brian Ching.  I'll simply say Will Bruin may be our captain of the future and a great successor the Dynamo legend, Brian Ching.

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