Dynamo Defeat Revolution on a Controversial Late Goal

by Zach Woosley on Apr 17, 2011 8:23 PM CDT in Match Reports

HOUSTON - APRIL 17: Will Bruin #12 of the Houston Dynamo has his header go wide of the goal in the first half against the New England Revolution at Robertson Stadium on April 17, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

What a night in Houston. Lots of controversy as a goal that looked good not allowed and a goal that was clearly a handball allowed to stand. Fortunately for Houston fans, it was the Dynamo who got the last break and thanks to Hunter Freeman, snatched victory from the jaws of a disappointing draw, defeating the New England Revolution 1-0.

The Revolution opened the match trying to pressure Houston and managed to control possession for the first 15 minutes of the game, they just weren't creating chances. When Dynamo did get the ball, they were connecting passes and creating chances...problem is they weren't finishing and instead of having a big early lead, it remained scoreless. I'm not exaggerating either, Will Bruin missed two headers with the second chance being on an open goal from about six-yards out. It's the kind of miss that will mentally haunt a player.

For the rest of the half, the Dynamo controlled possession and set the tempo for the match, but continued to miss great scoring chances. It was a prime example of how frustrating soccer can be at times when a team dominates play, greatest goal opportunities but seems to be battling an invisible wall covering the entire goal mouth.

We also got multiple good examples of why the Dynamo signed Hunter Freeman in the off-season. We knew Kinnear wanted to solidify the defense, but Freeman is a dual purpose player who got forward with the attack several times and made some excellently placed crosses that nearly (and should have) led to goals.

Despite that, the level of play from Houston was crisp and well organized as the week to week and half to half improvement of this team continues. Still, definitely a bit disappointing not to be up by at least a goal or two at the half.

Dynamo continued to pour on the pressure and create opportunities in the second half and finally broke through in the 55th minute when Bobby Boswell sent a rebound that appeared to cross the line to everyone except the linesman, who was too busy picking his nose or fixing his hair to realize there was a goal...ok, enough venting.

It was close, damn close. Take a look at the picture below and while it's clear the ball is in, it's nearly impossible to tell if it's completely over the line. Tough call, but it's another obvious reason for goal line technology.

The night's controversy wasn't done yet though.

Justice, at least from a Dynamo perspective, was served in the 86th minute when a scramble right on the goal line, led to the Dynamo finally breaking through with the game winner. After Cam Weaver rattled the crossbar, Hunter Freeman boxed out Matt Reis and the ball clearly went it off Freeman's arm or hand. Match referee Alex Prus didn't see it and the goal stood, but there's not doubt Revolution fans will feel aggrieved by the missed call.

The win moves Houston to 2-1-2 (8 points), the Dynamo will be back in action on Saturday (4/23) against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Tonight's victory is also the first back-to-back wins for the Dynamo this season, you might recall it took until the final two matches of 2010 for Houston to accomplish that feet.

I'll call that moving in the right direction.

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Comments

normally i would have that guilty feeling in the back of my mind after getting a win on an obvious hand ball

Not tonight though. After an earlier goal didn’t stand (I thought there was clearly some green between the ball and the line). I thought there was some justice in Freeman getting away with one after the completely unnecessary forearm/elbow from reis going completely unpunished. The fact that Freeman was called for a foul on that was ridiculous.

Great win. Frustrating that it came down to needing a blown call to win. Would have been nice to have one of this dominating 3-0 or 4-0 wins to really get the momentum going. No matter. We got the points. Plenty of teaching points for Domain to work on. Clark should probably get ready to play more.

"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair

by papabear on Apr 17, 2011 8:56 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

Didn't you hear?

They’re going to wait to blowout opponents til Koke gets here. He sells more merch and tix that way. Lol.

-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog

by Fuzion on Apr 17, 2011 10:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Don't think that foul was on Freeman

I think they called it on Hainault (maybe?) for pushing Barnes. I don’t think Reis was putting in a cheap shot on Freeman and I like the no-call since it was going to be a penalty, but I can understand the frustration on that play.

Founder and Editor of The Bent Musket on SBNation

by Steve Stoehr on Apr 18, 2011 7:32 AM CDT up reply actions

It would be impossible for me to conclusively say Reis was intentionally taking a cheap shot.

In fact I really don’t think Reis was trying to do anything dirty,and was just trying to clear out space. It was still an elbow/foreamr to the back of the head. Even if he was just trying to legally clear a little space for himself it doesn’t change the end result. I understand the reluctance of the ref to call for a penalty in that scenario, but the commissioner made it clear he wanted things like that cleaned up this year, and they should be. Brian Ching is out because Condoul came off his line to hammer Ching twice without ever getting anywhere close to the ball. The first one caught Ching in the head and the second separated his rib. So I am probably a little sensitive to keepers banging on guys in the box right now.

"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair

by papabear on Apr 18, 2011 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions

I agree with the sentiment totally

But I also think some of us are viewing the incident through soccer-colored glasses. Let’s be reasonable here – what Coundoul did to Ching was apples to oranges compared to Reis’s forearm. We’re used to seeing incidental contact as egregious fouls because of embellishment from soccer players – which I’m not criticizing – but anyone watching that play can tell that the impact was light and Freeman probably made the most of it. I’m not calling out Freeman in the slightest, he was trying to draw attention to a foul and I understand that, but I also doubt it hurt him at all, or any more than a slight bump. I wouldn’t use this incident to start calling into question whether or not the ref is doing enough to protect the safety of players.

Founder and Editor of The Bent Musket on SBNation

by Steve Stoehr on Apr 18, 2011 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Don't discount the fact that when I played forward I got fouled on every single ball into the box

I swear. Every single time.

Also, Freeman said he was the one called for the foul on that play. I also don’t disagree that Freeman probably tried to sell it a little.

"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair

by papabear on Apr 18, 2011 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions

I tend to have liberal interpretations of acceptable physicality in soccer.

It’s likely a product of my background in American football. Some people think all contact is technically a foul – I disagree with that. It’s not fun if you aren’t knocking each other around a LITTLE at least :). So yeah, I guess we both agree that it could have been a foul and if one were to be called there, it should have been that and not anything else.

Founder and Editor of The Bent Musket on SBNation

by Steve Stoehr on Apr 18, 2011 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm not that much different really

There are way too many fouls called that are nothing more than legal shoulder to shoulder challenges. My pet peeve is shots to the head(completely unnecessary) and Keepers getting away with murder in the box. I understand keepers need some extra protection, but far too often any contact with a keeper results in an immediate whistle even if he’s the one initiating the contact. Attacking players have a right to a loose ball too.

"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair

by papabear on Apr 18, 2011 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions

I called it over when it happened

I was really surprised when they didn’t give the goal. Freeman’s goal was a stonewall handball, but it was justice in the end. We simply did not deserve to get a result last night.

Founder and Editor of The Bent Musket on SBNation

by Steve Stoehr on Apr 18, 2011 7:34 AM CDT reply actions

I used to dog Cam Weaver

but he’s been playing really well these last few games. Also, Corey Ashe (another player I’ve questioned) is also playing well in a new position. I like that Dom is keeping it simple with the formation and not changing the line up. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. We need to keep Hainault in center even after Watson comes back.

by DynaNole on Apr 18, 2011 10:45 AM CDT reply actions

I am not one to defend Alex Prus for anything. And I am also not one to recommend the practice of getting away with handballs in the box or impeding keepers. You recommend this stuff when it works for your team, then you have no right to complain when it works against you, and it will.

That being said, it does have a slight tinge of justice to have the goal that shouldn’t have counted stand, while the goal that could have counted not given. The whistle of Alex Prus (and his crew) giveth and it taketh away. You always hear that what goes around comes eventually back to the center circle (or something like that), but rarely do you see that in the same game!

Now, I have one gripe, and that is with the scoreboard operator. I have never, as a partisan fan, liked the practice that for any questionable or controversial call that the replay will not be shown in the stadium. However, I have understood the decision, and support it. The referee’s life is a hard one, and I see no reason to heap abuse on guys who generally get over 80 percent (or far, far more) of their calls in a game right.

Really, the goal-not-given call is far, far more an indictment of FIFA for not allowing goal-line technology than it is of Alex Prus and his westside AR. I see no reason why the refs cannot take five minutes (or less) to use an obvious tool to get a call right when it comes to goals. I firmly believe technology would have gotten both calls correct, and Bobby Boswell would have kept his “Game Winner” tag for another whole week. (Though, I guess for the sake of the rest of the team, perhaps that would not be a great thing after all!)

"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie

by Martek on Apr 18, 2011 12:02 PM CDT reply actions

I am 120% against instant replay

One of my favorite things about watching soccer is that it doesn’t stop. There’s no long unnatural pauses in the game for commercials. I don’t even want to think about anything that would open the door to letting the networks sell commercial time. I don’t want teams to be able to catch their breath in the 80th minute when it’s mid-summer and the other team is wilting in the heat while the refs take a few minutes to double check something.

I’m fine with goal line technology as long as they work out a system that’s accurate and instant. If they have to wait for some official to take a look at the tape then I want nothing to do with it.

"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair

by papabear on Apr 19, 2011 8:43 AM CDT up reply actions