The Houston Dynamo fell to the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in their first of three preseason matches in Tucson, Arizona. San Jose got two second half goals from trialist Alexandre Emerson and the Dynamo were unable to figure out the Earthquakes defense and find their scoring touch.
Houston has three starters - Brad Davis, Will Bruin, and Tally Hall - with the United States Men's National Team so their lineup was a good mix of experience and trialists. Mike Chabala, Franck Songo'o, and Calum Elliot all started the match for the Dynamo in hopes of earning a contract with the club.
The Dynamo had a few chances, but weren't able to find the back of the net. Giles Barnes, who started in the attacking midfield spot, appeared to put in some good minutes based on the video highlights. His shot in the 29' was barely pushed over the bar. His ball control and footwork leading up to the shot was the most impressive part of the sequence, as Houston could use an attacking mid with that kind of creativity. Watch for yourselves, starting around the 30 second mark of the video.
Barnes had a few other chances and Songo'o nearly scored for Houston, but nothing went their way in the end.
Next up for the Dynamo is a match with the Colorado Rapids on Thursday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CST and will be streamed live on MLS' website.
Enjoy the highlights:
You can watch the FULL MATCH here.
Here's the match summary:
Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Januray 29, 2013 – Kino Sports Complex, Tucson, Ariz.
Preseason Scrimmage
Scoring Summary:
SJ – Alexandre Emerson (unassisted) 56
SJ – Alexandre Emerson (penalty) 86
Houston Dynamo: Tyler Deric (Erich Marschedier 63); Kofi Sarkodie (Warren Creavalle 46), Bobby Boswell (Eric Brunner 46), Jermaine Taylor (Yannick Smith 70), Mike Chabala (Anthony Arena 46); Franck Songo'o (Brian Ownby 63), Ricardo Clark (Adam Moffat 21; Nic Ryan 63), Giles Barnes (Luiz Camargo 46), Je-Vaughn Watson (Alex Dixon 46), Brian Ching (Jason Johnson 46), Calum Elliot (Cam Weaver 46)
San Jose Earthquakes: San Jose Earthquakes: Evan Newton (Jesus Guzman 46), Peter McGlynn, Tommy Muller, Ty Harden (Josh Suggs 46), Colin Mitchell (Henrik Robstadt 46), Jacob Hustedt (Bryan Jordan 46), Brad Ring (Jacob Hustedt 70), Abu Tommy, Sam Garza (Sean de Silva 46), Lamin Suma (Alexandre Emerson 46), Adam Jahn (Matt Fondy 46)