Yep, you read that right, a 1-1 win. Let's be honest, any result in Honduras other than a loss was going to be a tremendous positive. Falling down a goal early, losing Nathan Sturgis to a red card and still pulling off a draw...well that's just epic.
The Dynamo are now in the drivers seat for qualification in to the knockout stages of the tournament. Olimpia's final two matches are on the road, while the Dynamo will play their final two matches at home. Four points in Central America is fantastic and I for one am ecstatic about that.
Apologies for the generic match report below, but it was a late night and I've got a busy morning ahead. Here's the recap from the Dynamo about the match:
Game Notes: The Houston Dynamo earned an important draw on the road on Thursday night, securing a 1-1 draw with C.D. Olimpia of Honduras in CONCACAF Champions League group play. Adam Moffat headed a second-half equalizer and the Men in Orange hung for the road point despite playing down a man after Nate Sturgis was issued a red card.
The result leaves the Dynamo and Olimpia tied atop Group 3, with four points through two rounds. The Dynamo has two home games remaining, while Olimpia has to play its final two games on the road, including a rematch with the Dynamo in Houston on Oct. 23, the final group stage game for both teams.
Olimpia seized an early lead in the seventh minute. Irvin Reyna swerved in a corner kick near the edge of the six-yard box, where Douglas Caetano beat the Dynamo defense with a diving header into the Houston net for a 1-0 Olimpia advantage.
The Dynamo had limited opportunites to equalize, with Cam Weaver coming closest for Houton in the 28th minute. Weaver received a clever chipped ball from Je-Vaughn Watson just outside the six-yard box and did well to stay on his feet, but Weaver hit his shot from six yards over the cross bar.
Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric kept the visitors in the match with several key saves. In the 24th minute, he stopped a low shot from Sebastian Rosano, who broke free in the box and ripped a shot from 15 yards.
Four minutes later, Deric produced another vital stop, deflecting an Olimpia shot towards the far post, where Dynamo midfielder Adam Moffat cleared it off the line. Five minutes before the Dynamo equalizer, Deric came up big again, stopping a low, driven shot from the center of the area to keep his team within a goal.
Houstons equalizer came off a corner kick from Sturgis, who also delivered an assist from a corner kick in a 3-1 win at FAS on Aug. 22. Sturgis initial corner was cleared by Olimpia, but the defender served in a beautiful second ball to the middle of the area, where Moffat beat his defender and steered in a cool header for a tying goal.
Sturgis was shown a straight red card by referee Marco Rodriguez in the 62nd minute for a challenge in the middle of the field. The Dynamo survived the final 28 minutes down a man, securing a vital road point against Olimpia, which has not lost a Champions League game at home since 2008.
The Dynamo return to Major League Soccer action on Sunday, when they visit the Chicago Fire at 6 p.m. for a key Eastern Conference matchup. Houston resumes Champions League play on Sept. 20 with a home match against C.D. FAS at 7 p.m.
All the official details after the jump.
C.D. Olimpia (1-0-1) vs. Houston Dynamo (1-0-1)
August 30, 2012 Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
CONCACAF Champions League group play, round two
Goals by Period 1 2 Total
C.D. Olimpia 1 0 1
Houston Dynamo 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
C.D. Olimpia: Douglas Caetano 1 (Irvin Reyna 1) 7
Houston Dynamo: Adam Moffat 1 (Nate Sturgis 2) 57
Houston Dynamo: Tyler Deric; Kofi Sarkodie, Nate Sturgis, Jermaine Taylor, Andre Hainault; Boniek Garcia, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Bobby Boswell 64); Je-Vaughn Watson, Cam Weaver (Will Bruin 84), Colin Clark (Macoumba Kandji 75)
Substitutes not used: Tally Hall, Brian Ownby, Josue Soto, Corey Ashe
TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Adam Moffat 1, Je-Vaughn Watson 1, Cam Weaver 1, Bobby Boswell 1, Macoumba Kandji 1); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Adam Moffat 1, Macoumba Kandji 1); FOULS: 11 (Nate Sturgis 2, Boniek Garcia 2, Je-Vaughn Watson 2, Cam Weaver 2); OFFSIDE: 5 (Cam Weaver 2); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Nate Sturgis 1, Boniek Garcia 1); SAVES: 3 (Tyler Deric 3)
C.D. Olimpia: Noel Valladares; Brayan Beckeles, Johnny Palacios, Fabio de Souza, Juan Carlos Garcia (Juan Mejia 70); Irvin Reyna, Sebastián Rosano (Carlos Mejía 64), Jose Escalante (Javier Arnaldo Portillo 45), Reynaldo Tilguath; Washington Bruschi, Douglas Caetano
Substitutes not used: Donis Escober, Alexander López, Roger Rojas, Jose Fonseca,
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Douglas Caetano 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Douglas Caetano 2); FOULS: 16 (Brayan Beckeles 3, Carlos Mejía 3); OFFSIDE: 3 (Douglas Caetano 2); CORNER KICKS: 9 (Washington Bruschi 3); SAVES: 1 (Noel Valladares 1)
Misconduct Summary:
Houston: Andre Hainault (caution) 49
Olimpia: Sebastián Rosano (caution) 49
Houston: Colin Clark (caution) 54
Olimpia: Juan Carlos Garcia (caution) 60
Houston: Nate Sturgis (ejection) 61
Olimpia: Carlos Mejía (caution) 67
Houston: Je-Vaughn Watson (caution) 75
Olimpia: Brayan Beckeles (caution) 80
Referee: Marco Rodrgiuez (Mexico)
Referee's Assistants: Marvin Torrentera, Marcos Quintero
4th Official: Fabricio Morales