Dynamo struggling? It's funny how quickly things can turn around. Behind two goals from Adam Moffat, the Houston Dynamo got a huge road win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night and have now won two matches in a row. Suddenly, the Dynamo find themselves right back in the mix of the Eastern Conference contenders as only four points separate them and first place Sporting Kansas City.
The first half was extremely tough to watch as neither team had many chances offensively and it was more of a battle for midfield possession. Dominic Kinnear opted for the 4-3-3 but the team couldn't get anything going on offense. Cam Weaver's insertion into the starting lineup was likely Kinnear's only option with Omar Cummings being a late scratch with a right groin injury, but he proved ineffective the entire night.
In the second half, the action picked up from both sides. Houston and New England looked dangerous at times and a goal was bound to come.
In comes Adam Moffat.
In the 49th minute, Moffat sent a rocket past a helpless Bobby Shuttleworth for a 1-0 lead. Words cannot describe the wonderful strike, so take a look.
Yep.
Moffat was a man on a mission last night. His physical and gritty play defined the night. It was a glimpse at the Dynamo team we are used the seeing. The never say die gritty play that is better known as the Dynamo way. Something Houston fans have been used to for seven years.
Minutes after Moffat likely locked up Major League Soccer's goal of the week, the Dynamo defense fell asleep and let New England equalize.
In the 66th minute, forward Saer Sene found himself unmarked in the six yard box and in the perfect place for a deflected shot off of Tally Hall. Hall was able to break up a pass from the Revs, but unfortunately his defense was watching the ball and not mindful of marking the opposition.
Sene tapped the ball in easily and it started to feel like Houston's fortunes were taking a turn for the worse.
New England began to pour on pressure for much of the second half, but the Dynamo defense did well to avert the danger.
Knowing how close the Revs are in the Eastern Conference standings, a draw was acceptable but not the desired result. With time winding down and New England pressuring, it appeared the game was headed for a draw or worse.
In the 79th minute, Adam Moffat struck again. This time with a little bit of help from the Revs keeper, but he'll surely take it.
Moffat sent in another shot from distance, but it ricocheted off the post, but got the lucky deflection off the back of Shuttleworth and into the goal for the 2-1 lead.
Minutes later, Dimitry Imbongo was sent off for the second straight game against Houston. Last time when the Revs beat the Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium, Imbongo and Bobby Boswell were locked into a physical and mental battle until things turned ugly. Both players were sent off and Boswell received additional discipline from MLS for his headbutt.
The loss of Imbongo put the Revs in a near impossible situation with being a goal down with less than 10 minutes to play.
Houston held on for the big three points and with the win have a five point cushion from New England in the standings. More importantly that that, the Dynamo have sight of the top of the conference too. Just four points separate Houston (29 points) and Sporting Kansas City (33 points), who currently hold the top spot. The Dynamo are just two points from second and third place, currently held by Montreal and New York (both with 31 points).
Next up for Houston is two opponents that sit below the red line and are fighting to improve their seasons. Chicago Fire (6-8-3, 21 points) will visit BBVA Compass Stadium on July 27 and the Columbus Crew (6-8-5, 23 points) will make a trip to Houston on August 3.
With their next two games at home and against opposition who aren't clicking on all cylinders, the Dynamo could be poised for a nice run over the next couple weeks.
Match Notes
Scoring Summary:
Houston: Adam Moffat 1 (unassisted) 49
New England: Saer Sene 3 (unassisted) 55
Houston: Adam Moffat 2 (Ricardo Clark 3) 79
Houston Dynamo: Tally Hall, Kofi Sarkodie, Bobby Boswell, Eric Brunner, Jermaine Taylor; Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat; Boniek Garcia, Giles Barnes (Warren Creavalle 90), Andrew Driver; Cam Weaver (Brian Ching 90)
Substitutes not used: Tyler Deric, Mike Chabala, Alex Dixon, Bryan Salazar, Jason Johnson
New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth; Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney (Juan Toja 86); Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, Scott Caldwell, Lee Nguyen, Saer Sene; Chad Barrett (Dimitry Imbongo 55)
Substitutes not used: Matt Reis, Darrius Barnes, Ryan Guy, Clyde Simms, A.J. Soares
Misconduct Summary:
NE: Andrew Farrell (caution) 55
HOU: Eric Brunner (caution) 69
NE: Dimitry Imbongo (ejection) 82
Referee: Armando Villareal
Referee's Assistants: Scott Kachmarik, Mark Cahen
4th Official: Mathieu Bordeau
Match Stats
New England Revolution |
|
Houston Dynamo |
8 |
Attempts on Goal |
13 |
1 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
6 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
1 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
3 |
Corner Kicks |
4 |
10 |
Fouls |
15 |
8 |
Open Play Crosses |
16 |
2 |
Offsides |
2 |
1 |
First Yellow Cards |
1 |
0 |
Second Yellow Cards |
0 |
1 |
Red Cards |
0 |
59 |
Duels Won |
69 |
46% |
Duels Won % |
53% |
360 |
Total Pass |
432 |
77% |
Passing Accuracy % |
79% |
45.3% |
Possession |
54.7% |