Houston Dynamo vs San Jose Earthquakes Final Score: Houston grabs 3 vital points from San Jose at home

The Houston Dynamo took three points away from the San Jose Earthquakes for the second time this season, with a 2-1 win at BBVA Compass Stadium. DaMarcus As Houston continues to march ever closer to that playoff line, DaMarcus Beasley score his first goal in Dynamo orange in the match.

With RSL’s 4-0 loss to Vancouver, these vital 3 points move Houston into 7^th place in the West, 2 points ahead of RSL and only one behind the Seattle Sounders, who are currently free-falling from 18,000 feet without a parachute, and will face the LA Galaxy tomorrow.

La Naranja had a beautiful scoring opportunity in the 28^th minute. Leonel Miranda made a pass up-field that Will Bruin took to the edge of the box, then crossed it inside and wide open Dynamo captain Brad Davis sent it rolling toward the lower left corner, past the goalkeeper but just wide.

Houston opened the scoring in the 55^th minute when USMNT legend DaMarcus Beasley played a through ball from Giles Barnes past a pair of San Jose defenders and tallied the very first goal of his Dynamo career. 5 minutes later, Fatai Alashe was sent off after yellow card accumulation. He had been shown the card once in the first half for an aggressive challenge, and his second yellow, for holding, was enough to put San Jose down a man.

The ten man Earthquake side struck back in the 70^th minute. The ball was played to Sanna Nyassi, who headed it towards goal from the left side of the box. Houston’s defense and backup goalkeeper Joe Willis stepped up too far, and Quincy Amarikwa just bounced it off his chest to tie the game.

Newcomer Sheanon Williams and Boniek Garcia, finally back in orange after a Gold Cup campaign and a nagging injury, provided the setup for a ball that Alex Lima took right up the middle and banged it into the net. That goal gave Houston the lead and the game-winner, 2-1.

After struggling mightily through national team call ups, injuries, and just general incompetence, the Dynamo are finally starting to look like a team that could be playing meaningful soccer in September.

The Dynamo, who are now unbeaten in 3 straight matches, travel to New England to face the not-exactly-world-beaters Revolution next Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Let’s hope the balls are fully inflated.

Lineups

Houston (4-4-2): Joe Willis, Sheanon Williams, David Horst, Raul Rodriguez, DaMarcus Beasley, Luis Garrido, Leonel Miranda (Oscar Garcia 56’), Alex (Rasheed Olabiyi 85’), Giles Barnes, Brad Davis, Will Bruin (Erick Torres 78’)

San Jose (4-5-1): David Wingham, Marvell Wynne (Shanna Nyassi 69’), Victor Bernardez, Jordan Stewart, Shaun Francis, Fatai Alashe, Cordell Cato, Chris Wondolowski, Marc Pelosi (J.J. Kaval 62’), Shea Salinas (Tommy Thompson 69’), Quincy Amarikwa

Disciplinary

Yellow: Victor Bernardez (28’), Marc Pelosi (34’), Fatai Alashe (43’) Fatai Alashe (60’) Raul Rodriguez (71’) Sanna Nyassi (82’)

Scoring

Houston: DaMarcus Beasley (55’), Alex (76’)

San Jose: Quincy Amarikwa (70’)