Houston Dynamo vs Columbus Crew Final Score: Early red card, PK doom Dynamo in Columbus

A late tackle inside the box by Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric earned him a red card – and a penalty kick for the Columbus Crew. It was all the home side would need to earn a 1-0 in Columbus.

The Dynamo started the match strong, nearly scoring on a pair of shots in the first 15 minutes. Giles Barnes was denied a goal by Steve Clark, and Ricardo Clark hit the crossbar.

But in the 18 minute, Kei Kamara broke free on a deflected pass and went 1v1 with Deric. Deric took down Kamara after he was beaten, earning the red card from referee Kevin Stott. Dynamo coach Owen Coyle was forced to use a sub to bring in goalkeeper Joe Willis, taking out midfielder Collen Warner.

Karmara converted the penalty kick to put the Crew up 1-0.

Down a man and a goal, the Dynamo were in defense mode for the rest of the match. Still, they showed much more heart tonight than they did in their home loss to the LA Galaxy.

One of the big changes Coyle made prior to the match was inserting Agus into the starting lineup at center back. The Spaniard organized the backline, and played well alongside fellow Spanish international Raul Rodriguez on the backline.

Still, the Crew's domination of the ball was too much for the Dynamo to overcome. Columbus possessed the ball over 73% of time, making it nearly impossible for the Dynamo to get much going offensively. Houston finished with just four shots total – two on target.

The Dynamo stay on the road for their next match, traveling to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Real Salt Lake on Saturday, April 30.