Stoppage time goal by New York City FC bests 10-man Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo went back on the road following a two game home stand with disappointing results. This time they landed in the Bronx to take on New York City FC before a short turn around to face the Philadelphia Union later this weekend. The Dynamo have been in desperate need for points and that’s still the case as they were beaten late by NYCFC. A red card and a lot of pressure late saw the Dynamo lose 3-2 late into stoppage.

The Dynamo came out with a lot of energy and a high press which helped them spread the field on a short and narrow field at Yankee Stadium. Houston got a chance early in the 3^rd minute with the midfield winning the ball in the middle of the pitch which led to Romell Quioto going right at goal. Although it wasn’t a bad effort by the Honduran, the shot was off target and he had Memo Rodríguez wide open to his left.

New York City FC got their first real chance of the night before the 10^th minute. Kiki Struna set up the home side with a free kick and although the wall initially did its job, the ball fell to Gary Mackay-Steven who fired one at goal forcing a huge save by Tyler Deric.

The home side would get on the board first in the 16^th minute with Alexandru Mitrita getting the goal. As Eddie Robinson noted on the broadcast, as the energy and pressing transitioned to sitting deeper, NYCFC began to increase their pressure on Houston’s goal which helped them build up play and get the scoring started.

The Dynamo were able to adjust and went back to their more aggressive style and were rewarded with an equalizer. Tommy McNamara got the ball with space on the left wing thanks to a nice pass in by Tomás Martínez. McNamara then steered a ball into the middle of the box and after it got passed a few players, Juan David Cabezas directed the ball back post and passed New York goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

However it would get worse for the Houston as Romell Quioto would be shown a yellow card that was upgraded to a straight red for violent conduct. Quioto was upset with a no call by Ronald Matarrita. Quioto reacted and was promptly sent off.

Before halftime, NYCFC nearly got their second of the game as the ball was played behind out wide to a slashing Matarrita. Matarrita played a ball across goal that went through the Dynamo defenders and nearly found Héber, but it went through his legs as he was trying to strike the ball.

The second half got under way after a weather delay and the Dynamo brought on Mauro Manotas for Tomás Martínez. New York had a chance in the 48^th minute coming off a corner kick. Matarrita delivered a low pass to Mackay-Steven who was unmarked, but his shot went over the top.

Houston had a good chance around the 60^th minute. Tommy McNamara recovered a cleared ball and played a long ball to Memo Rodríguez while being held. Memo had a great run, but was slowed and the ball eventually went out for a corner.

Things almost went from bad to worse in spectacular fashion in the 65^th minute as the Dynamo nearly put the ball into their own net. Following a set piece, A.J. DeLaGarza tried to head the ball out, but he mistimed everything and his headed effort came close to going back post into his own goal.

The Dynamo stunned the NYC crowd in the 77^th minute thanks to a screamer of a goal by Mauro Manotas. Good, quick play out of the midfield saw Matías Vera free in the middle of the park. He touched it over to Manotas who took a measured touch and then hit a ball with power and placement to beat Sean Johnson.

The lead wouldn’t last as just 6 minutes later New York would equalize. The Dynamo wanted a foul called, but the whistle didn’t come and NYC took advantage of the frustrated players who had their hands up for the ref. Keaton Parks got his head up and played a ball to Valentín Castellanos who beat Tyler Deric.

It would get worse for the Dynamo in stoppage time with Castellanos again getting involved. A ball sent in to him was initially denied by Deric, but Castellanos got his own rebound, beating Lundqvist – his defender – and gave NYCFC the game winner.

The final whistle would blow and the Dynamo would lose their third straight game. It was a difficult match, being down a man for as long as they were, but the Dynamo showed flashes where they looked like they might come away with a positive result. In the end though, the expected happened.

Next up is the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA Sunday, August 11^th at 5:00 PM CT.

Goals:

16’ NYC: Alexandru Mitrita (assisted by Héber, Jesús Medina)

26’ HOU: Juan David Cabezas (assisted by Tommy McNamara, Tomás Martínez)

77’ HOU: Mauro Manotas (assisted by Matías Vera)

83’ NYC: Valentín Castellanos (assisted by Keaton Parks)

90’ + 3’ NYC: Valentín Castellanos

Disciplinary:

29’ HOU: Romell Quioto (red card)

20’ HOU: Memo Rodríguez (yellow card)

42’ NYC: Eric Miller (yellow card)

45’ + 3’ NYC: Alexander Ring (yellow card)

62’ HOU: Kiki Struna (yellow card)

82’ HOU: Adam Lundqvist (yellow card)

86’ HOU: Matías Vera (yellow card)

90’ + 4’ NYC: Valentín Castellanos (yellow card)

Lineups:

Houston Dynamo (4-3-3): Tyler Deric; Adam Lundqvist, Maynor Figueroa, Kiki Struna, A.J. DeLaGarza (86’ Marlon Hairston); Juan David Cabezas, Tomás Martínez (HT Mauro Manotas), Matías Vera; Tommy McNamara (89’ Oscar Boniek García), Memo Rodríguez (80’ Darwin Cerén), Romell Quioto

New York City FC (3-4-3): Sean Johnson; Ronald Matarrita, Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot; Jesús Medina (78’ Maximiliano Moralez), Keaton Parks, Alexander Ring, Eric Miller (58’ Valentín Castellanos); Gary Mackay-Steven, Héber (90’+5’ Sebastien Ibeagha), Alexandru Mitrita