Breakfast Links - March 28, 2022

The Dynamo were off this weekend but there certainly wasn’t a lack of soccer in Houston and around the world. Let’s jump into a Monday Breakfast Links.

Houston

After trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Houston Dash roared back in the second half to beat Racing Louisville 3-2. Maria Sanchez, Marisa Viggiano, and Rachel Daly scored the goals for Houston. Sanchez took over the game in the second half, causing all kinds of havoc on the left side. The Mexican international scored the opener and assisted the second goal before Daly’s penalty completed the comeback.

Houston Dynamo 2 played their first MLS NEXT Pro match on Saturday night and came away 1-0 winners thanks to Marcelo Palomino’s free kick goal. Palomino’s strike made headlines across social media, including the Spanish language ESPN SportsCenter account and its 2.5 million followers. Not a bad start for Dynamo Dos!

Major League Soccer

Most of MLS was off this weekend because of the international window but there were six teams that played. Karol Swiderski’s brace gave Charlotte FC a 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati. Sporting Kansas City got a late Johnny Russell goal to beat Real Salt Lake 1-0. On Sunday, 10-man Portland Timbers rescued a 1-1 draw against Orlando City thanks to a late Cristhian Paredes penalty.

Around the World

Canada clinched a spot in the World Cup for just the second time in their program’s history, beating Jamaica 4-0 and setting off celebrations across Toronto. Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan scored in the first half and Canada ran away with the game late, sealing their first trip to the FIFA World Cup since their only prior appearance in 1986.

Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images

The United States Men’s National Team are on the cusp of making the World Cup as well after a 5-1 win over Panama in Orlando. Christian Pulisic’s hat trick paced the Americans, who only need to avoid losing by six or more goals on Wednesday in Costa Rica to book their trip to Qatar.

Mexico are also nearly booking their trip to Qatar after a 1-0 win Sunday night in Honduras. Tata Martino’s side only need to draw at home on Wednesday night against El Salvador to seal their World Cup spot. Canada, the United States, and Mexico would lock up CONCACAF’s three automatic berths, sending Costa Rica to a one game playoff against either Solomon Islands or New Zealand.