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A tough battle took place in the Mile High City this past Sunday, as Houston Dynamo 2 traveled to the Rocky Mountains to take on Colorado Rapids 2, under the tutelage of new interim head coach Daniel Roberts.
The two teams met again, a month after their first fiery encounter at Houston’s AVEVA Stadium. That game ended in a 1-1 draw and consequently the Rapids took the extra point home in a 5-4 penalty kick shootout.
The game got heated and off to a quick start in the 22nd minute when Kyle Edwards was ejected from the match for a bad foul against a Rapids player. It’s safe to say that Colorado were on the front foot most of the game, out shooting Houston 18 shots to 2. Defensively the Dynamo were keeping the Rapids in check with some Andrew Pannenberg saves (4) and seven shots blocked by the defense.
This what Roberts had to say after the match about the teams defensive work:
“The backline again stepped up and there were some stand out performances, but it would be unfair to the rest of team to just single them out. It truly was a collective effort across all the lines that kept us in the game. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough on the day.”
The second half had more of the Rapids attackaing until the 76th minute when one of their own, Ralph Priso-Mbongue, was also sent off via double yellow for some aggressive fouls. The sending off evened things out a bit for both team in the final minutes of the match.
As the match seemed to be coming to a close with another draw and going to penalty kicks again, another fatal mistake was made by one of the Dynamo players inside the box. Colorado forced a turnover and Philip Mayaka grabbed the goal that would give the Rapids the three points and send Houston packing with nothing.
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Dynamo Dos will play their final regular-season home match on Sunday, September 18 against North Texas SC at AVEVA Stadium. The winner of the match could host a match in the postseason, pending the outcome of the final round of games in Week 27. Tacoma Defiance currently sit at the top of the Western Conference with 49 points and St. Louis City2 are currently one point behind in second place.
Roberts said the team is ready to move on to the next match:
“They are obviously disappointed and eager to respond. What has made this group special all year is their ability to bounce back and overcome adversity. I expect the same this coming week.”
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