Houston Dynamo 2-LAFC 2
In a match that was delayed for one hour and thirty-eight minutes due to lighting in the area, Mauro Manotas and Phillipe Senderos were the responsible for the two late Dynamo goals to tie against LA FC, which was visiting Houston for the first time in franchise history.
The home team was down 0-2 as Latif Blessing and Mark-Anthony Kaye scored for the Californian side, which remains in the top three of the Western Conference. The Orange on the other side, remains in seventh place in the West nine points behind the new Los Angeles team.
The match was a chippy one. Both teams battled hard especially in trying to control the possession of the ball at midfield. In addition, the high pressure both teams were applying on their opponent worked out better for Los Angeles in the first half.
LA coach Bob Bradley’s game plan was on point for his team, and it almost paid off. They generate many plays in offense to score because Houston backline, which looked confused and nervous, clearly did not have their best night.
Out of some opportunities the visitors had, they scored the two goals and therefore they played a smart game where they were holding their lead. And even though the home team had to come from behind to get a point, they never gave up.
The key aspect of the Houston comeback was the substitutions head coach Wilmer Cabrera made in the second half. The midfield was not connecting with the front line, so getting Darwin Ceren and Memo Rodriguez in the game was very important for Houston. They gave stability to the midfield and help creating plays in offense as well as helping on the defensive side.
Cabrera said after the match: “Two-zero, we score in the 93th minute and then in the 95th minute to comeback which shows character, shows our mentality, and shows that sometimes at home it’s going to be more difficult, but we are proud to play for the Houston Dynamo, and we are never going to give up even though they were very good. Also, we showed that this is our home and we close the game, and we could score the two goals at the end. I think it was good. It was very positive, and it’s going to give us a good boost to continue believing in what we do.”
Now the Dynamo will host the Minnesota United, whereas LAFC will host Orlando City. Both matches will take place on July 7th.
Editor’s note: All photos are courtesy of Jose Castellanos.
Houston Dynamo
