Breakfast Links - June 12, 2023
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
A solid weekend for Houston soccer! Hope everyone had a great time! Here are your links to kick off the new week.
Houston
The first team this weekend to play was the Dynamo first team. The Dynamo hosted the reigning champions LAFC and beat them 4-0. It was the second game in a row scoring four goals, as the Dynamo’s offense has started firing. The goals were scored by Nelson Quinones, Amine Bassi, Corey Baird, and Franco Escobar. Chase Gasper unfortunately had to exit the game in the first half with an injury. After this massive win, the Dynamo look to beat LAFC for a second time in a row on Wednesday.
The second team to get a win this weekend was Houston Dynamo 2. Kenny Bundy’s squad had another convincing win, this time against Minnesota United 2. Like the first team, they scored four goals, in a 4-1 win. Both Yair and Diego Gonzalez got on the score sheet early in the game followed by a free kick goal from Juan Castilla. Sebastian Rodriguez capped off the scoring in the 89th minute to seal all three points.
The Dash had a more disappointing result, tying Gotham at home 1-1. Maria Sanchez got her third goal of the season in the first half finishing off a cross from Michelle Alozie. Unfortunately, Sophie Hirst had to exit the game before half time due to an injury. A somewhat soft penalty was given away early in the second half that saw Lynn Williams equalize for Gotham. The Dash had loads of chances but failed to convert and find all three points.
MLS/NWSL
Late game drama in Chicago as the Fire fell to the Columbus Crew in stoppage time from the halfway line. Chicago had a poor giveaway and Lucas Zelaryan picked up the ball and noticed the keeper way off his line. The shot was hit with perfection as the Crew earned a massive three points on the road.
There were loads of goals in Charlotte as they tied the Sounders at home 3-3. The Sounders finally had Cristian Roldan and Raul Ruidiaz healthy again and both found the score sheet. Charlotte had Jaylin Lindsey, Ashley Westwood, and Patrick Agyemang get their first goals for the club. Another massive result saw Sporting KC beat Austin FC 4-1 with a massive night for Alan Pulido. San Jose defeated Philadelphia 2-1 as they continue to perform in big games.
In the NWSL, there was a big result for the Washington Spirit as they beat Angel City 2-1 to stay level on points with San Diego at the top of the league. OL Reign also got themselves a 2-1 win over Kansas City that keeps the Current at the bottom of the league. The North Carolina Courage had the performance of the week winning 5-0 on the road over Chicago. Kerolin scored a hat trick that now puts her as the top scorer in the league.
Around the World
The UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Inter Milan ended up being much closer than most predicted. Man City were heavy favorites, but Inter put up a massive fight. The first half was extremely defensive as Man City failed to get much going on offense. Kevin De Bruyne had to exit the game in the first half due to injury for the second Champions League Final in a row. Halfway through the second half, Rodri popped up with an incredible shot near the top of the box off a rebound to give City the lead. Inter fought hard to equalize, but a combination of poor finishing from Romelu Lukaku and great goalkeeping from Ederson saw Man City win the game 1-0, keeping the shut out. This was only the second time in history an English club has won the treble.
In the U20 World Cup the third-place playoff between Israel and South Korea saw tons of goals as Israel won the match 3-1. The goals for Israel were scored by Ran Binyamin, Omer Senior, and Anan Khalaili. This was Israel’s first time being in the U20 World Cup, so a third-place finish is massive for the country. In the finals, Uruguay managed to beat Italy 1-0 through a late Luciano Rodriguez goal. This was Uruguay’s first title ever in this competition. It definitely makes the USA feel a lot better knowing they went out to the eventual winners.
