Dynamo 2sday: Dos complete the Austin sweep
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
On the heels of a first team victory against in-state rivals, Austin FC, Dynamo 2 hosted Austin FC II to complete the trifecta of Houston wins over the same weekend. Dos stuck to their mantra of “score multiple goals, keep clean sheets” to get it done.
Austin FC II came into the match with a squad sitting in third place in the Western Conference, but with back-to-back defeats against Colorado (1-0) and San Jose (also 1-0). They were looking to turn things around against an in-state rival.
The game started off quickly as Griffin Dorsey was able to get a foot on the ball as Dos pressured Austin II as they tried to play out of the back. The ball found its way to Diego Gonzalez, who has been having an amazing season thus far. Gonzalez got a clean touch on the ball inside the 18 and powered a shot into the back of the net to give Houston the 1-0 lead after just 11 minutes.
Austin would try to level things in the game, but Houston goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg came up with a few clutch saves. Pannenberg is getting minutes with the squad due to Xavier Valdez being called up to the Dominican Republic U20s for the World Cup being played in Argentina. Dos would keep the game at 1-0 until late in the first half, when the Dynamo would find the second goal of the match.
A long ball from Pannenberg would find the feet of Jacob Evans to start the play. Evans picked out a pass to Griffin Dorsey as he made a run into the box. Dorsey dropped the ball off to Brooklyn Raines to take a shot that was blocked by Austin goalkeeper Damian Las. The rebound would land straight to the right leg of Charles Auguste who blasted past Las to give the Dynamo Dos the 2-0 lead before the end of the half.
There were a few chances for both teams coming out of half time but both goalkeepers would spring into action. Las denied Houston a third goal as Isaiah Reid would come closest in the 89th minute. Pannenberg would keep Austin off the scoreboard and, with the defense, put up a clean sheet. “I’m really proud of the goals but the clean sheet is what’s most important,” Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy said after the match.
“If you were to boil down the mission statement of our game model, it is to score multiple goals and keep clean sheets,” Bundy said after the win. “I always say this, but everyone gets a chuckle because, no kidding, everyone wants to do that, but at the same time, it’s what we do within our game model to get that outcome that’s important. To boil it down to those six words, it’s not as easy as just saying it. You have to train it, you have to live it and you have to understand how you do it and for me, the goals change games.” The goals definitely changed this game as Houston was able to get on the front foot early and never look back.
Diego Gonzalez scored his fourth goal of the season, and Houston’s first on the night, as he has had a breakout season so far. While Gonzalez is scoring and playing as a distributor, it’s the team success that means the most to him. “It always feels great to get on the score sheet and help the team as much as I can,” Gonzalez said post-match. “It’s my job to create and score goals so the more I do that, puts us up there, fighting for the top spot in the league.”
The next match for this Dynamo 2 squad will be this upcoming Saturday, June 3rd at 9 PM against an LAFC II side that has had some struggles. Even though they haven’t showed it in the league table this season, Bundy knows it is not a team to underestimate. “I think that LAFC 2 is probably one of the most underrated teams in the league,” Bundy said. “They’re fantastic. You can’t look at the standings and say, ‘oh this is going to be this type of game’. They’re a very well coached team.”
Until next week for more info on Dynamo Dos, and like always. Vamos Los Pibes!!! Houston Contra Todos!!!
