Dynamo 2sday: Dos get their first win of 2023 season
(image via St. Louis CITY 2)
Houston Dynamo 2 picked up their first win of the 2023 season with a 3-1 victory on the road against St. Louis CITY 2 at CITYPARK this past Friday night. Two losses in the first two matches had Dos in an early hole but the team was able to rally for a big road win to get the season back on track.
After strong pressing early in the game from both teams, St. Louis got the first dangerous turnover in Houston territory. Aziel Jackson’s shot was blocked by Talen Maples but the rebound ended up at the feet of John Klein and he beat Xavier Valdez to put CITY up 1-0 only 4 minutes into the match. It would be an uphill battle for the visitors in orange from then on, but a battle that as time ticked on wouldn’t be as difficult as it seemed.
Houston kept pushing and in the 13rd minute a chance to level the game came to the feet of Papa N’Doye. He had a one-on-one opportunity that he smashed against St. Louis goalkeeper Christian Olivares, and the rebound had to be saved on the line by a CITY defender to keep the St. Louis side in front. This was the clearest chance in the first 15 minutes for Dynamo Dos.
In the 20th minute, Isaiah LeFlore saw his shot go slightly wide after Jacob Evans dropped off the ball to him after a short run into the box. Papa N’Doye once again had another go at the CITY goalkeeper in the 27th minute of play. This time the service came from the back line, a long pass over everyone, and N’Doye was able to control it perfectly. But like his last one-on-one, Olivares was able to get a touch on it and send it out for a corner kick.
Finally, the equalizer came for Houston. LeFlore made a run into the box and put a cross in that Olivares got a hand on. Unfortunately for him, the rebound was collected by Diego Gonzalez and with one touch into the net the Dynamo Academy product would make the score 1-1. Houston had been livelier in the last 30 minutes, they deserved that goal, and now it was time to look for the first victory of the season.
(image via St. Louis CITY 2)
The third time is the charm, they say, and that proved true for N’Doye. He got the ball outside the box on a pass from Beto Avila, cut in to set himself on that lethal left foot, and found the near post to give the Dynamo the 2-1 lead in the 42nd minute. After a great first half and an unfortunate set back early in the half, Houston would look to keep the momentum into the second 45. Would they be able to close down this match in the second half, after their first two matches proved to be difficult in the final minutes?
In the second half the Dynamo picked up right where they left off. A beautiful give and go between N’Doye and Gonzalez set up a simple pass to the middle of the box for Evans to slot it in and give Dynamo Dos a 3-1 lead in the 47th minute.
The rest of the second half would be a lot more of how Dos played in the first half, moving the ball around. Juan Castilla’s vision to switch the field and find runners down both flanks helped Houston to exploit the mistakes of CITY by putting them under pressure and moving the lines forward. With the great leadership of captain Talen Maples and Mujeeb Murana holding it down on the back line, the team was able to close the door on the opportunities that St. Louis had in the second half. Maples and Murana combined for eight clearances on the night.
Let’s hope this is the turning point after a rocky start for Dynamo Dos. Last year left fans with great expectations of the future of the club and the rising stars that are looking to make a difference for the Houston Dynamo FC organization. Dynamo 2 will return home this weekend to host LAFC 2 on Sunday at SaberCats Stadium. The match will kick off at 6:30 PM CT. Houston will be looking for their first home win this season. LAFC will be looking for their first victory of the season after two losses and a draw in their first three matches.
Vamos Los Pibes. Houston Contra Todos.
