Dynamo 2sday: Dos make it five straight unbeaten
(image via MNUFC 2)
After a great victory on the west coast against LAFC2, Houston Dynamo 2 traveled up north to the land of lakes to take on Minnesota United FC 2. Minnesota were coming off two straight defeats and were looking to turn the tide against a Houston team looking to make it five straight games unbeaten.
”It’s going to be a challenge,” Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy said before the match. “You look at Minnesota and they've scored 25 goals, conceded 27. They’ve got an impressive scheme this year, so it'll be a bit different. They're a very dangerous team. When they win the ball high up the field. Limiting our mistakes and making sure that we are really sharp with the chances that we create."
The action would get started early as Yair Gonzalez would receive the ball in the midfield from Talen Maples in the 4th minute. The Argentine decided that it looked like a nice time to attack the Minnesota defenders, as he left two in the dust. When the opportunity presented itself right outside the 18 box, since none of the center backs went out to pressure him, he unleashed a shot. The ball took a bounce on the turf field and beat Minnesota goalkeeper Fred Emmings at his front post. The Dynamo would take an early 1-0 lead and it would set a precedent to what it was to come later in the game.
We didn’t have to wait too long for the second goal of the match. In the 13th minute, there was more of the pressure in the final third that we have been accustomed to seeing in matches from the guys in orange. Emmings played out of the back to Rory O’Driscoll and he would feel the pressure from Pap Ndoye. O’Driscoll decided to play back to Emmings and Zeke Soto was there in full force and force to cause turnover from the Minnesota goalkeeper. Diego Gonzalez pounced on the loose ball and put it in the back of the net with his first touch. Gonzalez now has 6 goals this season in 11 matches and is the top goal scorer for this Houston side.
“Diego (Gonzalez) is one of the best midfielders in the league, if not the best,” Bundy said about his young plakymaker. “The contribution that he has from a defending side and a transition side, not only in the way that he presses, if you watch the game, sure you can look at his goals, but there are moments in the game where we don't have the run of play and he's sprinting 40 yards to put a center back under pressure, which is such a benefit to the team. All the goals that he's scoring, again, are quality and they come from various parts of the way that we want to play.”
If we didn’t have to wait long for that second goal to come, we literally didn’t wait much at all for the third goal of the match. Juan Castilla, back from the U20 World Cup, would set up on a set piece from the right side of the field. The Colombian curled a cross into the box that nobody would touch or come close to touching as the ball made its way all the way to the back post and in past Emmings. Dos would take a commanding 3-0 lead and never look back.
The first half would come to an end with Houston with a comfortable lead, looking to put the game away in the second half. “Multiple Goals, Clean Sheets” is the motto that has been Bundy has mentioned in many talks to the media and it is what they looked to continue in this match.
In the second half, Minnesota would strike first. O’Driscoll got a great shot off from outside the box to bend the ball around Xavier Valdez. The goal made it 3-1 and gave a glimpse of hope to the home team for a possible comeback.
Isaiah LeFlore would have to leave the pitch early due to a double yellow, forcing Dos to see out the final minutes of the match down a man. His first yellow card came in the 33rd minute, and as the game seemed to be coming to an end he would get a second yellow in the 88 th minute to send him to the showers a bit earlier than everyone else.
Playing down a man wouldn’t stop Dynamo Dos from scoring a fourth goal in the match. Minnesota would have a throw in deep in their own territory where Jacob Evans’ pressure forced another mistake. Evans squared the ball to the youngster, 15 year-old Sebastian Rodriguez, at the top of the box. The Dynamo Academy product curled one around Emmings to put the finishing touch on a great 4-1 victory for Houston Dynamo 2. It was also the first professional goal for the 15 year-old, a sign of things to come.
The win made it five straight games unbeaten for Houston and moved them up to fourth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings. Not only is this Dos team playing well, but they are getting contributions from a number of teenagers, straight out of the academy. “They wouldn't be here if they weren’t fitting in, so all credit goes to them,” Bundy said about the young players. “We gave them an opportunity at the beginning of the year, and we set a goal of being in the roster and then coming off as a substitute and then starting a game. Both of those guys (Rodriguez and Soto), as well as Tate (Lampman) have exceeded expectations. That's a credit to them. The way Sebastian (Rodriguez) finished that, that's probably the happiest goal because that's a really hard finish and he's done a great job leading up to that point. From the defending side, (Rodriguez) comes into a game where he has to defend in transition a lot and he doesn't look out of place. Zeke (Soto), we tweaked some things over the last couple of weeks as far as how his pressing and his timing of the press and, credit to Zeke. He's listening to everything that we're asking of him. He's timing that press better. That’s an unbelievable opportunity to go and press the goalkeeper. He did it perfectly and it created Diego’s (Gonzalez) goal. Really proud of the young guys.”
The next match for Houston, will take place on Thursday, June 15th at 7 PM here at home at SaberCats Stadium against Portland Timbers 2. As always you can catch all the action in person, or on Apple TV - MLS Season Pass.
See you guys next week and as always,
VAMOS LOS PIBES!!! HOUSTON CONTRA TODOS!!!
