Dynamo 2sday: Dos take all three points from trip to SoCal
(image via LAFC2)
Houston Dynamo Dos 2 out to sunny California to take on Los Angeles Football Club 2 for Match Week 11 of the second season of MLS NEXT Pro. Houston were coming into this match with a little of confidence built up after a stretch of positive results, with wins against both in-state rivals. On the other hand, LAFC would come in with just one victory in their last three matches and sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with only seven points in nine matches.
As the game got underway, both teams would exchange some shots that wouldn’t be too damaging for either squad. Towards the end of the first half, LAFC’s Christopher Jaime had a dangerous shot from outside the box that went right over Xavier Valdez’s crossbar. This came right after Nathan Ordaz had another shot that was sent out for a corner kick by Valdez. It seemed like LAFC might be able to get something across the line before the first half came to an end but they had no luck. Houston would manage to go to the locker room tied at 0. LAFC would finish the half with ten shots compared to Houston’s four.
Papa N’Doye would have the first chance of the second half in minute 50. Diego Gonzalez was able to find him making the run into the box and Papa was able to get a shot off with some pressure on his back. But LAFC goalkeeper Jaseem Koleilat was there to contain the threat.
Houston would get the first goal of the game in the 58th minute. LAFC tried playing out the back with their center backs. Dynamo 2 forward Zeke Soto pushed forward to chase the defender down and forced him to put a ball in the middle of the field. Midfielder Charles Auguste picked up the loose ball and with his first touch found Diego Gonzalez making the run down the middle. Gonzalez beat the keeper with one touch to the ball in the back of the net to give Houston a 1-0 lead and increase his personal goal count to five. It was great collective pressure and first touch play by the guys in orange to get the lead.
“Another goal from Diego (Gonzalez), again, I just look at his contribution not only defensively, from his work rate to his pressing, but it doesn't stop when we win the ball,” head coach Kenny Bundy said after the match. “To single out Diego on that goal is to kind of put aside what the team did defensively with that press. It takes one moment to change a game and goals change games. We know that we're going to create opportunities with our press and the collective effort to get that organized and force a mistake and then the quality to transition into the attack with one pass. Obviously, Diego has to finish it off, but I think he'd be the first one to say, that's a team goal and that's a pressing goal. That's one of the opportunities that we knew we were going to get. I'm really happy that we finished that.”
LAFC had a good chance to equalize in the 66th minute. Yekeson Subah got a cross off from the right side that was to the head of Christian Torres but he couldn’t give the ball the proper direction towards goal. A great chance for the LA team to get on the board, but they couldn’t convert.
Not long after that, in the 75th minute, Dynamo Dos would strike again with a very nice collective play. Jacob Evans would find Joe Farouz, who had replaced Zeke Soto a few minutes earlier, making a good diagonal run inside the box toward goal. Farouz laid the ball back for Isaiah LeFlore outside the box. LeFlore would find the gap between the defenders and take the ball all the way to the touch line. He squared the ball across the middle of the goal where N’Doye was waiting to tap it in to give Dynamo Dos the 2-0 lead over LAFC 2.
LAFC would try and push, with failed attempts, to get back into the game. Houston was able to hold the clean sheet and get all three points from their trip to California. With the win, Dynamo 2 moves to 4th place in the Western Conference with 19 points, ten points behind the current leader, Colorado Rapids 2. LAFC 2 sit at the bottom of the West with just seven points.
“The most important thing is the clean sheet and the multiple goals,” Bundy said about the win. “To keep a clean sheet is really important for us in every game. We had to fight really hard for that today. LAFC 2 is a fantastic team. They cause a lot of problems in their build and some of their rotations in midfield. The first half, we didn't look sharp, we didn't look like we were in the game like we needed to be. The halftime message was very stern and there were some solutions. I said this to the guys at the end of the game. One of the biggest takeaways is that they took that information from halftime and they adapted it and they were very successful in the second half.”
Next up, Houston Dynamo 2 will travel to Minnesota to take on Minnesota United FC 2 on Sunday June 11th at 6 PM CT. Catch the game on Apple MLS Season Pass.
Like always, VAMOS LOS PIBES!!! HOUSTON CONTRA TODOS!!!
