Dynamo can’t stand the heat in 3-0 loss to Austin FC
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo made the short trip west on 290 to the state capital to take on Austin FC Saturday night. This was the third meeting between the teams this season, with Houston winning the first two at Shell Energy Stadium. The heat pushed kickoff back an hour and the home side kept the heat on once the match kicked off, with Austin cruising to a 3-0 win.
The first 15 minutes of the match so both teams finding their way, with no real threats on either end. Dynamo captain Hector Herrera headed an attempt wide after 19 minutes. Austin broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a header of their own.
Austin found space at the top of the box to whip a cross in and Gyasi Zardes and Micael rose for the ball. The ball came off Micael’s head right to Ethan Finlay, who was in an offside position as he headed in from close range. Since the ball came off the defender last, Finlay was in a legal position and the goal would stand to put Austin up 1-0 after 22 minutes.
The home side would double their lead 10 minutes later and it would come off another cross. Sebastian Driussi recieved the ball in the right side of the box and had time to pick his head up and find the run of Zardes at the back post. The former US international just had to head the ball on frame from very close range and Austin had a 2-0 lead in the 32nd minute.
Houston had their best looks of the half in the 42nd minute. Aliyu Ibrahim looked to be in behind but had the ball taken off his foot by Austin defender Aleksandar Radovanovic before he could get a shot off. Hector Herrera then showed some fancy footwork to try and wiggle himself free but his shot was also blocked before it could get on target. The Dynamo would go into halftime, avoiding a penalty call in the final moments, trailing 2-0.
Crosses into the box worked twice in the first half, so Austin kept doing it in the second half to find their third goal. in the 50th minute. A clever bit of play off a corner kick eventually led to Daniel Pereira with space on the left. He clipped a ball to the back post where Julio Cascante was unmarked after losing Daniel Steres. The Costa Rican defender headed past Steve Clark for Austin’s third goal of the evening, all scored on headers.
Austin did well to see the game out from there. They limited the Dynamo to just a few chances, most of them being speculative efforts from outside the box. With the final whistle, Austin took home a 3-0 win. The Dynamo were outplayed from start to finish. It’s disappointing to basically concede the same goal three times. At the same time, these kind of games are going to happen, especially in MLS. It’s also hard to beat a team three times, especially a solid team like Austin FC.
The Dynamo will return to action next weekend when they travel to Seattle to take on the Sounders. Houston will be looking for their first ever win in the Emerald City, after losing 1-0 to the Sounders at home this season. The Dynamo will want to revenge that loss, their only one at home in 2023. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 PM CT.
