Dynamo concede 6 goals in wild loss to Vancouver Whitecaps
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo took on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night in what can only be described as a wild match. Houston conceded in the opening 20 seconds of each half, managed to take a lead after just 16 minutes, give up five unanswered goals, and got a man sent off after five minutes all in the same match, a 6-2 loss to the Whitecaps.
Vancouver opened the scoring just 15 seconds into the game. Micael, starting at left back for a second straight game, failed to deal with a long ball and headed it right down to the feet of Brian White. Ethan Bartlow had come to the ball as well, leaving Pedro Vite all alone. White laid the ball to Vite and the Ecuadorian smashed it into the top corner. It was the sixth fastest goal in Major League Soccer history and put the Dynamo behind 1-0 before most people got even get comfortable in their seat.
It was an awful start to the match to the Dynamo but they responded quickly. In the 8th minute, Amine Bassi sprung a counterattack, playing Coco Carrasquilla into space out wide right. The Panamanian whipped a cross in that Vancouver defender Javain Brown whiffed at, allowing the ball to make it all the way to Corey Baird. Baird finished calmly past Yohei Takaoka to level the score at 1-1.
Houston would take the lead just eight minutes later thanks to some route one football. Center back Daniel Steres picked a pass out from his own half, all the way over the top of the defense to Bassi. The Moroccan did brilliantly to control the ball with his right foot then slotted into the net with his left to put Houston up 2-1 after 16 minutes.
If you thought the goals were done, you couldn’t have been more wrong. Two minutes later the home side were on equal terms. A cross into the box was not dealt with and Micael was caught too central, allowing the ball to find its way to Julian Gressel. The US international had practically an open net and he made no mistake, tying the game at two in the 18th minute. It was just the sixth time in MLS history that a game had four goals in the first twenty minutes.
The Dynamo had chances to retake the lead with a third goal but were just unable to find the back of the net. Aliyu Ibrahim was denied by Takaoka from in close after 20 minutes. Carrasquilla had an acrobatic ping off the post in the 24th minute and Aliyu couldn’t head the rebound on target. In the 33rd minute, a bit of a scramble in the box eventually ended up with Aliyu being stopped on a shot and then the Nigerian inadvertently blocking the rebound by Baird.
A wild first half would finally come to an end with the two teams going to the locker rooms tied at two. Fotmob had the Dynamo at 1.81 expected goals in the first 45 minutes, which is more than most of their full games this season.
The first half started with a goal just 15 seconds in and, well, Vancouver decided to score even faster to begin the second half. A long ball straight from the kickoff landed at the feet of Ryan Gauld and he banged one off the post. The ball caromed back out away from Steve Clark who dove to block the initial shot, and Brian White was there to finish into the empty net just ten seconds after the half began.
The home side would double their lead in the 59th minute and it was Gressel once again on the score sheet. Clark did well to push away a shot from Gauld but once again, a rebound found its way into the path of a Vancouver player. Gressel one-timed a volley with his right foot and Clark couldn’t get back into position in time, giving the Whitecaps a 4-2 lead.
Things went from bad to worse for Houston in the 69th minute. After coming on as a substitute just five minutes earlier, Nelson Quinones got into a tussle with Mathias Laborda and swung a punch at the Whitecaps player. Referee Mark Allatin immediately reached for his back pocket and showed Quinones a straight red card. The Dynamo would once again play at a disadvantage, this time for the final 21 minutes. Sebastian Berhalter would make it five for good measure, in the 89th minute, with a good strike from the top of the box. Gauld would also tack one on deep into stoppage time for Vancouver’s sixth of the night.
There were some good things to take from this match, mainly the offense showing some life in the first half. There was also a lot of bad things to take from the match, mainly the defense. No one on the back four, outside maybe Franco Escobar played well, and it might be time to end the short-lived experiment of Micael at left back.
The Dynamo won’t have long to dwell on this result as they will be right back in action on Saturday night. Houston will be on the road against the league’s newest expansion side, St. Louis CITY SC. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 PM kickoff. If you’re looking for a place to watch the game, come hang out with us at Senate Avenue Brewing.
