Dynamo concede late in 1-1 draw with New York Red Bulls
(image via Houston Dynamo FC/Twitter)
The Houston Dynamo traveled to New Jersey with their captain suspended, endured a weather delay and a relentless attack from the New York Red Bulls. With all of that being said, you would think things didn’t end well for the Dynamo. A Coco Carrasquilla goal gave the Dynamo a lead in the second half but a late equalizer from New York meant the points were split as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Houston struggled with the Red Bull press throughout the first half. New York was able to keep Houston pinned in their own end of the field for long stretches and had the majority of the possession. Ethan Bartlow made a couple of big blocks and Steve Clark was called on multiple times, none bigger than the save he made on Sean Nealis in the 34th minute. The Red Bulls center back got a flicked on ball in the box and smashed a volley on goal. Clark had to react late but he did just that and kept the ball out of the back of the net.
The teams went into the locker room for halftime still tied 0-0. New York controlled the half with 10 shots, 4 on target, and 1.10 expected goals. The Dynamo had just one shot, a Coco Carrasquilla effort from outside the box that fizzed wide.'
The second half started like much of the first half played out. The Red Bulls were on the front foot, constantly getting into Houston’s final third. They were on the ball and pushing forward but didn’t have any real opportunities on goal. In the 67th minute, Ben Olsen brought Thor Ulfarsson on for Amine Bassi and just a minute later, the Red Bull defense was unlocked.
A long ball over the top eluded Ulfarsson and a New York defender and bounced right into the path of another second half sub, Ivan Franco. The Paraguyan drove into the box and squared a pass for the onrushing Coco Carrasquilla. Coco chipped his shot over the onrushing goalkeeper Carlos Coronel to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
New York pushed for an equalizer and they got it just as the clock ticked into the 90th minute. A John Tolkin corner was whipped in and Omir Fernandez was all alone just 6 yards from goal to head in the equalizer. It was a tough blow for a Dynamo team who just seemed to run out of gas.
The first road win of the season looked unlikely at times but the match played out how Ben Olsen wanted it to play out. The Dynamo gave up a couple of good chances, notably Clark’s big save in the first half, but the “bend but don’t break” was on display in New Jersey. Houston had one real chance over the entire match, a long ball over the top that was run onto and put away. The fact that New York conceded so late is a tough pill to swallow, but a goal was coming for the home side for most of the match. The Red Bulls could have easily had two or three.
The Dynamo will return home next weekend with their first road point, looking to extend a home winning streak that is at three matches. Inter Miami, who had this weekend off, will be the opponent at Shell Energy Stadium on April 22.
