Dynamo held to draw with Whitecaps
(image via Ricky Vega)
The Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps clashed Wednesday night at Shell Energy Stadium in a battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. This was their second meeting of the season, coming off the heels of their thrilling first matchup where the Dynamo went up 2-0, then had to overcome a 3-2 deficit to win the match 4-3.
Coco Carrasquilla was moved back in the midfield replace captain Héctor Herrera in the starting lineup after Herrera sustained a hamstring injury in the previous fixture against Real Salt Lake. Sebastian Kowalczyk got the start in Carrasquilla’s right midfield role, while the rest of the squad remained the same from the 4-1 thrashing of Salt Lake.
The Dynamo started off very strong, with several chances, four corners, and a disallowed goal for Kowalczyk after Aliyu Ibrahim was offside in the buildup. All these events happened in the first 10 minutes of the match as Houston looked to take an early lead.
As time went on in Shell Energy Stadium, the Whitecaps seemed to settle more into the match, resulting in chances in the 12th and 23rd minutes, both ending in simple saves for Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark. There were lots of fouls from both sides as the break approached, with a big one coming from former Dynamo player Fafa Picault, which rattled the crowd.
A foul from Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Vite in the box on Amine Bassi in the second minute of first half stoppage time gave the Dynamo a penalty. The crowd roared as the referee stopped play to check VAR, which ultimately awarded the penalty. The PK was converted by Designated Player Striker Ezequiel Ponce to end the half, giving the Dynamo a big confidence boost heading into the second half.
After the break, both teams had a decent start, with the Dynamo only getting one corner, and Vancouver trying to create attacking plays. Vancouver looked like the more dominant team, with a huge chance for Mathias Laborda as he put a header attempt wide from a cross right in front of goal in the 60th minute.
In the 72nd minute, a run from Fafa Picault resulted in a cross and a comfortable goal for second-half substitute Brian White, who tapped it right past Steve Clark to make the game 1-1.
The Dynamo had most of the possession after the equalizer but fell short of finding a winner, despite the crowd rallying behind them and a few decent chances. Houston leaves Shell Energy Stadium with a point after a good display, but it’s a scene the Houston fans have unfortunately seen before.
Houston will travel to in-state rivals and 11th place Austin FC on Saturday at Q2 Stadium as they continue to try to secure a playoff spot as we near the end of the Major League Soccer regular season.