Dynamo win 7 goal thriller in Vancouver
The Houston Dynamo faced one final test in MLS play before turning their attention to the beginning of Leagues Cup next week. That challenge was an away clash with the Vancouver Whitecaps in a place they have never won. Things started off very well for Houston, and then the second half happened.
New Designated Player Ezequiel Ponce got the start, making his debut for the Dynamo. Ponce played the first half before being replace by Sebas Ferreira in the second half. Houston got the scoring going in the 29th minute. Aliyu Ibrahim broke down the Vancouver defense on the left side nad then played a ball centrally for Coco Carrasquilla. The Panamanian took a shot on goal that took a deflection and found the back of the net to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
The Dynamo doubled the lead minutes later. Aliyu, again, worked on the left side and played a ball into the box. This pass was deflected away from Carrasquilla, however, but into the path of Griffin Dorsey. Houston’s right back put his left foot through the ball and curled a perfectly placed shot into the back post to put the Dynamo up 2-0 in the 36th minute.
Houston took the 2-0 lead into halftime and looked to be well on their way to another three points on the road. But, they don’t call 2-0 the most dangerous lead in soccer for nothing.
Vancouver came out of the gates flying in the second half. They pulled one back in the 48th minute with a Fafa Picault header from about a yard out. It was another header in the 54th minute, this time from Ranko Veselinovic off a set piece that leveled the game at 2-2.
The Whitecaps completed their comeback in the 66th minute. Picault, once again, scored from inside the six yard box, redirecting a sliding pass across goal. Vancouver came all the way back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 with three goals in less than twenty minutes.
Ben Olsen pulled the strings, like he did on Wednesday, and it was another sub to the Dynamo’s rescue. Brad Smith, who replaced Aliyu in the 68th minute, made the difference. The Australian took a long pass from Ferreira on the run and drove forward. As he got to the top of the box, Smith unleashed a shot with his left foot into the top corner to make the score 3-3.
Just when you might have thought this crazy game had run out of twists and turns, there was more. Smith played a ball in to Ferreira in the box. A scramble couldn’t get a shot off and the Whitecaps poked the ball out of the box. Dorsey was there to collect the loose ball and then found the roof of the net with a right-footed rocket to put the Dynamo back up 4-3 in the 87th minute.
The Dynamo held Vancouver off in the eight minutes of second half stoppage time to pick up their second road win in four days, a 4-3 final. Houston now heads into Leagues Cup play riding a wave of momentum. They’ll get that tournament started next Saturday, at Shell Energy Stadium, against Liga MX club Atlas.
