Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo picked up a point in a 0-0 draw with the Colorado Rapids Saturday night. Houston now turns its attention to the Leagues Cup as MLS takes a month off of league play. The Dynamo will travel to Orlando for their first match on Friday.
MATCH SUMMARY
Colorado Rapids 0-0 Houston Dynamo FC
Saturday, July 16, 2023
Venue: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colorado
Referee: Filip Dujic
Assistants: Andrew Bigelow, Ben Pilgrim
Fourth Official: Eric Tattersall
VAR: Daniel Radford
Attendance: 16,138
Weather: 80 degrees, clear skies
SCORING SUMMARY
None
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Aliyu Ibrahim (caution; foul) 30’
HOU: Nelson Quiñónes (caution; foul) 45+1’
LINEUPS & STATS
Colorado Rapids: William Yarbrough (c); Andrew Gutman, Andreas Maxsø, Lalas Abubakar, Keegan Rosenberry; Bryan Acosta (Danny Leyva 87’), Connor Ronan, Calvin Harris (Michael Barrios 67’); Cole Bassett, Braian Galván (Jonathan Lewis 67’), Darren Yapi (Kévin Cabral 67’)
Unused Substitutes: Abraham Rodriguez, Danny Wilson, Sam Nicholson, Steven Beitashour, Moïse Bombito Lumpungu
Total shots: 8 (Andrew Gutman 2)
Shots on goal: 3 (Cole Bassett, Braian Galvan and Michael Barrios tied with 1)
Fouls: 12 (Bryan Acosta, Cole Bassett and Darren Yapi tied with 2)
Offside: 0
Corner kicks: 10
Saves: 3 (William Yarbrough 3)
Houston Dynamo FC: Steve Clark; Daniel Steres (Ethan Bartlow 72’), Micael, Erik Sviatchenko, Franco Escobar; Luís Caicedo, Héctor Herrera (c), Artur; Nelson Quiñónes, Aliyu Ibrahim (Thorleifur Úlfarsson 46’), Iván Franco (Corey Baird 72’)
Unused substitutes: Xavier Valdez, Brad Smith, Amine Bassi, Sebastián Ferreira, Griffin Dorsey, Brooklyn Raines
Total shots: 7 (Nelson Quiñónes 3)
Shots on goal: 2 (Nelson Quiñónes and Corey Baird tied with 1)
Fouls: 9 (Franco Escobar, Nelson Quiñónes and Iván Franco tied with 2)
Offside: 2 (Iván Franco and Micael tied with 1)
Corner kicks: 1
Saves: 3 (Steve Clark 3)
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On the match:
“Not an easy place to visit. They've made some moves recently, that as you can tell, bolstered their group and the way they're going about things. They're the best in the league on set pieces and we gave them quite a few today. So, I was proud of our ability to defend the box. This game for us was about putting up a defensive effort that we have gotten away from. At times it was a little lower than we wanted and maybe not as much possession but, every guy gave everything on both sides of the ball tonight. That has to be where our foundation is. We just got away from it a little bit. This week was about reminding the players of that. It has to be where we hang our hat on. I was really proud of them for putting that type of effort. Everybody showed up, every player that played gave a really good performance and was selfless. So, happy for the point, would have loved three. The road has not been that kind to us. To get something out of this game is a positive. We get a day or two off now and then we can focus on the Leagues Cup.”
On not being able to score goals in the match:
“I don't worry about the goals. They'll come. We had 25 shots the other day (versus Minnesota). Thirteen before that (versus Kansas City). Today we had seven. We had some really promising attacks. You don't always get a lot of looks. We need to be better with the final shot, we have to score the goal. It's the same stuff that every coach will say when they come in and they don't score goals. We had a lot of shots, but we got to be cleaner and savvier and more clinical in our finishing. I'd be worried if we weren't getting the looks though. To me, today wasn't necessarily about not scoring goals as it is about putting up a really good defensive effort.”
On Amine Bassi not playing:
“Some of it was tactics. Some of it was that he's played a lot of games, and this is a physical team. They're a direct team. We thought it was a game that Luis (Caicedo) needed to be in to help us solidify that centrally. Then Héctor (Herrera) playing that 10 gives us a lot of what Amine (Bassi) gives us anyways, but with more physicality. We missed some of the quality that Amine brings. It wasn't about him being in the doghouse or him not playing well or out of favor. He's had a lot of minutes. He was limping a little bit after that game (against Minnesota) and expressed some fatigue. We planned on bringing him off the bench. But the game didn't necessarily need him, I thought. We thought. He'll be in the match against Orlando in the Leagues Cup.”
On the state of the team going into the All-Star break:
“We're in the mix. We're more than halfway through and we're in and around the playoff line. For a brand-new team with 19 new players, figuring out our way with injuries too. One or two defenders, Teenage (Hadebe) and two starting defenders down. We're okay. The mood is right, and I think we believe that this team can get into the postseason. We've got to show that in every game, against every opponent for the rest of the year. The defensive mindset that we had tonight can be our foundation. There's going to be days where the soccer is much better and we score our chances.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO DEFENDER ERIK SVIATCHENKO
On the match:
“I saw a team that was much more focused and concentrated. We got back to the days when we had a really good build. A couple of weeks ago, where we really helped each other and went all the way to defend, and we looked much more solid. Which was something that we've missed. We didn't concede a goal, which was nice for the team in some way to give us that confidence. Then of course, we lacked a little bit in the offensive part to get that final great touch and finish on target. In general, it was a well-earned point. Not many chances, not much both ways, but it was a good performance from us.”
On playing in the altitude:
“I heard a little bit about it before the game. Obviously, I thought the first 10, 15 minutes, a bit of dry mouth. After that, it was better. The second half was like normal, and the temperature was much lower. It was new for me. But I coped with it without a problem.”
On earning a clean sheet away from home:
“It means a great deal. It's a solid way to go into a game, knowing that you will have a shutout. We had that. That's something that we need to see more and more because it makes the games in our favor. We have players that can decide games both offensively and defensively. Today we had the defensive structure really well handled. Going forward, that has to be the mindset that everyone will do everything to prevent goals against us. We have those qualities upfront that need to get the goals for us. Unfortunately, it didn't happen today. We will take one point. I know the league is getting tighter and tighter. We will have to take every single point we can. It was good to get back to a clean sheet and earning a point is good. It's the next best thing after a win.”
