Houston Dynamo at LAFC - MLS Cup Playoffs: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo season came to an end with a 2-0 loss to LAFC in the Western Conference Final. The club now heads into an important offseason as they will try to ride the momentum of the 2023 season into even more success next year.
MATCH SUMMARY
LAFC 2-0 Houston Dynamo FC
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Venue: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, California
Referee: Victor Rivas
Assistants: Logan Brown, Michael Barwegen
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath
VAR: Drew Fischer
Attendance: 20,319
Weather: 58 degrees, partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
LAFC: Ryan Hollingshead (unassisted) 44’
LAFC: Franco Escobar (own goal) 80’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Franco Escobar (caution; foul) 45+3’
HOU: Héctor Herrera (caution; foul) 71’
LINEUPS & STATS
LAFC: Maxime Crépeau; Diego Palacios, Giorgio Chiellini, Jesús Murillo, Ryan Hollingshead; Kellyn Acosta (Nathan Ordaz 84’), Ilie Sánchez; Timothy Tillman (Sergi Palencia 90 +8’), Dénis Bouanga, Carlos Vela (c) (Mateusz Bogusz 77’), Cristian Olivera (Aaron Long 90’)
Unused Substitutes: Denil Maldonado, Stipe Biuk, Mario González, Filip Krastev, John McCarthy
Total shots: 18 (Dénis Bouanga 6)
Shots on goal: 6 (Dénis Bouanga and Carlos Vela tied with 2)
Fouls: 15 (Timothy Tillman 4)
Offside: 4 (Carlos Vela 3)
Corner kicks: 10
Saves: 5 (Maxime Crépeau 5)
Houston Dynamo FC: Steve Clark; Franco Escobar, Micael (Teenage Hadebe 61’), Erik Sviatchenko, Griffin Dorsey; Héctor Herrera (c), Adalberto Carrasquilla (Sebastian Kowalczyk 86’); Artur, Nelson Quiñónes (Brad Smith 77’), Amine Bassi (Thorleifur Úlfarsson 77’), Corey Baird (Aliyu Ibrahim 57’)
Unused substitutes: Daniel Steres, Iván Franco, Andrew Tarbell, Luís Caicedo
Total shots: 10 (Adalberto Carrasquilla 3)
Shots on goal: 5 (five players tied with 1)
Fouls: 8 (Héctor Herrera 3)
Offside: 1 (Nelson Quiñónes 1)
Corner kicks: 3
Saves: 6 (Steve Clark 6)
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On the game:
“LAFC is a very good team and they're the champs for a reason. We saw a lot of that tonight and it's one thing to play them in the regular season in 100-degree weather and then playing with a half team when they're playing in Concacaf. It's another thing to come here and beat them in the playoffs, in the Western Conference Final. They're the bar, they're the standard. We were going to have to be close to perfect. There's just so many little things that you have to do to get out of here with a win. We didn't necessarily do that, but we'll learn from it. We can lick our wounds, but we want to start working on next year right now and how we sustain this type of momentum that we've built with this franchise this year. It hurts, but there's so many positives. Reigniting this club has been a lot of fun. This team has done so much, as far as three home playoff games, getting in the postseason and bringing a trophy back to Houston. These are not easy things and this team did all of that. We'll look back on the season as hopefully a springboard to more seasons like this, but also one that was successful.”
On the message at the half:
“It's a simple message: 'It's just one it's 1-0 on the road. It's not a big deal.' The timing of it hurts a little bit, but it's about just making a few adjustments. We implemented those in the second half and there was real belief. When you're down 1-0 on the road, it's not the end of the world. We just couldn't break through. We just didn't have the quality once we got into their half to hurt them. It's a learning experience for our players. It's a learning experience for the coach. This is what it's about. We played what I think is the best team in the league in their building. In the end we needed to be perfect on set pieces. These are things you have to do if you're going to win against LAFC. We just didn't do it tonight."
On his postgame message:
"I told them how proud I was. I thanked them for the year. I didn't want to talk about myself, but I was thankful for them. Coming back after my 10 years in D.C. United and having this group to restart my career with. I'm just very, very thankful for the energy, the enthusiasm, the quality and them being a part of energizing and putting the fire back in the Houston Dynamo."
HOUSTON DYNAMO MIDFIELDER HECTOR HERRERA (TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH)
On the match:
“It was not the result we expected. Personally, I am proud of my team, of my teammates, of the season we have had. Losing today in this stadium against, for me, one of the best teams in the league, if not the best and current champions. We lost playing what brought us to this final. We are a team that wants to play with the ball, that will die playing its style.”
On Franco Escobar:
“This can happen during the game. Unfortunately, it's an own goal, but as the captain and all of his teammates in the locker room support him. That doesn't mean he stops being the important or impactful player he was during the season.”
On his message to the team:
“The only message I gave them was that I felt proud to belong to this team, to this institution, to this group of human beings. That we achieved many of the goals we established at the start of the season. I always said we had to earn everyone's respect, because when the season started, the Dynamo was a candidate to be last place or penultimate in the conference. In the end we earned a lot of respect respected and we did that by being ourselves.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO DEFENDER ERIK SVIATCHENKO
On what the team accomplished this year:
“It's pretty obvious that we have had an incredible season. We weren't in the favorites for anything before we started the season. We went on to be in the top four of all teams in the MLS and won the Open Cup. From that perspective, as a player on the team and a new player in the team, I think we have done an amazing job. Of course, I'm disappointed with the result today. When you were so close and you wanted the result. We had that feeling that this could be an even more special year than it has been. We needed to play to our very best against a team that was in very good form. We were close but not close enough in the end. It ends for us now. We have so much to be proud of and reflect on and come back with rejuvenated bodies and minds. It's been a hell of a season. A long season too. I've played 56 games this calendar year, which is my most ever so I'm also ready for a little bit of a break, but of course, I would like to clinch that final."
On the atmosphere in the locker room:
"The atmosphere in the locker room was uplifting. It was with heads held high. Of course, we were disappointed, but you can be disappointed in a different kind of way. I will say that everyone in there spoke, Ben spoke (HDFC Majority Owner) Ted Segal spoke, Pat Onstad spoke and Hector Hererra spoke also. Everyone is really proud of each other. To be fair, this group is special. We've done something in a short period that has been remarkable and something that needs to resonate around the MLS and for what we have done and achieved. One of the best teams in the league, that won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and that is what is resonating in there instead of being sad. That's going to fuel us into the coming season."
On his takeaways from this season:
"My takeaway from the season is that we have built something that is very sustainable. We have some amazing players. We have a playing style that suits the team. That's something that we need to work well on in the coming preseason when we come back. We will be facing teams that now respect us even more and that's going to be a new kind of role that we have that we might be the favorites next season, for some of the games. I would say that's one of the things that I take away, that we have done something that is amazing and something we need to work towards to see if we can repeat. The first season is tough and we succeeded, but it's the second season where we need to show our character. Micael was sad that he needed to go out with a head injury, hopefully, he'll be fine. He's been amazing this season and has had a breakthrough year, so to speak. Franco (Escobar), from being a hero and to score an own goal, that's football, sometimes. He's an experienced guy and has won something in his career too, so he will know for sure how to bounce back. I'm not worried at all."
