Houston Dynamo at Minnesota United: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo conceded early and were unable to find the net themselves, losing 1-0 to Minnesota United Wednesday night. Ibrahim Aliyu made his first start for the Dynamo and Daniel Steres made his 150th start in league play.
MATCH SUMMARY
Minnesota United FC 1 – 0 Houston Dynamo FC
Wednesday, May 18, 2023
Venue: Allianz Field - St. Paul, Minnesota
Referee: Marcos DeOliveira
Assistants: Gianni Facchini, Walt Heatherly
Fourth Official: Chris Ruska
VAR: Mark Badawi
Attendance: 18,897
Weather: 72 degrees, partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
MIN: Bongokuhle Hlongwane (unassisted) 14’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
MIN: Wil Trapp (caution; foul) 30’
MIN: Bongokuhle Hlongwane (caution; foul) 40’
HOU: Micael (caution; foul) 50’
MIN: Hassani Dotson (caution; foul) 67’
LINEUPS & STATS
Minnesota United FC: Dayne St. Clair; Kemar Lawrence, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall, DJ Taylor; Wil Trapp (Joseph Rosales 63’), Hassani Dotson; Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Franco Fragapane (Jeong Sang-Bin 73’), Robin Lod; Luis Amarilla (Kervin Arriaga 80’)
Unused Substitutes: Clint Irwin, Eric Dick, Zarek Valentin, Brent Kallman, Cameron Dunbar, Ménder García
Total shots: 12 (Bongokuhle Hlongwane 3)
Shots on goal: 5 (Bongokuhle Hlongwane amd Franco Fragapane tied with 2)
Fouls: 10 (Robin Lod 3)
Offside: 3 (Franco Fragapane 2)
Corner kicks: 4
Saves: 4 (Dayne St. Clair 4)
Houston Dynamo FC: Steve Clark (c); Franco Escobar (Griffin Dorsey 83’), Micael, Ethan Bartlow, Daniel Steres (Brad Smith 46’); Luís Caicedo, Artur, Adalberto Carrasquilla; Nelson Quiñónes (Thorleifur Úlfarsson 59’), Corey Baird (Iván Franco 46’), Aliyu Ibrahim (Sebastián Ferreira 59’)
Unused substitutes: Andrew Tarbell, Charles Auguste, Mujeeb Murana, Brooklyn Raines
Total shots: 12 (three players tied with 2)
Shots on goal: 4 (four players tied with 1)
Fouls: 10 (Luís Caicedo 3)
Offside: 1 (Franco Escobar 1)
Corner kicks: 8
Saves: 4 (Steve Clark 4)
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On tonight’s game:
“Overall, it’s a game we’ll look back on and we’ll have found out a little bit more about ourselves. There were some new players out there. Once again, there were enough opportunities and situations where we could get something out of the game. A few guys were a little off and not every guy showed up today and played at the level we needed them to be at to get something. That’s a little disappointing. But overall, it’s another game where we continue to learn about ourselves, who we are and what we’re good at and what we need improvement on. The process is going to go on and the ups and downs of a season, and we’ve got to stay positive but also hold each other accountable and just keep pushing. It’s a quick turnaround to Dallas, so it’s about taking care of our minds and bodies. It’s nice to get back on the on the horse in a few days, and we'll get some players back from suspensions. A lot of players got on that field that haven’t played in a bit. Some of them fared well and some didn't. That’s kind of this process right now.”
On forward Ibrahim Aliyu’s performance in his first MLS start:
“He's a handful, and we had some pace out there in the front line. Probably the most pace we've had in the season. Him and (FW) Nelson (Quiñónes) both caused them a lot of trouble down that left side. He hits the bar and is unlucky not to get the goal. Overall, it was a really good shift from him, and we're looking forward to more of that and him improving as he gets more minutes with the team.”
On his positive takeaways from the game:
“We definitely had opportunities to get on the scoresheet. I take away the positives of seeing a bunch of new guys on the field – (FW) Ibrahim (Aliyu). (FW) Nelson (Quiñónes) had some good moments. (FW) Sebas (Ferreira) came in and did really well, so we got some looks. A lot of guys that haven't had minutes are now getting on the field, and we're evaluating them to continue to grow. As I said before, learn a little bit more about ourselves. It’s still very early in this process for us. Each game we get to find out what we're good at and where we need some improvement. Those are the positives, but we lost, so a lot of that is overshadowed by zero points. That stings a bit. (GK) Steve Clark was great. He also had a really good night. I thought (DF) Micael had another good night, another good performance. (DF) Brad Smith got more minutes, so he’s still a hair rusty, but he's getting there. Each game he looks better and better.”
On the Texas Derby up next:
“We should be hungry. We should be able to have the mentality to respond from two losses. It’s an opportunity to fix it. The good news is that we can do that very quickly in two days against a very good opponent in a Texas Derby. Right now, the locker room is disappointed. When you lose, it’s not a lot of fun. By tomorrow all focus will be on Dallas. We’ll get cracking on them and give them our best shot.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO GOALKEEPER STEVE CLARK
On the match:
“Starting the week on the road, it's always going to be a difficult game. We were pushing for the goal. We were a bit unlucky not to score at the end there. We move on to Dallas."
On the positives from the game:
“You can take away the fact that we down one and we kept it there. We pushed for the tying goal instead of crumbling. It was a game where it would of been easy to fold as a team. We showed some grit to stay in it. We need to refocus and perform on Saturday."
On if he felt it was an even game throughout the 90 minutes:
“The way they scored their first goal is not the way we want to concede. I was happy to make some saves for the guys. I'm able to do that throughout the season. The stats are pretty good for us. I looked at the statistics, so, there's some positives to take from it, but again, there's not a lot of time to think about it. It's about moving on for us."
On the Texas Derby:
"The nice part about games they come very frequently. There's a nice chance to get three points on Saturday versus a good team, away again. We're going to be up for that challenge for sure."
