Houston Dynamo vs LAFC: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Ricky Vega)
The Houston Dynamo earned a point in a 0-0 draw with LAFC Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium. The Dynamo held LAFC scoreless for the second time in eight days but couldn’t find a goal in this match up.
MATCH SUMMARY
Houston Dynamo FC 0-0 LAFC
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium - Houston, Texas
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
Assistants: Kyle Atkins, Corey Parker
Fourth Official: Chris Penso
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero
Attendance: 19,776
Weather: 78 degrees, mostly clear skies
SCORING SUMMARY
None
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
LAFC: Ilie Sánchez (caution; foul) 25’
HOU: Héctor Herrera (caution; foul) 45+5’
LAFC: Eduard Atuesta (caution; foul) 52’
HOU: Artur (caution; foul) 55’
LAFC: Lewis O’Brien (caution; foul) 56’
HOU: Micael (caution; time wasting) 78’
HOU: Franco Escobar (caution; other) 85’
LINEUPS & STATS
Houston Dynamo FC: Steve Clark; Franco Escobar, Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko, Micael; Artur, Héctor Herrera (C), Ibrahim Aliyu (Brad Smith 68’); Sebastian Kowalczyk (Adalberto Carrasquilla 68’), Amine Bassi, Ezequiel Ponce
Unused Substitutes: Ethan Bartlow, Daniel Steres, Sebastian Ferreira, Andrew Tarbell, McKinze Gaines, Latif Blessing, Brooklyn Raines
Total shots: 12 (Aliyu Ibrahim 3)
Shots on goal: 3 (three players tied with 1)
Fouls: 11 (Franco Escobar and Micael tied with 1)
Offside: 2 (Griffin Dorsey and Ezequiel Ponce tied with 1)
Corner kicks: 6
Saves: 2 (Steve Clark 2)
LAFC: Hugo Lloris; Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long, Eddie Segura, Sergi Palencia; Ilie Sánchez (C), Lewis O'Brien, Eduard Atuesta (Erik Duenas 85’); Timothy Tillman, Olivier Giroud, Kei Kamara (Nathan Ordaz 67’)
Unused substitutes: Thomas Hasal, Tommy Musto, Luca Bombino, Diego Rosales, Matthew Evans, Adrian Wibowo
Total shots: 7 (Olivier Giroud 2)
Shots on goal: 2 (Eddie Segura and Lewis O’Brien tied with 1)
Fouls: 12 (Eddie Segura and Ilie Sanchez tied with 2)
Offside: 1 (Olivier Giroud 1)
Corner kicks: 5
Saves: 3 (Hugo Lloris 3)
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On the match:
“We got into a lot of good spots, but we didn’t make the plays that mattered. On a positive note, shutting (LAFC) down is not an easy thing to do, it’s very impressive. However, we need to reward the hard work we do on defense with goals. We have to go back and keep working hard.”
On Houston’s backline:
“Micael and Erik (Sviatchenko) have been exceptional. Griffin (Dorsey) puts in a real shift and Franco (Escobar), I will argue, is one of the best left backs in the league. If you have that as a starting point, it’s pretty good. Steve (Clark) continues to organize us. Artur is also part of that with all the little things that he does that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Everyone is giving everything they have without the ball and that’s just a standard thing that we expect here. That is why over the last year and a half, we’ve been able to put up a good number of shutouts.”
On having Coco Carrasquilla back:
“I thought he was very good tonight. He was a little rusty in Los Angeles, which is normal for someone who has been out for a month. Today, you saw that his punch, speed and strength was there. We brought him lower into the build next to Artur and as Hector (Herrera) got more fatigued, we pushed (Coco) up. Overall, it’s nice to have him back.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO GOALKEEPER STEVE CLARK
On the match:
“We’re disappointed that we couldn’t take all three points. Overall, the team looks great. We're still pushing to finish these games off.”
On performance going into the final stretch of the season:
“The team is defending well with the ball. We dominate games with possession. The challenge for me is to stay in tune and take care of anything I have to do. The guys are doing a great job.”
On having Coco Carrasquilla back:
“Getting Coco back is a big deal for us, especially with his quality.”
