The Houston Dynamo fell 1-0 to the league-leading New York Red Bulls Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena. The home side earned the victory thanks to a 55th-minute goal from forward Brian White.
White netted the game-winner after a scramble in front of the goal just before the hour mark. Defender Michael Murillo played a centering pass into the middle of penalty area toward White. The cross was initially cut out by Dynamo defender Adolfo Machado, but Red Bulls midfielder Alex Muyl collected the deflection and slid to play the ball back into the middle of the box to White. This time the pass found its mark and the forward tapped the ball into an empty net.
The match played out very evenly, as the teams tied in shots (10 apiece) and shots on goal (three each). The Dynamo held a very slight edge in possession, holding the ball for 50.8 percent of the match, and had two more corners than the Red Bulls.
Forward Romell Quioto had the best chance for the Dynamo shortly after he came into the game in the 58th minute. Six minutes after coming on, Quioto rose above the Red Bulls back line and headed a corner kick from defender Adam Lundkvist that had New York goalkeeper Luis Robles beaten, but caromed off the left post.
The Dynamo came out firing early on and created a scoring chance inside of the quarter-hour mark. In the 11th minute, midfielder Memo Rodriguez sent a cross from the left side to the center of the box finding forward Alberth Elis. La Pantera jumped over a Red Bulls defender and headed the ball down, then was the first player to the rebound, but his left-footed effort was saved by Robles.
In the 38th minute, midfielder Eric Bird played a through ball from the final third into the box to forward Ronaldo Peña. The young Venezuelan found himself in a one-on-one with Robles, but he was unable to sneak his low right-footed shot past the veteran.
The Dynamo will return to the Lone Star State on Saturday, September 1 to face FC Dallas in the third and final leg of the 2018 Texas Derby at Toyota Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CDT. The two clubs have drawn each of the first two contests this season, making the final meeting a winner-take-all affair, with the victor capturing “El Capitán,” the Texas Revolutionary War-era cannon that goes to the annual series winner.
New York Red Bulls (17-6-4; 55 pts.) 1-0 Houston Dynamo (7-12-7; 28 pts.)
MLS Regular Season Week 27
Wednesday, August 29, 2018 – Red Bull Arena – Harrison, New Jersey
Attendance: 15,042
SCORING SUMMARY:
NYRB: Brian White 1 (Alex Muyl 3) 55
LINEUPS:
New York Red Bulls: Luis Robles ©; Michael Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Tim Parker, Connor Lade; Cristian Cásseres Jr. (Aaron Long 82), Tyler Adams; Alex Muyl (Marc Rzatkowski 76), Sean Davis, Andreas Ivan (Daniel Royer 67); Brian White
Unused subs: Ryan Meara, Alejandro Romero Gamarra, Kemar Lawrence, Bradley Wright-Phillips
Total shots: 10 (Alex Muyl, Brian White 3); Shots on goal: 3 (Sean Davis, Alex Muyl, Brian White 1); Fouls: 7 (Tyler Adams, Tim Parker 2); Offside: 1 (Alex Muyl 1); Corner kicks: 4 (Sean Davis 3); Saves: 3 (Luis Robles 3)
Houston Dynamo: Chris Seitz; Kevin Garcia, Adolfo Machado, Leonardo (C), Adam Lundkvist; Eric Alexander, Luis Gil (Romell Quioto 58), Eric Bird; Alberth Elis (Arturo Alvarez, 75), Ronaldo Peña (Mauro Manotas 67), Memo Rodriguez
Unused subs: Tyler Deric, Jared Watts, Andrew Wenger, Darwin Cerén
Total shots: 10 (Eric Bird 4); Shots on goal: 3 (Eric Bird, Alberth Elis, Ronaldo Peña 1); Fouls: 12 (Eric Bird 3); Offside: 2 (Ronaldo Peña 2); Corner kicks: 6 (Adam Lundkvist, Memo Rodriguez 3); Saves: 2 (Chris Seitz 2)
DISCIPLINE:
HOU: Leonardo (caution; foul) 89
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Assistant Referee 1: Eric Weisbrod
Assistant Referee 2: C.J. Morgante
Fourth Official: Hilario Grajeda
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
