Four games into the season, the Houston Dynamo offense came to life for the first time on Saturday, as goals from Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer, and Dominic Oduro gave the Dynamo a 3-0 win over West rivals Chivas USA
Houston exploded early through Cameron and Corey Ashe. In the 12th minute, Ashe found Cameron streaking between the two Chivas central defenders, and Cameron snapped a low one-touch shot past keeper Zach Thornton to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
Houston extended its lead eight minutes later. Palmer received the ball 35 yards out and slipped his mark. With space in front of him, the Jamaican midfielder unleashed a rocket that screamed past an outstretched Thornton and landed in the upper 90 for what likely will be an early candidate for goal of the year.
Chivas stuggled to create any good opportunities all game. Forward Maicon Santos had the best look in the 26th minute when he stole the ball from Eddie Robinson and shot from distance. The effort, though, was easily saved by Dynamo Pat Onstad.
Hoping to turn his club's fortunes around, Chivas coach Martín Vásquez made two subs at halftime, bringing on rookie Ben Zemanski and striker Justin Braun. The moves allowed Jesús Padilla to move to the left wing and Sacha Kljestan out to the right wing and away from the tight marking of Palmer.
The Chivas attack responded immediately to the changes. In the 49th minute, Padilla found Kljestan in space down the right side, and the U.S. international laced a shot toward the far post. Onstad extended himself to preserve the clean sheet.
The Dynamo then wrapped things up in the 65th minute. Brad Davis received a pass on the left side, and his clean touch released him behind the Chivas defense. Brian Mullan, offside at the moment, smartly held his run, allowing Davis to continue into the Chivas area. The left-winger drew Thornton out and clipped the ball to Oduro, standing alone in the middle. A simple tap-in and Houston had the three points secure.
The final minutes saw few chances from either side, and the only action of note came when teenaged Dynamo midfielder Francisco Navas Cobo made his MLS debut and became the first product of the Houston Dynamo Academy to appear in a competitive game for the first team.
With the win, Houston, which has not lost to Chivas in 10 games, now sits tied for second place in the Western Conference. Chivas USA, who have now been shut out three times in four games, lie in sixth place.
Chivas USA (1-3-0) vs. Houston Dynamo (2-1-1)
April 17, 2010 -- Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Geoff Cameron 1 (Corey Ashe 1, Eddie Robinson 1) 12
HOU -- Lovel Palmer 1 (Mike Chabala 1) 20
HOU -- Dominic Oduro 1 (Brad Davis 2, Mike Chabala 2) 65
Chivas USA -- Zach Thornton, Mariano Trujillo, Michael Umana, Dario Delgado, Jonathan Bornstein, Jesus Padilla, Sacha Kljestan, Blair Gavin, Jorge Flores (Justin Braun 46), Chukwudi Chijindu (Gerson Mayen 78), Maicon Santos (Ben Zemanski 46).
Substitutes Not Used: Dan Kennedy, Carlos Borja, Yamith Cuesta, Michael Lahoud.
Houston Dynamo -- Pat Onstad, Andrew Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson, Mike Chabala, Corey Ashe, Geoff Cameron (Francisco Navas Cobo 89), Lovel Palmer, Brad Davis (Adrian Serioux 86), Brian Mullan (Danny Cruz 83), Dominic Oduro.
Substitutes Not Used: Sammy Appiah, Ryan Cochrane, Craig Waibel.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Lovel Palmer (caution; Reckless Tackle) 56
gameSumLabel">Referee: Hilario Grajeda
gameSumLabel">Referee's Assistants: Craig Lowry; Kermit Quisenberry
gameSumLabel">4th official: Chris Penso
gameSumLabel">Attendance: 14,843
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 79 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
