The Houston Dynamo earned a hard-fought tie by shutting out the two-time defending regular season champion Columbus Crew Saturday night at Robertson Stadium, finishing in a 0-0 draw. It was the Dynamo’s third consecutive tie in MLS play since the break for the group stage of the World Cup.
The Dynamo will now break from MLS play for two weeks to compete in SuperLiga, hosting games at Robertson Stadium on July 15, 18, and 21 against Pachuca, Chivas USA, and Puebla respectively. Houston’s next league game is also against Columbus, in Ohio on Saturday, July 24.
Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad made two saves to record a clean sheet, his fourth of the season and his 50th in all competitions as a member of the Dynamo in less than five years. The shutout was the fifth of the year for Houston and its first in league play since May 22, ending a streak of five consecutive games without a shutout. It was only the third time this season that Columbus was shut out.
The Dynamo had two great chances to take control of the game. The first came in the 24th minute, when Danny Cruz broke down the right and fired a low cross through the six-yard box to a wide-open Brian Ching at the back post, but the Houston captain put his left-footed shot wide of the net.
The second major chance came in the 80th minute, when Brian Mullan’s pass played in Cam Weaver, but the towering forward ripped a right-footed shot inches wide of the left post.
The best Columbus chance of the match came in the 82nd minute, when a loose ball fell to Steven Lenhart in the penalty area, but his shot was blocked by a diving Mike Chabala.
Defender Bobby Boswell made his 100th career appearance for the Dynamo in all competitions. Midfielder Brian Mullan made his 175th career appearance for Houston, extending his own club record.
Forward Brian Ching made the 130th appearance and 115th start of his career for Houston in all competitions. Defender Eddie Robinson made the 145th start of his MLS career and the 110th start of his Dynamo career in all competitions. Midfielder Brad Davis, fighting a hip flexor strain, came on in the second half to make the 210th appearance of his MLS career.
Next Game: Thursday, July 15, 7 p.m., Dynamo vs. Pachuca, Robertson Stadium (SuperLiga Group A)
Next MLS Game: Saturday, July 31, 7:30 p.m., Dynamo vs. New York Red Bulls, Robertson Stadium
