The Houston Dynamo earned a road result for the second consecutive game, playing to a 1-1 tie with the Philadelphia Union Saturday afternoon at PPL Park just south of Philadelphia. The tie came despite 13 corner kicks for Houston – 10 in the second half – and a 15-7 Dynamo shot advantage.
After going 1-0-1 in their last two road games, including a 3-1 win over D.C. United last Saturday, the Dynamo will return home to host the New England Revolution on Sunday, October 10, at Robertson Stadium.
On Saturday, the Dynamo took the lead in the 12th minute when defender Andrew Hainault fired in a rebound for his first goal of the season and his first since October 25, 2009. Midfielder Brad Davis rifled a shot from the right edge of the penalty area, and Philadelphia goalkeeper Brad Knighton punched the shot away. Hainault, in the penalty area for a corner kick, reacted first to the loose ball and fired it inside the near post.
Philadelphia tied the game in the 40th minute when 18-year-old midfielder Roger Torres floated a ball into the penalty area, and forward Sebastien Le Toux snuck behind the Dynamo back line to control the ball and tuck a low shot past Pat Onstad. It was Le Toux’s 13th goal of the season; with 13 goals and 10 assists, he has been involved in 23 of Philadelphia’s 32 goals on the season. Torres notched his fifth assist of the season.
In the second half, the Dynamo created more chances, including late headers from Cam Weaver and Brian Ching that both sailed high, but could not strike for the game-winning goal. Houston outshot Philadelphia 7-1 in the second half but only forced one save out of Union goalkeeper Brad Knighton.
Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad played the full 90 minutes and made two saves one week after suffering a concussion against D.C. United last Saturday. Captain and forward Brian Ching made his 125th career start for the Dynamo in all competitions. Midfielder Geoff Cameron made the 50th start of his MLS career and his 70th start for the Dynamo in all competitions.
The Dynamo played without midfielders Colin Clark (ACL surgery) and Anthony Obodai (meniscus surgery) and goalkeeper Tally Hall (ankle). Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear watched from a suite while serving a one-game suspension following his ejection last week against D.C. United.
Next Game: Sunday, October 10, 7:30 p.m., Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution, Robertson Stadium
