After starting the season with back-to-back road victories, the Dynamo fell for the first time in 2012, losing 2-0 to the Seattle Sounders Friday night at CenturyLink Field. Sounders forward David Estrada scored the game's firsr goal in the 23rd minute and Brad Evans added a penalty kick in the 27th minute for the home club.
Houston nearly got on the board in the 17th minute, off a Will Bruin strike. Andre Hainault played a ball to the top of the penalty box that Brian Ching one-timed to Bruin. The second-year striker ripped a shot with his left foot but Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning was able to parry it over the crossbar.
Estrada put Seattle on the board in the 23rd minute when a corner kick was headed out to him 25 yards from goal. The UCLA product cracked a shot that deflected off Geoff Cameron’s foot and changed direction past a helpless Tally Hall.
Four minutes later, Cameron was whistled for a foul on former Dynamo defender Patrick Ianni and the Sounders were awarded a penalty kick. Seattle captain Brad Evans slotted the spot kick past Hall, who guessed the right direction but could not reach the attempt.
For the match, the Dynamo outshot Seattle 9-7, held a 6-5 edge on corner kicks and enjoyed 55 percent of the ball possession.
The Dynamo first team will now have three weeks before their next match, an April 15 contest against the Chicago Fire. The Dynamo Reserves will be in action on Tuesday, in Kansas City against the Sporting KC reserves.
After beginning the season with three games against Western Conference opposition, Houston will play clubs from the Eastern Conference its next five games.
Houston Dynamo (2-1-0) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (2-0-0)
March 23, 2012 – CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
Scoring Summary:
SEA – David Estrada 4 (unassisted) 23
SEA – Brad Evans 1 (penalty kick) 27
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall; Andre Hainault (Jermaine Taylor 46), Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe; Colin Clark, Adam Moffat, Je-Vaughn Watson (Luiz Camargo 67), Brad Davis; Brian Ching (Macoumba Kandji 76), Will Bruin.
Substitutes Not Used: Calen Carr, Cam Weaver, Nathan Sturgis, Tyler Deric.
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Will Bruin 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Will Bruin 2); FOULS: 11 (Adam Moffat 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 6 (Brad Davis 6); SAVES: 0 (Tally Hall 0)
Seattle Sounders – Michael Gspurning; Zach Scott, Patrick Ianni, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch; Roger Levesque (Leo Gonzalez 81), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Servando Carrasco 61), Alvaro Fernandez, Fredy Montero (Christian Sivebaek 90), David Estrada.
Substitutes Not Used: Alex Caskey, Samuel Ochoa, Bryan Meredith, Jeff Parke.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU – Adam Moffat (caution) 35; HOU – Brad Davis (caution) 78; SEA – Alvaro Fernandez (caution) 83.
Referee: Baldomero Toldedo
Referee’s Assistants: Ian Anderson, Fabio Tovar
Fourth Official: Jason Anno
Attendance: 38,304
