The Houston Dynamo obtained an important three points on Saturday night after a 2-1 win against Minnesota United FC. The Honduran duo of Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto scored in the same game for only the third time this season to deliver the victory on Noche Naranja.
Here are the three things we learned from this match:
1. The character continues to build
The team needed this win for the sake of their playoff hopes. A loss wouldn’t have meant elimination but it would’ve been a big punch in the gut – and the team knew it needed to deliver.
Deliver they did and it goes hand in hand with the character and strong mentality head coach Wilmer Cabrera has praised. The offense scored the goals they needed to deliver the three points and the defense gave them the backing to see it out.
Fatigue was going to be a factor with the team playing their third game in eight days. Everyone deserves credit for displaying that strong character, from Cabrera for rotating the squad effectively to the players for rewarding his confidence in them.
2. “El Romantico” for the win
Romell Quioto began the season scoring three goals in the first three matches. To continue that scorching hot streak would’ve been unheard of but it wasn’t a drought that cooled him down but an injury.
“El Romantico” sustained a dislocated shoulder late in March, and recovering his best form has taken him longer than expected. So in many ways, it was a goal of vindication for Quioto as much as it was an important score for the team.
Forwards are judged by their goals and goals don’t get much bigger than game-winners. Combined with his goal for Honduras against the United States at the beginning of September, it’s starting to look like he’s regaining the good form he enjoyed to start of the season. At just the right time too.
3. The Sánchez Show
Anyone that has followed Vicente Sánchez’s career knows his quality and, at 37-years-young, he continues to show it. After playing 211 minutes through the first 23 matches, Sánchez has played 204 minutes in the last eight games and played a part in seven goals.
In the the last three matches he provided four assists, and crucial ones too. He provided the game-tying assists against New York City FC and the LA Galaxy, then provided the service on both Elis' and Quioto's goals on Saturday night.
His contributions have come at a pivotal time of the year and his performance is uplifting to the rest of the team. Make no mistake, this team isn’t in playoff contention without Vicente Sánchez.
