In the ninth edition of the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup the Houston Dynamo fell to Liga MX side Cruz Azul FC, 5-3. The 2017 edition of the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup benefited the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.
The Dynamo once again scored early at home, as has been their habit this year. In the 10th minute, midfielder Tomás Martínez played a through pass to midfielder Eric Alexander on the left side of the field. Alexander sent a low cross to the middle of the box, finding forward Vicente Sánchez, who blasted a shot into the roof of the net, leaving Cruz Azul goalkeeper Guillermo Allison helpless.
It didn’t take long for Cruz Azul to tie up the game. In the 15th minute, midfielder Christian “Chaco” Giménez took a free kick from 25 yards out. Giménez blasted a shot that caromed off the right post and across the goalmouth, where midfielder Edgar Mendez kicked the ball into the back of the net.
Cruz Azul took the lead in the 23rd minute from another deflection. Midfielder Victor Zuñiga played a shot from the right side of the box, but the ball deflected off of Houston defender Dylan Remick and found its way to Cruz Azul forward Martín Cauteruccio at the back post, where he sent the ball into the net.
The Dynamo averted danger in the 33rd minute when defender Philippe Senderos made a huge block on the goal line, saving a goal from a shot by Cauteruccio. Cauteruccio eluded Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis at the top of the penalty area and worked free for a shot, but Senderos wisely covered the line and was able to get in front of the shot.
The Dynamo leveled the score in the 48th minute through forward Mauro Manotas, who came on to start the second half. An errant clearance from Cruz Azul foundRemick, who hit a ball with pace across the penalty area where Manotas got onto the end of it and drilled a first-touch shot into the back of the net. For Manotas, it marked the third consecutive year in which he scored a goal in the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup.
In the 57th minute, Cruz Azul regained the lead thanks to midfielder Alejandro Faurlin. Defender Gerardo Flores got free in the corner and sent in a cross that deflected off of Remick and bounced into the path of Faurlin, who sent it into the back of the net.
In the 69th minute, Cruz Azul extended their lead when defender Jordan Silva headed in a corner kick. Faurlin took a corner kick from the left side and sent it to the middle of the box finding Silva, who raised up over the Dynamo defense to head it in.
Cruz Azul took advantage of a Dynamo miscue in the 85th minute for their fifth goal, when forward Felipe Mora intercepted a pass from Dynamo defender Taylor Hunter 25 yards from goal and promptly curled a right-footed shot into the upper right corner of the net.
Houston answered straight away, taking the ensuing kickoff and scoring within moments. Midfielder Alex took a back-pass and chipped a ball in behind the Cruz Azul back line, where Remick – pushed higher up the field as a winger – ran on and flicked the ball past Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jair Pelaez for a lofted goal.
The match was televised nationally for the first time in its nine-year history, airing throughout the United States on Univision Deportes Network, the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language cable sports network. As part of the cooperation between Univision Deportes Network and the Dynamo, Legends from both organizations played a 7-on-7 match prior to the Dynamo-Cruz Azul game.
The Houston Dynamo Legends, led by Brian Ching, outscored the Univision Deportes Legends led by former Barcelona star Hristo Stoichkov and former Real Madrid striker Ivan Zamorano. The Dynamo Legends won the match 5-2 thanks to a pair of goals from Alejandro Moreno and strikes from Ching, Dwayne De Rosario and Corey Ashe. Zamorano had both goals for the Univision Deportes Legends.
The Dynamo will continue the 2017 season, presented by 76, playing a pair of games against Sporting Kansas City (TICKETS). Houston will host Sporting Kansas City at BBVA Compass Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, this game was postponed due to Hurricane Harvey and will visit the Midwest on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 4:00 p.m.
2017 BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup
Houston Dynamo 3-5 Cruz Azul F.C.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Attendance: 12,102
SCORING SUMMARY:
HOU: Vicente Sánchez (Eric Alexander, Vicente Sánchez) 10
CAZ: Edgar Mendez (unassisted) 15
CAZ: Martín Cauteruccio (unassisted) 23
HOU: Mauro Manotas (Dylan Remick) 48
CAZ: Alejandro Faurlin (unassisted) 57
CAZ: Jordan Silva (Alejandro Faurlin) 69
CAZ: Felipe Mora (unassisted) 85
HOU: Dylan Remick (Alex) 86
LINEUPS:
Houston Dynamo: Joe Willis; Kevin Garcia (A.J. DeLaGarza 77), Jalil Anibaba (Taylor Hunter 81), Philippe Senderos (Leonardo 67), Dylan Remick; Charlie Ward (Eric Bird 63), Eric Alexander (Ricardo Clark 63), Tomás Martínez (Alex 46); Joe Holland, Vicente Sánchez © (Mauro Manotas 46), Andrew Wenger (Justin Bilyeu 77)
Unused Substitutes: Calle Brown
Total shots: 14 (Tomás Martínez, Vicente Sánchez, Dylan Remick, Ricardo Clark 2); Shots on goal: 4 (Vicente Sánchez, Andrew Wenger, Mauro Manotas, Dylan Remick 1); Fouls: 11 (Dylan Remick 3); Offside: 4 (Vicente Sánchez, Andrew Wenger 2); Corner kicks: 6 (Joe Holland 6); Saves: 2 (Joe Willis 2)
Cruz Azul F.C.: Guillermo Allison (Jair Pelaez 71); Gerardo Flores (Omar Rodriguez 71), Julián Velázquez (Julio Dominguez 63), Jordan Silva, Rosario Cota; Alejandro Faurlín (Gabriel Peñalba 71), Kevyn Montaño (Rafael Baca 63); Victor Zuñiga (Rafael Najera 63), Christian Giménez © (Iñaki Dominguez 46), Edgar Mendez (Luis Fernando Zaragoza 46); Martín Cauteruccio (Felipe Mora 63)
Unused Substitutes: Santiago Giménez
Total shots: 17 (Martín Cauteruccio 4); Shots on goal: 8 (Martín Cauteruccio 3); Fouls: 9 (Gerardo Flores 4); Offside: 3 (Martín Cauteruccio, Christian Giménez, Luis Fernando Zaragoza 1); Corner kicks: 1 (Rosario Cota 1); Saves: 1 (Guillermo Allison 1)
DISCIPLINE:
N/A
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Kyle Phillips
Assistant Referee 1: Francisco Bermudez
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Weed
4th Official: Diego Blas
