The Houston Dynamo swept a doubleheader against Seattle Sounders FC at Kino Sports Complex today after a second-half comeback in the nightcap.
In the second match, which featured most of both teams’ starters from last season, Seattle midfielder Victor Rodriguez found midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro inside the box in the 14th minute for the first goal of the game. The Uruguayan international was unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box and quickly turned with a shot that beat goalkeeper Joe Willis at the far post.
The Sounders doubled their lead four minutes later when Brad Smith found Peruvian international Raúl RuidÃaz unmarked near the penalty spot. The forward slipped a low shot to the inside of the bottom corner of the near post.
Houston pulled within one goal in the 71st minute off a corner kick. Forward Alberth Elis headed the ball toward the far post, where it fell to midfielder Juan David Cabezas. Seattle goalkeeper Stefen Frei got a touch on the Colombian’s first effort, but Cabezas buried the loose ball for his first goal of the preseason.
Dynamo midfielder Marlon Hairston helped Houston tie the match in the final 10 minutes with a cross to the heart of the box that found forward Ronaldo Peña. The Venezuelan international was unmarked and beat the Sounders goalkeeper at the near post.
Peña returned the favor eight minutes later with a filtered pass to Hairston at midfield. In alone on goal, the forward beat Trey Muse in a one-on-one duel for the game-winning goal.
Houston knocked on the door early when forward Mauro Manotas dribbled to the top of the box in the third minute and fired a curling effort that had Frei beaten, but his effort ricocheted off the crossbar. Dynamo defender Chris Duvall found Manotas inside the six-yard box in the 17th, but his point-blank header was saved by Frei.
Dynamo forward Romell Quioto found Manotas at the top of the box in the 41st minute for another dangerous scoring opportunity. The Colombian international controlled the ball with his chest at the top of the box for an oncoming Tomás MartÃnez, who just missed the inside of the far post.
The Dynamo were awarded a penalty kick in the 48th minute, with Manotas once again serving as the danger man. The forward was brought down inside the box by Seattle defender Gustav Svensson. Quioto stepped up to the penalty spot but his effort was off target and went over the crossbar.
Earlier in the day, Houston defeated Seattle 1-0 in a 60-minute scrimmage at Kino Sports Complex. The winning goal came just three minutes from full time, when defender Sam Junqua attempted to find forward Maalique Foster inside the box. The ball was poked into a scrum between the Jamaican international, midfielder Tommy McNamara and Seattle defenders. The ball bounced off a defender for an own goal and gave Houston its first victory in Tucson this preseason.
Mobile Mini Sun Cup
Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC
6 p.m. – Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019
Kino Sports Complex – Tucson, Arizona
Scoring:
SEA: Nicolás Lodeiro (Victor Rodriguez) 14
SEA: Raúl RuidÃaz (Brad Smith) 18
HOU: Juan David Cabezas (Alberth Elis) 71
HOU: Ronaldo Peña (Marlon Hairston) 80
HOU: Marlon Hairston (Ronaldo Peña) 88
Houston Dynamo: Joe Willis; Chris Duvall (Memo Rodriguez), Aljaž Struna, Maynor Figueroa (Kevin Garcia 76), DeMarcus Beasley (Adam Lundkvist 76); Matias Vera (Óscar Boniek GarcÃa 76), Juan David Cabezas (Darwin Cerén 76), Tomas Martinez (Tommy McNamara 76); Alberth Elis (Ronaldo Peña 76), Mauro Manotas (Alejandro Fuenmayor 67), Romell Quioto (Marlon Hairston 76)
Available substitutes: Michael Nelson, Andrew Samuels
Seattle Sounders FC: Stefen Frei (Trey Muse 63); Kelvin Leerdam (Marlon Vargas 63), Kim Kee Hee (Josh Atencio 63), Chad Marshall (Amr Mokhtar 63), Brad Smith (Ray Serrano 63); Gustav Svensson (Danny Robles 63), Cristian Roldan (Azriel Gonzalez 63), Victor Rodriguez (Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez 63, Kyle VanAlstine 70), Jordan Morris (Connor Draught 63); Nicolás Lodeiro (Joel Rydstrand 63), Raúl RuidÃaz (Alec Diaz 63)
Available substitutes: Nouhou Tolo, Danny Leyva, Sam Fowler
Discipline:
HOU: Juan David Cabezas (caution; dissent) 30
HOU: Matias Vera (caution; unsporting behavior) 42
HOU: Aljaž Struna (ejected; unsporting behavior) 64
SEA: Marlon Vargas (caution; unsporting behavior) 73
SEA: Kyle Van Alstine (caution; unsporting behavior) 78
Officials:
Referee: Alejandro Mariscal
Assistant Referee 1: Gianni Facchini
Assistant Referee 2: Alicia Messer
Fourth Official: Roi Hullner
Weather: Cloudy, 61 degrees
Mobile Mini Sun Cup
Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC
11 a.m. – Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019
Kino Sports Complex – Tucson, Arizona
Scoring:
HOU: Own Goal 57
Houston Dynamo: Tyler Deric; A.J. DeLaGarza (Andrew Samuels 47), Alejandro Fuenmayor (Kyle Adams 47), Kevin Garcia, Adam Lundkvist (Sam Junqua 47); Darwin Cerén, Boniek GarcÃa (Brad Dunwell 47), Tommy McNamara; Marlon Hairston (Wilmer Cabrera 47), Memo Rodriguez (Maalique Foster 47), Ronaldo Pena
Available substitutes: Nico Corti
Seattle Sounders FC: Bryan Meredith; Henry Wingo, Aleks Berkolds, Jonathan Campbell, Jordan McCrary; Alex Roldan, Jordy Delem, Harry Shipp, Danny Leyva, Handwalla Bwana; Will Bruin
Available substitutes: Alec Diaz, Josh Atencio, Joel Rydstrand
Discipline:
N/A
Officials:
Referee: Anthony Bersano
Assistant Referee 1: Isaiah Vlad
Assistant Referee 2: Cormac McCarthy
Weather: Cloudy, 56 degrees
