Dynamo 2sday: Dos get two valuable points in shootout win
Houston Dynamo 2 picked up a valuable two points Sunday night at SaberCats Stadium to cap off a successful week. After a 0-0 draw with Whitecaps 2, Dos won the penalty shootout 3-2 to continue their playoff push. The shootout win finished off an 8-point week for Dynamo 2 after wins against Sporting Kansas City II last weekend and a road win against Colorado Rapids 2 midweek.
Sunday’s match saw some first team players start for Dynamo 2. With the first team not returning to league play until August 20, it was a good chance to get some guys some minutes. Thor Ulfarsson, Chase Gasper, Brad Smith, and Andrew Tarbell were in the Dos eleven for the match with Vancouver. Captain Talen Maples spoke about the team’s mentality and the desire of everyone to be playing first team minutes. "I've been trying to be more present. I'll be the first one to say I want to be playing with the first team, I want to be in Leagues Cup, I want to be there, everybody does -- as they should,” Maples said. “I just want to be present with the guys. If I am here and I'm playing, I'm going to give it all that I have and I'm going to lead the team to the best of my ability. I believe this year, the amount of respect within the group has made my job a little bit easier. There's so much respect in the group and that helps the team play better. You actually like the guy you're playing next to. Even the first team guys that come down like Brad (Smith), Chase (Gasper), Thor (Ulfarsson), Andrew (Tarbell), Mujeeb (Murana), Charles (Auguste), Brooklyn (Raines), we love those guys. When they come down it’s not like 'ugh', we want to play with them. It's a great mentality that we have."
Homegrown midfielder Diego Gonzalez had a few chances early in the match but Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer. Smith had another chance late in the half that Boehmer denied. Tarbell was called in to action to close out the half, denying Levonte Johnson from point-blank range to send the teams into half time tied 0-0.
Ulfarsson had the best chances to break the deadlock in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net. Ulfarsson had a shot blocked by Boehmer in the 56th minute and then the Icelander hit the crossbar just minutes later. Gonzalez got to the rebound off the bar but Boehmer once again came up big to keep Dos from scoring.
The game ended 0-0 with each team earning a point, and an additional point on offer from the penalty shootout. Jacob Evans scored Houston’s first attempt to take an early lead. Isaiah Reid and Gonzalez would miss in the next two rounds but misses from Vancouver kept the score at 1-1. Papa Ndoye scored to give Dos a 2-1 lead and after a Vancouver make, Maples converted to put Houston back in front 3-2. Johnson couldn’t convert on Vancouver’s final attempt, giving Dynamo 2 the win and the extra point.
"That clean sheet is massive because it is at home,” head coach Kenny Bundy said after the match. “(Not scoring) multiple goals is what is going to be frustrating for the guys because we had the opportunities to do it. At the end of the day, you don't get those two points if you don't defend the way we did. A lot of credit has to go to everybody that played in the back four. Playing a team that is that direct with the players they have up front is difficult. But then having the ball the majority of the time makes it even more challenging because you have to pick and choose your moments. You have to stay focused not only with the ball --because if we lose it, they're going to transition. You also have to do a lot of running because if they do win it, and it does go beyond you, you're working, and then you're building and now you have to build higher up the field. I'm really impressed with the energy, in the circumstances and the weather that we had today, the guys put out there today. It was fantastic."
The two points moved Dynamo 2 to fifth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference table. The top seven teams from each conference make the playoffs. Currently Houston are six points clear of eighth place St. Louis. Dos will hit the road this weekend to take on Earthquakes II in San Jose Saturday night. Kick off is set for 9 PM and the game can be seen on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.