Dynamo pitch shut out at Yankee Stadium
(image via Chris Gonzalez)
After playing in California on Saturday, the Houston made a brief stop at home before heading to the other coast. The Bronx was the destination for Wednesday’s match against a tough New York City FC squad. The rain fell for the whole match at Yankee Stadium but it was Houston that pitched a shut out to pick up a big three points on the road.
Ben Olsen and the Houston staff put out a heavily rotated starting eleven for the match. Griffin Dorsey, Artur, Ondrej Lingr, and Sebastian Kowalczyk all were on the bench with Nico Lodeiro, Gabe Segal, Erik Dueñas, Junior Urso, and Felipe Andrade getting starts.
The first 25 minutes of the match were a cagey affair as both teams battled the rain and the small pitch, trying to find a foothold on the match. The Dynamo found the opening goal in the 26th minute, thanks once again to the left foot of Jack McGlynn. A corner kick was recycled back to McGlynn and he fired a cross back into the box. New York City defender Justin Haak lunged in front of the cross and got a head on it, but redirected it into his own net to give Houston the 1-0 lead.
As the half played on, the Dynamo had a huge chance to double their advantage. A long ball over the top was chased down by Segal and he beat the New York City defender, who lost his footing. Segal was all alone in front of goalkeeper Matt Freese but the USMNT call-up got his left foot out to deny the shot and keep the game at 1-0 into halftime.
Artur came on for the Dynamo at half time, as the captain looked to solidify the midfield and keep the lead for Houston. Just five minutes into the half, the Dynamo found their second goal. Lodeiro laid the ball off for Dueñas in the box and Freese made a great save low to his left to make the save. The rebound though fell right to Segal in the six yard box and he tapped it in to put Houston up 2-0 in the 50th minute. Segal took the classy route and did not celebrate against his former team.
New York City never really tested Jonathan Bond, forcing him into a couple of saves and hitting a dangerous free kick over the bar. The Houston defense and midfield hung strong through the second half, breaking up passes and not letting the hosts get into any rhythm.
Duane Holmes came on for his Dynamo debut and he made it memorable, winning a penalty in stoppage time. Segal stepped up and blasted his spot kick past Freese to bag a brace. The final whistle would blow moments later with the Dynamo grabbing a huge three points on the road with a 3-0 win.
The Dynamo will now return home for one last match of their busy May. They will host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday at Shell Energy Stadium before getting a much needed break for an international window.
