Guilherme Gives Dynamo 1-0 Win at the Death
(image via Aldo Canale)
The Houston Dynamo suffered a tough midweek defeat against Real Salt Lake to break their good run of form, but they had a quick opportunity at not only redemption, but a statement as they faced off against the Vancouver Whitecaps, the cream of the crop in the Western Conference led by stars such as Thomas Müller and Brian White.
Both teams exchanged early warning shots in the first five minutes, but the game quickly stabilized after. In the 17th minute, Vancouver found the back of the net off a deflection, but the referee ruled it off for offside.
In the 22th minute, Diadie Samassekou went down after a Vancouver corner kick and required heavy medical help. He was stretched into an ambulance, but according to Houston Dynamo FC, he “was alert.”
Because of the lenghty medical treatment, the referee added 14 minutes of stoppage time, but neither side broke the deadlock.
The first 15 minutes of the second half featured some moments of counterattacking danger from the Dynamo, but nothing concrete came out of those opportunities.
Then, in the 64th minute, Vancouver had a blunder, as their goalkeeper, Yohei Takaoka, swiped Mateusz Bogusz’s legs outside the box, drawing a red card and bringing Vancouver’s down to 10 men.
After a disallowed goal from Ezequiel Ponce, a tipped save from Jonathan Bond, and several good chances from Houston in the following minutes, the temperature of the game picked up as the Dynamo were suddenly in full control.
Vancouver, with no other options, put all of their numbers behind the ball, hoping to hold on to a result and possibly strike on the counter. Houston probed and tried to break the Whitecaps, but the low block was just too strong for them.
Or was it?
With one of their last chances, Houston broke through, and Guilherme scored the winner, beating Vancouver’s backup goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer at the near post. Pandemonium followed the dramatic goal, as it was an unpredictable ending to one of the most chaotic games in recent Dynamo memory.
The Dynamo will not pivot their focus to a tricky U.S. Open Cup match on Tuesday, May 19 at Energizer Park against St. Louis. Kickoff is set for 7 PM, and fans can tune in to watch the game through Paramount+.