Photo credit: Kane McKinney, SFL Staff Photographer
By Vicente Garcia Miale
HOUSTON – Dynamo FC officially recorded the worst start in
team history after gaining only one point in the first four matches of MLS
Regular Season play.
A first half full of emotions began at Shell Energy Stadium
with speedy and direct attacks by Real Salt Lake. Houston’s lack of intensity
and Real Salt Lake's effectiveness led to an early goal scored by Diogo
Goncalves. A quick linkup started by Diego Luna placed Goncalves in
front of the net 45 seconds into the match. Pablo Mastroeni’s team proved that
it was ready to battle.
The rhythm of the match continued as expected with both
teams attempting to be dangerous in the final third. It wasn’t fifteen minutes
into the game when Sebastian Kowalczyk was fouled in the edge of the
box, allowing Jack McGlynn to serve a dangerous cross to Ezequiel
Ponce that resulted in the Houston equalizer and Ponce’s first goal of the
season.
As the game went on Houston earned more confidence. Amine
Bassi and recently signed midfielder Nico Lodeiro linked up well and
caused confusion and danger to Real Salt Lake’s defense. Fans at The Shell
erupted when a Bassi shot from outside the box placed Olsen’s team in front;
however, VAR ruled the goal off because Ponce was offsides and blocked
goalkeeper Rafael Barbosa’s vision during the shot attempt.
With an almost-finished first half, Real Salt Lake began
utilizing counterattacks again. Ben Olsen’s team came back to its negative
reality when a cross from Dominik Marczuk landed in Diego Luna’s
head. The USMNT player quickly headed the ball into the net and put Mastroeni’s
team back up front.
Both teams started the second half by perfectly executing
and understanding their responsibilities. A score of 1-2 for Real Salt Lake
meant Houston had to advance with the ball, resulting in the opening of a large
space behind their defensive line left for RSL to exploit. Houston slowly began
pushing Mastroeni’s team against their goal with confident attacks, yet no net
was being found.
Pressure arose and Olsen could feel it. Not being able to
secure a win in the first four matches of the season caused great discomfort
among Houston’s staff, forcing major substitutions to be made. Lodeiro,
Escobar, and Kowalczyk were replaced by Duenas, Steres, and Segal. The changes
were made at different times during the second half.
Houston looked for its second equalizer of the night with
the remaining energy in the tank and the loud cheers from the fans, but no shot
was dangerous enough to beat RSL goalkeeper Rafael Barbosa. The resilience and
effort for Los Naranjas wasn’t enough and the objective of obtaining the first
win of the season wasn’t reached.
The final score in Houston was 1-2 for Real Salt Lake.
Houston sits with a record of 0 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses. Ben Olsen’s team will face El Salvador national team in a
historic friendly match on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at Shell Energy Stadium.
For tickets and information visit houstondynamofc.com.
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