The Dynamo lost more than a match in Houston on Saturday night. They not only drop the first game at home, but the loss came in at the first home match after the terrible floods the city of Houston had two weeks ago due to the pass of Hurricane Harvey in south east Texas. On the bright side, this match served to honor all the city’s heroes who have been helping and supporting the community during the difficult times Houston is facing.
But let’s talk about soccer. It is well known than in this sport as any other sport, there is no such thing as deserving a win. The winner in this game is the team which scores the most goals. Unfortunately for the Dynamo, they were not able to score. It was the Rapids that scored a late goal in stoppage time to get three points away from home.
The Orange control the rhythm of the match from the beginning. The possession of the ball was in favor of the home team, but Houston rarely finish the plays on attack. The team seemed to have a lot of pressure to get the win. Players wanted to fight and get the win, not only because this match in theory was “very accessible” – since Colorado was at the last place on the standings –, but because they wanted to give the three points to their city which is still recovering from all the damage caused by the hurricane.
On the other hand, the Rapids’ strategy worked perfectly for them. They kept some pressure on Houston’s territory to interrupt their opponent’s attack. Also, the defense had a solid match, where they neutralized the plays the Dynamo attempted to create. A key factor for Colorado was their captain Tim Howard. He is a natural leader on the field for his team, and he was one that celebrated the most the important win his side got in the Space City.
Now Houston must turn the page over and recover the confidence and focus to travel west to face an important match against the Earthquakes in San Jose, whereas Colorado will host the New York City FC. Both matches will be on Saturday, September 16th.
Houston Dynamo
Colorado Rapids
