In a match where the chances were few, it only took one misstep from the Houston Dynamo defense to allow the Los Angeles Galaxy a stoppage time goal in a 1-0 victory at the Stub Hub Center. The goal came in the 93' when Robbie Keane attempted a shot on goal but centerback David Horst did well to block the shot. Keane collected the rebound and sent a looping cross towards the near post where Alan Gordon was lurking. The veteran striker lost his defender and easily muscled out DaMarcus Beasley to head the ball in.

With the Galaxy dominating possession throughout the match, the Dynamo were content to sit back and play on the counter. The first shot in the match came in the 6' when Giles Barnes made a run up the near flank and whipped in a beautiful cross. Unfortunately Will Bruin, making a far post run, was at too tight an angle to get much power on the header, leaving Jaime Penedo to make an easy save. Bruin had another chance in the 9' when he slipped behind the defense on a through ball. His first touch sent him too close to goal so he attempted to slip the ball beneath the goalkeeper but Penedo did well to block the attempt.

The Galaxy's first real chance on goal came in the 13' when Gyasi Zardes made an attempt on goal but his shot was blocked. The ensuing rebound pinged around the box before eventually being smothered by Tyler Deric.

The Dynamo defense did well to limit LA for the rest of the half. The last scoring chance in the bracket came in the 38' when Giles Barnes was in the top of the box. He attempted to blast home a chance but his shot was blocked by two LA defenders. He did have Brad Davis making a run to his left, but whether he saw the run, or how effective a pass might have been, is up in the air.

No one was really able to challenge either goal, with the Galaxy having a half chance in the 70th minute and the Dynamo in the 89th. The match ended in controversy when Oscar Sorto was shown a straight red card in the 94' for a high tackle from behind on David Horst's knee. The referee pointed just outside the box for a free kick when replays showed Sorto committed the foul inside the box. Despite protestations from Owen Coyle, Brad Davis lined up outside the box. His cross wasn't able to be redirected on frame, though.

The Galaxy stay at home as they face a slumping Real Salt Lake for midweek action before heading to Boston for an MLS Cup rematch against the New England Revolution. The Dynamo return home to face Manchester City in their annual Charities Cup on Thursday before traveling to Yankee Stadium for their first meeting with NYCFC on Saturday night.

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About the author
Kyle Nowotny
Long-time Houston sports fan, season-ticket holder for the Houston Dynamo and sports writer since August 2014. BA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston.