Mid-week action in Major League Soccer saw the Houston Dynamo host the Seattle Sounders in a match that probably had more at stake for the Sounders than the Dynamo as Seattle chase a place in the playoffs. After a slow first half, both teams provided some entertainment that saw the match finish as a one-all draw by the end of the night.
Sounders head coach, Brian Schmetzer, decided to rest key players such as Clint Dempsey and Chad Marshall to prepare for the big Cascadia match up against the Portland Timbers this weekend. The Dynamo opted to do the same as Will Bruin and Andrew Wenger started off the match on the bench.
Nothing to show for either team in the first half
Neither team could find the final touch to break the deadlock in the first half and chances were also few and far between. When a chance did fall to someone, their effort was not always clear cut and the attempt would end up being a speculative effort that would barely trouble either goalkeeper.
For Seattle, most of their attacking threat came from the combination play of Cristian Roldan, who was playing wide right for the Sounders, Nicolás Lodeiro and Tyron Mears. The three would try and create enough space to send telling crosses or passes through but every opportunity they created was weighted just a little too heavily and would miss the onrushing Nelson Valdez who was looking to score.
Houston's Ricardo Clark came the closest to getting a goal for the Dynamo but even his efforts seemed to fly high or wide due to not having enough of an angle to make a telling contribution. The first half finished as a 0-0 draw as the teams headed into the locker rooms and away from the heat and humidity.
Substitutions play a key role in the second half
Both managers introduced players during the second half that injected some much needed attacking edge and eventually, those subs found the goals to bring this game to a 1-1 draw in the end.
At the 60th minute mark, substitutes Will Bruin and Jordan Morris almost opened the scoring for either team. Bruin had an effort collected by Stefan Frei after a bounce in the 66th minute. while Morris, who was found by a good ball from Lodeiro five minutes later, could only fire his shot straight at goalkeeper Joe Willis in a 1v1 situation. It was another Houston substitute that would provide the game with its first goal in the 75th minute. Andrew Wenger found the ball at his feet in the box after a couple of deflections sent the ball through to him and the midfielder coolly slotted the ball past Frei and into the far corner.
The Dynamo were on top after this goal while the Sounders seemed to wilt in the heat. Alex was the next to try his luck for Houston, with a pass by Bruin setting him up a few minutes after the restart, but his left-footed effort went just wide. Wenger then came close again from a similar angle to his earlier goal but could not find the back of the net this time around. Seattle struggled to find any rhythm going forward and Houston were taking advantage of that.
Some late drama comes into play
The Sounders found enough energy to push forward as the second half began to wind down. The best chance of the half came after a corner-kick saw the ball nudged towards goal and seemingly cross the line. The linesman did not give the goal and the Dynamo escaped as replays afterwards showed that the ball had rolled over the line before Willis had clawed it out.
Houston then went back the other way and could not get the second goal that would kill off the game for them. Boniek García found Bruin inside the box but his first time effort ended up in the side-netting. Bruin got another chance almost straight away but again, he could not get his shot on target.
The Sounders kept pushing forward in the hopes of getting a goal and their pressure told right at the death. After a corner was initially cleared by Houston, Seattle substitute Joevin Jones sent in a lovely cross that found Lodeiro waiting in the box. The Uruguayan made no mistake with his connection as he slidie the ball into goal from from the penalty spot.
It was a great goal for Seattle and one that keeps their playoff hopes alive as they close in on rivals the Timbers, for that last playoff spot. This draw leaves Houston still at the bottom of the Western conference table as their season continues to be a disappointment for their fans.