SAN JOSE, CA - MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo continued its pre-season today, beating the University of California, Berkeley 2-0 at PAL Stadium.
With a team made up mostly of reserve and first-year players, the Men in Orange were dominant from the get-go, firing their first warning shot in the eighth minute of play, thanks to a header by defender Patrick Ianni off of a corner kick from the left by John Michael Hayden. Ianni's shot was eventually deflected by Cal goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Frei came up big for his team once again in the 17th minute, stopping a shot inside the box by Jeremy Barlow, who played a very active role in Houston's victory.
The scoreless tie was finally broken in the 31st minute by Stuart Holden, assisted by Barlow. Five minutes before the first half ended, the Dynamo scored again, this time thanks to Keiran Hall, who used another assist from Barlow to score with a solid shot from inside the box.
During the second half, Houston continued its dominance on the field, generating several scoring opportunities, three of them between the 65th and 67th minute of play. Frei, however, was solid yet again in goal for Cal, stopping two good shots by Erik Ustruck.
For the second straight game, goalkeeper Corbin Waller saw action for the MLS champions during the second half. He had a relatively quiet performance until the 89th minute, when he stopped Cal's only legitimate scoring opportunity. Midfielder Mike Nierath got a clean shot inside the penalty area, only for Waller to get a hand on the ball, turning it away for a corner kick. Goalkeeper Brian Pope started the game in goal for the Dynamo.
Houston will look to close its pre-season trip to California in perfect fashion Saturday, taking on the San Jose Earthquakes at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco at 9 p.m. CT before heading for Hawaii and the Pan Pacific Championship on Sunday morning.
Lineups:
Cal-Berkeley: Stefan Frei (Bethke 71, Fry 88), Evan Sassano, Josh Leon (Avalos 67), Tyler Barry, Kyle Rice (Brown 67), Mike Nierath (Marion 64), Imaan Kerchagoni, Demitrus Omphroy, Anthony Soares, Andrew Wiedman (Van Buskirk 67), Davis Paul.
Houston Dynamo: Brian Pope (Corbin Waller 46), Steve Wondolowski, Patrick Ianni (Stuart Holden), Geoff Cameron, Michael Chabala, Jeremy Barlow, Nick Hatzke, John Michael Hayden, Kieran Hall, James Georgeff, Erik Ustruck (Chris Wondolowski 46, Corey Ashe 68)
Attendance: 25
Weather: Sunny, 57 degrees.
