who scored a goal and set up another the weekend before -- was sent off by referee Baldomero Toledo with a straight red card for a challenge on Ryan Cochrane.
• But Jozy Altidore, who had been dangerous all evening with little to show for it, finally converted one of his chances when took a pass at the edge of the area, spun around defender Eddie Robinson and hammered a shot over Pat Onstad, off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net for the game's lone goal.
• Goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus kept a clean sheet for the second time on the season (he also played the first half of the win against FC Dallas) as the Red Bulls became the second team in MLS history to open the season with three consecutive shutouts. The first -- the Dallas Burn in 1999 -- allowed a goal in the 74th minute of their fourth match.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-1-1): Ronald Waterreus - Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, Todd Dunivant - Dane Richards (Seth Stammler 54), Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Dave van den Bergh (Joe Vide 91+) - Clint Mathis - Josmer Altidore (John Wolyniec 74),. Substitutes Not Used: Sal Caccavale, Jon Conway, Tim Regan, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Kelly Gray, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Richard Mulrooney 70) - Dwayne De Rosario - Paul Dalglish (Chris Wondolowski 73), Alejandro Moreno (Brian Ching 69). Substitutes Not Used: Stuart Holden, Patrick Ianni, Craig Waibel, Zach Wells
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Houston Dynamo saw their long winning run come to an end, but still kept their unbeaten streak alive Saturday, playing to a scoreless draw with FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in the second battle this season for "El Capítan." Dynamo are still in second place in the Western Conference, with 23 points from 14 matches, still three behind FC Dallas and now just two points ahead of third-place Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• Houston Dynamo came into the second Texas rivalry match riding a five-game winning streak -- all after losing three games on the trot -- while FC Dallas were winners of three of their last four.
• Dynamo were forced into a lineup change before the game even began, as Canadian international Pat Onstad was injured in pre-match warmups. Zach Wells, who backstopped a pair of victories while Onstad was away on international duty for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, once again stood between the posts.
• Wells had to only make saves of a routine variety over the match, though FC Dallas had the better of much of the play. The game's best chance fell to Houston's other Canadian international, Dwayne De Rosario, who was slipped in alone inside the FCD penalty area. But Hoops 'keeper Dario Sala came quickly off his line and blocked De Rosario's effort with his chest in the 85th minute to preserve the result.
• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made four changes to the team that defeated the Kansas City Wizards 1-0 the weekend before at Arrowhead Stadium. Zach Wells came in for Pat Onstad in goal, as he was injured in pregame warmups, while Eddie Robinson returned to central defense in place of Patrick Ianni. Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching made their first starts after returning from the CONCACAF Gold Cup, coming in for Kelly Gray and Stuart Holden.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Zach Wells - Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan (Chris Wondolowski 89), Richard Mulrooney, Brad Davis (Corey Ashe 74) - Dwayne De Rosario - Brian Ching, Joseph Ngwenya (Stuart Holden 74). Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Kelly Gray, Patrick Ianni
• "There wasn't a lot of energy out there today on both sides," said Kinnear. "It was a little bit of a slow chess match. We had a couple of chances and they had a couple of chances. 'Keepers held their ground and so did the defenses. So, I think 0-0 was correct."
TEAM NEWS
• Onstad was unable to play after suffering back spasms before the match, and so Wells came in for a third start in the last five games. He recorded a second consecutive shutout, and Dynamo have not allowed a goal in the last 258 minutes of action with Wells between the posts.
• "The better part of the attacking game was snuffed out by the defenses. It's a positive point on the road, that's what I told the guys here," Kinnear said. "It's a point where we pulled away from the teams that are underneath us, and now they have to go out and try to get positive results. It's a tough place to play."
• After the late afternoon match, Dynamo now return home for two games this week, first the Primetime Thursday match against New York, then a Sunday night special against D.C. United.
• "The heat [Saturday] really sapped it out of them. Now we're 14 games into the season and now we need to try and get as much rest as we can because these are the summer days and it really just zaps you quick and it's hard to recover," Kinnear said. "Our approach was trying to win and we didn't but we still got a point out of this and another shutout, and unbeaten in June, and we've only given up three goals in six games, so our team defending is definitely a positive sign."
• Dynamo were unable to break down an FC Dallas back line with three new starters because of national team duty, injury and suspension. It was a physical approach: Dynamo suffered a season-high 26 fouls, with striker Brian Ching on the receiving end of seven, also a Houston season-high.
• "These guys used this (having three defensive starters out) as an excuse to sit back, draw and counterattack. It's just funny. They give us a lot of respect and that's a good thing. I guess they think that we're a better team," Ching said. "It was one of those physical games where they're bumping you, pushing you and trying to get in your head," he added. "It's tough sometimes when the ref looks the other way. I guess that happened both ways. It was a physical game but good to come out of here with (a point)."
• While Dynamo still have yet to win at Pizza Hut Park in league play, they have come away with a draw in two of their three trips north to face FC Dallas.
• "I think it's a great result. They're in first place and we're in second and we're at their home field. I'd like to think they're disappointed with that result because it's their job to win at home. To get a shutout on the road is fantastic for this team and also to stay within three points with two games in hand is great," said right back Craig Waibel. "This is obviously two points short of what we wanted but a great result for the club and for the guys in the locker room."
• On Tuesday, Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy completed a trade that sees midfielder Kelly Gray go to the Galaxy and Dynamo receive striker Nate Jaqua. Jaqua came to the Galaxy in the offseason via Toronto FC after playing his first four professional seasons with the Chicago Fire. He scored 21 goals in 92 appearances for Chicago, finally scoring his first goal with L.A. on June 17, in the ninth of 10 total outings he made there.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls returned to action after a weekend off but continued to struggle, losing 1-0 to the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Red Bulls are now tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points from 13 matches, still a point behind the New England Revolution and now level with the Kansas City Wizards, with fourth-place D.C. United just a point further back.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew were coming off back-to-back wins for the first time on the season, while the Red Bulls were playing for the first time after a two-week layoff, a loss and a tie in their last two games.
• The stage seemed set for a wild attacking spectacle, with the Crew having scored eight goals in their last three games (a draw followed by two wins), and the Red Bulls having allowed 11 goals in their last four games.
• But the game's only goal came in the 69th minute. Andy Herron was given time to run at the Red Bulls from the right flank and he served in a good cross to the far post, where Kei Kamara rose up to clinically head down and home back inside the far post.
• The shutout meant an end to Juan Pablo Angel's goal-scoring streak, meaning his bid for history would end at six consecutive games with a goal, one shy of the league record.
• Red Bulls manager Bruce Arena made two changes to the team that played to a 3-3 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on June 16, both in the back four. Taylor Graham and Tim Regan were no longer with the club, so Hunter Freeman returned to the lineup at right back and Kevin Goldthwaite, acquired from Toronto FC for Todd Dunivant, came in at left back.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-1-1): Ronald Waterreus - Hunter Freeman (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 86), Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, Kevin Goldthwaite - Dane Richards, Claudio Reyna, Seth Stammler, Dave van den Bergh (Santino Quaranta 79) - Clint Mathis (John Wolyniec 79) - Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Markus Schopp, Joe Vide
• "I thought they had a better energy level tonight. I thought our first 15 minutes of the game was pretty poor. We settled in and played a little bit better, the last 20 to 25 minutes of the first half. The second half, we played OK," Arena said. "In a game like that, neither team is real dangerous going forward, but there's a lot of energy in the game. I thought Columbus, on the night, brought more energy to the field than we did."
TEAM NEWS
• In the four contests previous to Saturday, the Red Bulls had allowed 11 goals. In the two-week break since their last match, the club's defense was virtually gutted, with four defenders let go. Kevin Goldthwaite -- acquired from Toronto FC during the week -- made his Red Bulls debut against Columbus, playing at left back, while Hunter Freeman returned to the lineup for the first time since May 5.
• "We have to get the group playing together a little bit," said Arena. "Physically, it was a little tough on Hunter Freeman today. It was his first game in over two months so he'll need a little time. We were caught without a reserve defender tonight. We'll have that organized by the next game."
• Angel was rarely a threat against the Crew, getting off just one shot on the night as he was shackled by the Crew rearguard.
• "He lost a lot of balls; the service to him wasn't good. He didn't do a good job. I think their center backs, give them credit, did a good job on Angel," Arena said. "At the other end of the field, [Alejandro] Moreno was a little better at his role than Angel was for us. Moreno did a good job holding the ball up, and over 90 minutes in a game, that adds up to a little bit more possession for your team and gives you a little bit more reserve. We were too often caught chasing the game, because we couldn't hold on to the ball."
• The Red Bulls were able to generate just one shot on goal for the entirety of the match, a season-low. "I think they played better. It was a very tight game for the first 45 minutes. In the second half, I think we played a little bit better than in the first half but overall, they were the better team," Angel said.
• Another player making his Red Bulls debut was Santino Quaranta, whose acquisition from the Los Angeles Galaxy was finalized late on Friday. New York gave the Galaxy a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He just joined the team before the game.
• "Obviously, it's a game and you go out there and give it your best. In the heat of the game, you work hard and do your best with the guys out there," he said. "I'll get to know them this week but it was good to get out there and play with the guys."
