HOUSTON — Houston Dynamo and the New York Red Bulls were left sharing the spoils after they traded goals four minutes apart midway through the second half and settling for a very tense 1-1 draw at Robertson Stadium.
Chris Henderson scored for the Red Bulls in the 67th minute and Dwayne De Rosario leveled the score after converting a penalty kick in the 70th. A minute later the teams were left a man down each after De Rosario and New York's Danny O'Rourke were sent off after they engaged in a scuffle; O'Rourke had already been shown a yellow card.
The tie is a little step back for Dynamo in their attempt to reach the top spot in the Western Conference, seeing FC Dallas extend their lead earlier Saturday after defeating the Colorado Rapids. The Red Bulls saw their three-game winning streak put to an end, along with their long shutout streak.
The first chance for the home side came in the very first minute of the game. A free kick taken by Brad Davis from the left flank crossed the area and forced Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway to come out of the box to clear the danger.
Moments later Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark tried to catch Conway off guard with a powerful long-range shot, but it went over the bar.
The Red Bulls were limited to trying to stop Dynamo's efforts in the first stages of the game while attempting to capitalize on any defensive error they could find. In the 14th minute Craig Waibel's weak clearance ended in the possession of Henderson, and his shot forced Pat Onstad to clear the ball with his fists.
The first half ended with Dynamo controlling the game, but unable to find a goal that would have given them the peace of mind to face an easy second half. The Red Bulls only had one shot on goal in the first half and seemed to lack offensive ideas as a team. Only individual plays by Amado Guevara showed any danger at times.
But against the run of play, in the 66th minute the Red Bulls found a spark of genius. Guevara connected with Chris Henderson behind Dynamo's defensive line, and from the corner of the goal area Henderson beat Onstad low and inside the far post for the first goal of the night.
Dynamo's reaction was immediate. After a counterattack by the local squad, O'Rourke fouled Ricardo Clark as he raced into the area, before Clark was able to get off a shot. Referee Tim Weyland didn't hesitate and pointed to the penalty spot.
De Rosario stepped straight into the shot and knocked it to Conway's left, leaving the goalkeeper no chance as he equalized the score. It was the first goal allowed by the Red Bulls in 397 minutes, since a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on July 8.
One minute after the goal, the confrontation between De Rosario and O'Rourke ended with both players ejected from the game. De Rosario was issued a red card and O'Rourke saw his second yellow.
Even though they were both a man down, both teams tried to find a winner. The only real chance came from Dynamo striker Brian Ching, but Conway made the save and the teams finished with the draw.
Carlos Mojica is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
