The Houston's Dynamo's two-game win streak came to an end Thursday night as they lost a 2-1 decision to the San Jose Earthquakes. Houston came into the game with a chance to climb into first place in the MLS Western Conference with a win, but instead remain in third place with 10 points.
Second-half goals from San Jose's Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero proved to be the difference. A Brian Ching goal in the 88th minute pulled Houston within one, but they couldn't find the equalizer in the game's final moments.
Dominic Kinnear stuck with the same starting 11 that led to wins in the last two games: Ching and Franco Caraccio at forward, Stuart Holden, Dwayne De Rosario, Ricardo Clark and Brian Mullan in midfield, a defensive line of Wade Barrett, Eddie Robinson, Bobby Boswell and Richard Mulrooney, and Pat Onstad in goal.
Seven players in the Dynamo starting team -- Ching, De Rosario, Clark, Mullan, Barrett, Robinson and Onstad -- were members of the San Jose Earthquakes side that moved to Texas after the 2005 season. An eighth starter, Mulrooney, spent six seasons in San Jose before moving on to Dallas after the 2004 season. The ex-Earthquakes players were greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos in pre-game introductions.
The first half saw Houston struggle to get forward against a physical San Jose defense, and fortunate to go into the locker room scoreless after 45 minutes.
In the 25th minute Boswell, trying to work his way out of the defensive third of the field, lost the ball to Ryan Johnson, but Onstad was able to tip Johnson's shot from 20 yards out over the crossbar.
In the 33rd minute, it was Johnson causing trouble again, this time sprinting down the left wing. His cross found Kei Kamara for a diving header from 10 yards out, which banged off the far post before being cleared away.
Houston's first scoring threat was in the 37th minute, when Wade Barrett found DeRosario near the top of the box. De Rosario flicked a pass to Holden, but Holden's awkward header from the penalty spot fell easily to the goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Perhaps the Dynamo's best sequence in the first half was in the 39th minute, when Mullan and Mulrooney worked the ball down the right wing. Mullan's cross found Ching near the penalty spot, but his off balance header went straight to the goalkeeper.
The second half started with the Dynamo on the attack. In the 49th minute, Holden intercepted an attempted clearance, but his quick shot from 25 yards out was an easy save for Cannon. In the 55th minute, a Mulrooney corner kick was headed just wide of the right post by Robinson. Another corner kick, from Holden in the 65th minute, was headed just over the bar by Boswell.
Patrick Ianni replaced Robinson in the 65th minute, after Robinson limped to the sideline with an abdominal injury suffered in a midfield collision.
But it was the Quakes who struck first. In the 67th minute, Grabavoy's chip was flicked on by Ronnie O'Brien to Kei Kamara. With his back to the goal, Kamara quickly trapped it, turned, and shot it past Onstad from eight yards out.
The Quakes made it 2-0 in the 81st minute. A pass from Ivan Guerrero sent Ryan Johnson in alone down the right wing. Onstad made a full extension save on Johnson's shot, but the rebound fell to Guerrero who slammed it into the open net.
Houston's last two games, both Dynamo wins, saw Houston get the game winner in the last 10 minutes of regulation time, and this match almost saw some last-minute heroics as well. Ching volleyed a low cross from substitute Brad Davis inside the near post in the 88th minute to pull Houston within one. In injury time, Ching stretched to get a Ianni pass on goal, but the shot trickled just wide of the right post.
Houston now returns home to face the New York Bulls on Sat., May 31.
Pete Ratajczak is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
