Houston Dynamo continued to use MLS Primetime Thursday as their own personal showcase, soundly defeating the Chicago Fire 4-0 at Toyota Park.
Dynamo got a first-half goal from Stuart Holden, then tallies four minutes apart from Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya in the second half. Chris Wondolowski then tucked away the fourth in the 90th minute.
With the victory, the Western Conference co-leaders have now gone nine consecutive games without a loss. They also extended their shutout streak to 605 minutes, the second longest in MLS history, and are within another shutout of setting the league record.
Houston also ruined the debut of Juan Carlos Osorio. The Chicago Fire named Osorio its new head coach on Monday hoping the new head man would provide an immediate spark. Instead, Chicago suffered its worst loss on the season and is now winless in its last six contests.
Houston wasted no time finding holes in the Fire defense, when Brian Mullan lofted a crossing pass to Stuart Holden. The Dynamo midfielder was free for a header at the left-hand post, but put his effort into the outside of the goal in the third minute.
Jaqua, who spent the last four years in Chicago before moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy via Toronto FC in the offseason, then was traded to Houston last week, got the start in attack against his former club. He tested Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens in the 12th minute, but his rocket from 20 yards was well saved. Ngwenya then went just wide with a header in the following minute.
Center back Jim Curtin was responsible for the first two shots on goal for Chicago. In the 16th minute, Curtin's header on a cross from Chris Armas floated high toward the Houston goal but 'keeper Pat Onstad (six saves), who recorded his sixth shutout of the season, comfortably pushed it over the Dynamo crossbar.
That set up a corner kick for Justin Mapp. The Fire forward found Curtin who tried another header, but Onstad made a spectacular save, extending high to his left to knock the attempt out of bounds.
Dynamo once again nearly took the lead in the 24th minute when Ricardo Clark hooked a looping shot toward goal from 30 yards that caught Pickens off his line, only to hit the top of the crossbar. However, Houston would break through seven minutes later.
Clark knocked the ball wide for Wade Barrett on the left side of the field, and at full speed, he punched a crossing pass to Holden. The Houston midfielder reached behind him to one-time the perfect pass past Pickens from inside the penalty area for the 31st-minute opener, his third goal on the season.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear was forced into a change just before halftime when central defender Ryan Cochrane was taken out of the game after colliding with the Fire's Bakary Soumare at midfield while the two were challenging for a high ball. Patrick Ianni took Cochrane's place.
In stoppage time, the Fire offense was generous to a fault. Thiago made a beautiful drop pass to Armas who had Onstad dead to rights inside the penalty area. But instead of attempting a shot, Armas pushed a pass to forward Chad Barrett and the pass was immediately broken up.
The Dynamo attack was able to find even more seams in the Chicago defense in the second half. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Ngwenya and Jaqua each attempted two shots before the Dynamo forwards hit paydirt.
As he attempted to beat two Chicago players, Ngwenya had his back to the Fire goal and was trying to dribble out of trouble in the area. The ball squirted away and found Jaqua all alone. The former Fire forward turned and drilled home his second goal on the year and first with Houston, ripping the ball high past Pickens just inside the near post.
After a chorus of boos fell from the disgruntled Fire crowd, Ngwenya decided to have a little fun at Chicago's expense four minutes later.
Some hard work from Jaqua won the ball, then he slipped to Ngwenya from the right sideline. Ngwenya danced with the ball, first slipping it around Jim Curtin and collecting it on the other side, then bringing Pickens out of the Fire goal. Ngwenya rounded Pickens as the Fire 'keeper fell to the ground, and from almost on the endline, he pushed it off the inside of the far post and into the net for his sixth goal of the year.
Osorio tried to help Chicago out of its doldrums as he brought in Willian Oliveira in the 64th minute and then Calen Carr in the 73rd, but neither could do much to jumpstart the Fire attack.
Wondolowski, who had just entered the game, rounded out the scoring just after the regulation 90 minutes ticked over. Dwayne De Rosario, who had also come on as a substitute, went on a powerful run through the Fire defense before letting fly with a shot that Pickens just got a hand to. Wondolowski came running on at the left-hand post to give the ball a final push over the line into the empty net.
It was the third time Dynamo have scored four goals this season. Each one has happened on MLS Primetime Thursday, also defeating Chivas USA 4-0 on June 21 and the New York Red Bulls 4-0 one week ago.
Tim Hilton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
