For a grueling 90 minutes, the New York Red Bulls battled a tough Houston Dynamo squad, looking to get some sort of result in their last MLS match before the All Star Break.
And while the team came away from Robertson Stadium on Saturday night with a 1-1 draw, it was a point that the Red Bulls were not completely disappointed with.
"Playing against a good team like that, coming down to their place in this humidity with this small field and the crowd, it is a good point for us because we could've gone home with nothing," said New York defender Jeff Parke.
For the first 45 minutes of their game on a muggy night, the Red Bulls endured a number of dangerous Dynamo chances in which the hosts nearly found the back of the net.
Along with earning six corner kicks, compared to New York's one, Houston out-shot the visitors, 5-1, as Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario created several problems for the visitors in the attacking third. However, the Red Bulls held steady in keeping a 0-0 scoreline going into halftime.
"Defensively, [we've been] very good," said interim head coach Richie Williams. "Again, the games haven't been perfect but in times when doors break down and the other team does get into the final third, we've defended very well."
In the first half, goaltender Jon Conway was not forced to make a save, but was called upon several times to clear the ball or come out and catch Houston crosses in the box. Meanwhile, the back four remained busy the entire night, with Jeff Parke getting in the way of a Brad Davis attempt from less than 10 yards out and Marvell Wynne making a goal-saving tackle by knocking the ball away from a full-speed De Rosario.
Five minutes into the second half, Carlos Mendes also prevented a sure goal, when he slid in and knocked away a Brian Mullan ball that was bound for Ching's feet.
The Red Bulls, riding a three-game winning streak going into Saturday, had their share of luck. In the 59th minute, with Houston pressing after the intermission, Ching latched onto a cross, but his header slammed off the crossbar.
Although the Red Bulls had less of the ball in Houston's end during the opening frame, they arguably had the best chance of the first half. Chris Henderson found himself with space in the left side of the penalty box before poking a shot directly at Dynamo goaltender Pat Onstad from 15 yards.
But, Henderson did not make the same mistake twice. Against the run of play, Henderson latched onto a cutting Amado Guevara through-ball and rolled it past Onstad, giving the Red Bulls, who only generated three shots all night, a 1-0 lead.
"It was a great ball through by Amado. I wanted to stay onside. I actually should've had two tonight - I had a good chance in the first half. But it was good to get the goal," Henderson said.
Though Houston came back less than a minute later with a De Rosario penalty kick and with both squads being reduced to 10 men after De Rosario and Danny O'Rourke were both sent off, New York hung on and maintained sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference.
"They had their chances, we had our chances and we were just battling through the heat and being able to [stick it out] against a good team. They came out firing, had some good chances and we hung in there," Parke said.
New York will travel to Wilmington to face USL-2nd Division side, the Wilmington Hammerheads, on Wednesday in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.
Conway gets the start
After much speculation during the week concerning who would start in between the posts against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night, Jon Conway started over veteran Tony Meola, who was back in contention for the role after missing time due to a bacterial infection in his right ankle and foot. Going into their contest against Houston, Conway was riding a three-game shutout streak and was unbeaten (4-0-1) in 2006.
"I think we have two very good goalkeepers," Williams said. "Tony's done very well for us and then Jon has come in and [also] done very well for us. It was just the best thing for the team tonight for Jon to stay in there with the three results that we had. I thought Jon was the best choice tonight, but that doesn't mean that Tony won't be back in there sooner or later so I'll have to see."
Although Conway did not make a save in the first half, he caught several dangerous crosses and snuffed out a few Dynamo attacks. Two minutes into the second half, his first official stop was a huge one - blocking a De Rosario blast after the Dynamo midfielder broke through the back line.
In the 83rd minute, Conway came up trumps again by saving a Brian Ching header bound for goal.
"He didn't know where I came from so I just looked up and said 'not tonight buddy'. When we would practice it was just a constant banter with all those guys, so that's what made it fun for me," said Conway, Ching's former teammate in San Jose.
Conway was also riding a 270-minute streak without conceding a goal, but that ended on Saturday after Dwayne De Rosario's penalty kick conversion in the 70th minute. Still, his 340 minute shutout run is the second-longest in MLS this season, behind Los Angeles' Kevin Hartman's 521.
Despite being disappointed that the team did not grind out the three points, Conway said he was pleased to earn a result.
"In the first half they were coming at us pretty strong, but we were able to hold them off," Conway said. "I thought we were pretty good defensively. We got a goal early [in the second half], however right after the goal we gave up a penalty kick. They're by far the best team in the league from front to back so coming down here and getting the draw is a big accomplishment for us."
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