COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Houston Dynamo broke out of their early-season scoring slump, spotting the Colorado Rapids an early goal before exploding for three goals in the final 35 minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night, handing the Rapids their first-ever loss at their new Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Roberto Brown had given Colorado the lead after just five minutes, but Brian Ching brought Dynamo level then Dwayne De Rosario scored twice within a five-minute span to secure the victory.
Both teams tried to seize the early momentum from the outset. The Rapids were hoping to build on their 2-0 blanking of Real Salt Lake last week with an important home victory, and Dynamo needed to snap a streak of two consecutive games in which they were shut out.
The Rapids have gotten themselves in trouble this season with overexuberance early on, but their aggression paid off Saturday as they kept pressure on the Dynamo defenders and quickly went ahead as Brown tapped the ball softly past 'keeper Pat Onstad shortly after kickoff.
Brown made the play unassisted, emerging from a crowded scrum in the goal area and catching Onstad off guard, the goalkeeper standing back on his heels as the ball rolled past.
Dynamo were unable to mount a sustained attack in the first half, lofting some soft shots toward the goal, but having trouble possessing the ball in the Rapids' end.
They adapted well, however, slowly shifting momentum later in the half, penetrating deeper into the Rapids' territory and making a series of threatening breaks, the most dangerous coming on a combination of passes from Wade Barrett up the field to Paul Dalglish, who laid it back to Brad Davis, who then centered for Ching. Ching's quick hard shot bounced off the right post.
With a lead, the Rapids seemed to back off a bit, looking to simply maintain possession and slow the game while keeping Dynamo at bay. They had additional opportunities to build on their lead, but were unable to finish.
Dynamo sought to turn the tables in the second half, and they successfully built on the momentum they had established late in the first half. In the 55th minute Houston got the break it had been pressing for, with Davis centering a ball from the left wing and Ching hitting a sliding shot into the near corner of the net before Bouna Coundoul could get to it.
With the score tied, Dynamo refused to let up, keeping the action in the Rapids' half of the field. Houston quickly followed up with a second goal, a hard strike from De Rosario into the upper left corner of the goal that eluded an outstretched Coundoul.
The Rapids had a good opportunity in the 65th minute, as Brown dribbled into the penalty area from the left, finally colliding with defender Eddie Robinson and taking a blow to the face on the play. A heated argument ensued from Rapids players angry about the lack of a call on the play. Pablo Mastroeni received a yellow card after the melee.
Moments later, Brown received his own yellow card after spiking the ball following an unfavorable call at midfield.
With the Rapids reeling from the pair of calls, Dynamo resumed their relentless pursuit toward goal, and De Rosario tapped a loose ball the final inches into the goal off a series of deflections at the goal line in the 68th minute to double the Houston lead.
The Rapids made some late threats, most notably a drive from Nico Colaluca, who was a 73rd-minute sub Brown, and chance for Herculez Gomez, but his shot was blocked before reaching the goal.
After being denied of goals in two straight games, the three-goal explosion was exactly what the defending MLS Cup champions needed to regain their confidence. They dominated for the remainder of the game, outplaying the Rapids on both sides of the field and dealing Colorado its first loss in Commerce City.
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
