Playing a man down for nearly 50 minutes against the top team in MLS, Toronto FC was happy to come away with a scoreless tie and one point.
"Today we played a team that's on top of the league," Toronto defender Jim Brennan said, "and they're up there for a reason. Formation-wise and the way they play, they're a good side. Coming away with a point, we're happy with that."
In the second half, Houston set the new record for longest shutout streak in MLS history, beating the mark set by the Kansas City Wizards in the 2000 season. Dynamo have now not allowed a goal in 695 minutes, bettering the previous mark by 13 minutes.
"I applaud every one of their guys," Toronto coach Mo Johnston said of the Dynamo defenders. "I thought they played very, very well and hard, even though at the end they were all tired. So I applaud them."
Toronto lost midfielder Maurice Edu in the 42nd minute, when he received a red card for a foul on Houston midfielder Brian Mullan.
"I don't think he deserved it," Johnston said of the ejection. "I think the referee was showing him a yellow card, and he made the wrong decision. I don't mind paying the penalty for saying that. Edu's not a dirty player. He went for the ball, he looked up and Mullan got a bloody nose. That's all he had. I'm sorry to see that, but Maurice is not a dirty player and he wasn't intentionally going for him."
Playing with only 10 men, there was more pressure on Toronto goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic to turn back Houston's attack. Johnston was pleased with his goalkeeper's play.
"Our goalkeeper did very well tonight," Johnston said. "He stood on his hands tonight, and we're very, very pleased with him. He's come a long way since joining the team three or four months ago."
Though the pressure was on Djekanovic, Johnston said that his team doesn't feel pressured by their situation near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
"There's no pressure on this group," Johnston said. "They know what's ahead of them -- it's the playoffs. We've got a bunch of games coming at home, we've been on the road for a long time now. Hopefully we can get back into the home stadium and get some points."
Every team that comes into Robertson Stadium has to be concerned about playing one of the league's top teams in one of the hottest and most humid climates that MLS teams play in.
"It's not just the humidity, it's the way they play," the TFC boss said. "They've got a great team ... there's so much talent. They're very well stacked; that's why they won the championship last year."
Said Brennan: "We worked hard as a team, and we made it tough for them. You could tell that they got frustrated and were trying to play long balls in the back, but we kept our shape, kept our lineup high, and we didn't give them any chances."
The match was Toronto's fifth consecutive game on the road, and the team has only lost once in those games.
"It's been a very tough road trip," Brennan said, "but the main thing is that we keep going along and keep on picking up points."
Johnston attributed his team's success on the road to its depth and talent on the bench.
"We have a good group of guys together," Johnston said. "We have guys who can come off of the bench and help, and that's important when you're playing three or four games on the road. We've been on the road now for five games, and we've only lost once, so we're coming along."
Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
