Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions League match against Pumas UNAM started more than 45 minutes late and the Houston Dynamo never caught up.
The Dynamo were beaten 3-1 by Pumas UNAM of Mexico and lost their first match of any kind since dropping a 3-0 decision at New York in an MLS league game on Aug. 24.
The game started in a driving rain after being delayed due to heavy thunderstorms. The wind shifted out of the north, and the temperature fell to its coldest reading of the season.
Pumas scored two goals in the first half and added a third in the second to send the Dynamo to third place in Group B play of the CONCACAF tournament. Houston is now 1-2-1 with five points and trails both Pumas (nine points) and El Salvadoor's CD Luis Angel Firpo (2-1-1, seven points).
The Dynamo still have two matches against Firpo and will need four points (a win and a draw) in order to advance to the knockout stage.
A couple of mistakes helped Pumas take a 2-0 lead in the first 30 minutes of the match as the Dynamo struggled to keep pace in the less-than-ideal conditions.
In the 19th minute, Ianni made contact with Ismael Iniguez inside the box and referee Neal Brizan immediately pointed toward the spot for a penalty kick. Juan Carlos Cacho was the easy pick for the kick, and as Houston 'keeper Pat Onstad dove to his right, the Pumas captain bounced a shot into the other side of the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Dynamo had good chances to tie the game in the 20th and 29th minutes, but could not get the equalizer.
First, Nate Jaqua took a nice cross from Corey Ashe from the near corner, but his high-bouncing header was just out of the reach of Pumas goalkeeper Alejandro Palacios and over the crossbar.
Then, nine minutes later, Pumas nearly tied the game for the Dynamo with an own goal. With the Dynamo swarming near the goal, Marco Antonio Palacios' pass back was a bit too hard forcing the 'keeper to give chase.
Those missed opportunities hurt the Orange because Fernando Espinoza made it a two-goal game a minute later when he converted what was essentially a three-on-one break for Pumas. Orlando Pineda broke free from the Houston defense and waited for Onstad to commit before sending a perfect pass over to Espinoza for the easy tap-in.
After a near skirmish in the 33rd minute when Iniguez was given a yellow card, Stuart Holden nearly scored when he pulled a shot just wide of the left post. The Dynamo kept up the energy and got within a goal when rookie Geoff Cameron and Jaqua teamed up on a great play creating an own goal from Pumas.
With Jaqua closing in on Alejandro Palacios in the middle of the field, Cameron, who had the ball running down the right touchline, sent a hard cross toward the net that glanced off Marco Antonio Palacios and into the net.
The Orange had one good chance to tie the game before the end of the half, and Onstad made a save in the 45th minute to keep Houston within a goal. In the 42nd minute, Jaqua hit the crossbar after settling a loose ball. Three minutes later, Onstad dived to his left to stop a curling shot by Iniguez.
Pumas extended the lead with a very pretty goal on a corner kick in the 69th minute.
Iniguez sent a bending kick in front of the goal, and Marco Antonio Palacios made amends for the own goal when he timed his run perfectly to the near post, got there ahead of a defender, and threw out his left foot to send a backheel volley looping over a stunned Onstad.
The Dynamo close out the MLS regular season on Saturday when they travel to California to play Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. They will travel to El Salvador for their Champions League match next Tuesday, before opening the MLS Cup Playoffs on the road on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
