Despite creating their fair share of opportunities, the Houston Dynamo's finishing let them down as CF Pachuca claimed a 1-0 victory at Robertson Stadium on Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Edgar Benitez scored the game's only goal in the 23rd minute as Pachuca advanced to the knockout stage and forced the Dynamo into a must-win situation in their final group stage game to advance.
Both sides came out slightly tentative, but after the first 15 minutes, both sides started creating quality chances. Pachuca then struck first in the 23rd minute.
Juan Carlos Rojas delivered a nice cross into the box from wide on the right. As Ulises Mendivil mistimed his header, the ball fell to teammate Edgar Benitez right behind him. Benitez chested the ball down perfectly in front of him with Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron on his wrong side, and Benitez calmly finished past Dynamo 'keeper Pat Onstad to give Pachuca an early lead.
Houston tried to respond in rapid succession. In the 27th minute, Brad Davis laid the ball off to Brian Mullan, whose left-footed effort was saved well by Tuzos 'keeper Miguel Calero. Moments later, Ricardo Clark tested Calero from distance and again Calero was up to the task.
Houston nearly equalized just before the half. In stoppage time, Mullan had the ball laid off to him some 35 yards from goal. Mullan ripped a shot that easily beat Calero, but the ball knocked off the post and went wide to leave Pachuca in the lead.
The second half was much like the first half for the Dynamo, who were attacking the goal in waves, only for their finishing to let them down. In the 55th minute, Dominic Oduro shockingly missed an open header from five yards out both high and wide.
In the 61st minute, Houston had two chances they might come to wish they had again. Calero came off his line to attempt to cut off a pass out wide to second-half substitute Corey Ashe. Ashe got to the ball first, but with an empty net and Calero well out of position, saw his effort on goal blocked by a Pachuca defender. The ball fell to Dynamo forward Brian Ching and again last-ditch defending blocked Ching's effort on goal.
Pachuca wasn't content to sit on its lead as Jose Francisco Torres and Christian Gimenez came on in the second half. Gimenez proved to be a spark as he broke free on goal in the 71st minute, but his effort went just wide.
Then in the 77th minute, Gimenez played provider as again he drove in on goal. This time he laid a perfect pass off to Rojas, but his shot went off the post.
Houston had two last-chance efforts but again both missed the target. In the 89th minute, a Clark header off a Stuart Holden set piece went wide of goal. In second half added time, Cam Weaver got on the end of a service, but his header went straight to Calero, who preserved the 1-0 victory for Pachuca and the clean sheet.
With the win, Pachuca guaranteed itself advancement out of the group stage. The Dynamo will need not only three points in their final game on the road against Isidro Metapan on Oct. 21, but they will also need some help from Pachuca to have any chance of advancement. Anything short of a Pachuca win and a Dynamo win and the Dynamo will be eliminated regardless of the outcome of the Houston's final match.
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
