Having allowed six goals in their last three MLS matches, the Houston Dynamo came into their match against Real Salt Lake with one clear mission in mind: Tighten things up defensively.
Mission accomplished.
Despite playing nearly an hour with 10 players, the Dynamo defense returned to the form that has led them to the top spot in MLS on Saturday as they drew 0-0 with Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"The most important thing for us defensively was to make sure we got back on the right track, and tonight we did," said Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
Onstad was a big part of the reason Houston were able to keep a clean sheet, making eight total saves on the night, including several spectacular ones.
Another big reason was the return of Ryan Cochrane to the Dynamo, who returned to the team just this past Friday after a brief stint in San Jose. Cochrane was a key piece of the Dynamo machine when they won MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, and his familiarity with the players and the system in Houston gave coach Dominic Kinnear the confidence to immediately insert him into the starting lineup. Cochrane played nearly the entire match before being substituted late.
"He knows the way we play, he knows the system, and he's a good player," said Kinnear. "It was almost like he just took a break away from us for a couple of years."
Holding off the home squad got Houston through -- even after Andrew Hainault was sent off by referee Paul Ward in the 36th minute for a second hard foul on Fabian Espindola -- until the pivotal moment of the match in first-half stoppage time.
An excellent cross from Tony Beltran found Robbie Findley behind the defense only a few yards from goal. Findley shot what appeared to be a certain goal, but somehow Onstad reacted and got a hand on the ball and kept it out.
"It was a reaction save," said Onstad. "[Findley] didn't really meet it as hard as he would have liked, and that gave me the opportunity to get my hand out there, and fortunately the other guys bailed me out with the rebound."
While the save was clearly important for Houston's chances, the truly pivotal moment came during the chase for the rebound. Findley went down hard from a tackle in the penalty area, but Ward saw no harm and signaled to play on. After the ball went out of bounds, Real's Clint Mathis slammed the ball to the ground in frustration about the no-call, and was shown his second yellow of the match.
"It's disappointing to see these two teams that are battling it out and developing a pretty healthy rivalry end up playing 10-on-10," said Onstad.
With both teams shorthanded, it was Salt Lake with the clear advantage in terms of opportunities, as Houston were outshot 8-0 in the second half. But as in the first period, Houston's defense matched RSL's offense.
"Defensively we looked pretty sharp," said Kinnear. "I'm really happy with the work, especially in the second half."
For all the positive strides the Dynamo made defensively, one area of concern after the match will be the offensive side of the ball. Houston managed only three shots on the night, none on goal. But the players insist it's nothing to worry about.
"The goals will come," said Geoff Cameron. "The formation was a little different tonight as we tried to match up with Salt Lake and I think that hurt us a little bit offensively."
The defensive resurgence couldn't come at a better time for Houston as they have their opening CONCACAF Champions League match Wednesday against Isidro Metapan of El Salvador, followed by a pivotal match against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday. Houston is at home for both those matches.
"When we get back home, it's a tough place to play," said Cameron.
Said Kinnear: "Defensively we were pretty solid, so we've taken care of that. And now we go up on Wednesday against an unknown opponent and we try and give them everything we can."
Jeremy Horton is a contributor to MLSnet.com
