It was a match full of offensive opportunities, but in the end there was nothing to show for it on the scoreboard, and the Houston Dynamo left CommunityAmerica Ballpark with a scoreless draw against the Kansas City.
The match saw the Dynamo limit the Wizards to no shots on goal in the second half. By contrast, the Dynamo offense managed three.
There were plenty of near goals on both sides and some good attacking cohesion. But it could have been more.
"I think we had the most possessions, we had more of the ball," said Dynamo midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. "Not with the chances we had."
DeRosario had a blast at fairly close range that Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was able to deflect over the crossbar. DeRosario thought that he hit the ball wrong, despite the shot on goal.
For the game, the Dynamo outshot the Wizards 10-8, 5-4 in shots on target. It might be a little hard to believe, but there were plenty of thrills in a tightly contested draw.
"It was a pretty even affair," said Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear. "I thought we probably had more chances than they did. My bet is if we are a little more clinical, we pick up a couple goals."
The offensive tug-of-war to reach a draw against the Wizards wasn't unusual. In fact, the Dynamo have seen it before this season.
"It happens. We've had a couple of those already this season," Kinnear said. "The game against Saprissa at home, we had a lot of chances. Sometimes they fall sometimes they don't."
One player that stepped up for the Dynamo was backup goalkeeper Tony Caig. Caig played aggressively, coming out of the goal several times to diffuse scoring threats.
"It's split-second decisions," Caig said. "Tonight I made the right decisions."
Caig had a half-empty feeling with the Dynamo not getting the full three points from the match. He thought the result was emblematic of the Dynamo season thus far.
"I think overall we dominated the game," Caig said.
The chance was there for full satisfaction. Instead of enjoying the benefits of a full meal, it was more of a not-so-happy meal.
"We attacked well tonight. We created some good chances, We got some good looks, obviously Kevin (Hartman) makes a good save," Kinnear said. "I think we had enough chances to bag ourselves a goal."
Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
