Recap: LAFC 1, Houston Dynamo FC 1

Ari Liljenwall

Jose Cifuentes and Maxi Urruti swapped goals within eight minutes of each other in the second half and LAFC and Houston Dynamo FC split the points in a 1-1 draw at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday night.

Houston had their backs against the wall after Cifuentes' 50th-minute opener put LAFC in the driver's seat, but Urruti's clutch leveler just shy of the hour mark allowed the Dynamo to escape with a solid road point.

LAFC had the better looks in the first half, but none materialized into an opening goal. Diego Rossi had perhaps the best of those chances when he snuck behind the Houston backline down the left side and ran onto a feed from Marco Farfan before uncorking a laser shot that the standout Uruguayan put off the post from a difficult angle.

The hosts had another good look in the 34th minute, but Mark-Anthony Kaye couldn't direct on target Carlos Vela's cross, ensuring the contest would remain in a scoreless deadlock at the halftime break.

LAFC finally found the breakthrough from Cifuentes shortly after the second-half kickoff. The Ecuadorian got on the end of a corner kick from Vela that slid all the way to the back post, where Cifuentes was waiting for an easy tap-in finish.

But it was a short-lived lead, as Houston equalized just eight minutes later courtesy of Urruti. The veteran forward sparked a counter by winning the ball in his own end, then snuck a perfectly placed finish underneath the outstretched arm of diving LAFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.

LAFC had a trio of decent looks in the game's waning moments, but they didn't trouble Houston goalkeeper Marko Maric with a pair of shots from Rossi and one from Raheem Edwards, allowing the 1-1 scoreline to stand firm.

Goals

50' – LAFC – Jose Cifuentes | WATCH
58' – HOU – Maxi Urruti | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: It's a result that probably suits the Dynamo more considering their status as the visiting team in one of the most hostile venues for opponents in MLS. LAFC could have really used all three points, too, with the Black and Gold still finding themselves in unfamiliar territory below the playoff line. This result leaves them with nine points from eight matches.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Houston's equalizer was the goal that decided the final result, and was also a stellar all-around individual effort from Urruti. It started with the Argentine's work on defense, then he got rewarded on the other end.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Maxi Urruti is as good a choice as any here for delivering the goal that earned his team a point. The longtime MLS veteran has been rock-solid for Tab Ramos this year, as this was his fifth goal of the season.