It was one of the turning points in a back-and-forth affair in Week 3 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
With the match tied at 1-1, Houston winger Alberth Elis went down in the penalty area on a challenge from Vancouver defender Derek Cornelius in the 37th minute.
Referee Nima Saghafi awarded the penalty and then upheld the call after Video Review. Elis converted the spot kick in the 42nd minute as the Dynamo went on to win 3-2.
The Vancouver Whitecaps, however, were not too thrilled that the call went against them:
“I think we deserved at least a point. I think we got hard done by [on] the penalty call, unfortunately," Vancouver right back Scott Sutter said. "That’s the way it is at the moment. Things aren’t going really our way. There’s not much missing. We’re really, really close. It’s the third game we lost by inches, really. Just keep plugging away.”
The Whitecaps have lost their first three matches to start the season under new head coach Marc Dos Santos. And their fourth match doesn't get any easier: Saturday, March 30 at home against their rival Seattle Sounders, who are off to a perfect start to their season (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in USA; TSN in Canada).
