Houston Dynamo 2 suffered their first blemish at AVEVA Stadium after playing Colorado Rapids 2 to a 1-1 draw. Rapids 2 took the ensuing penalty shootout 5-4.
Rapids 2 broke through with the first goal of the game in the 50th minute as the ball fell inside of the penalty area to Robinson Aguirre, who took a low shot that went through Houston’s defense and into the back of the net for a goal.
Houston wasted no time in responding to Colorado’s opener with a goal of its own. Midfielder Marcelo Palomino chipped a pass over a Rapids 2 defender and found forward Kyle Edwards, who controlled the ball and got a shot off that found the back of the net in the 53rd minute to tie the game level at 1-1. It was Edwards’ fourth goal of the season in just ten games played.
In the penalty shootout, the Rapids converted all five of their attempts and goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez made one save, giving Rapids 2 the margin needed for a 5-4 win and an extra point gained in the MLS NEXT Pro table.
The first attacking play of the night for Houston came in the 15th minute, as Palomino received a pass from forward Beto Avila at the top of the 18-yard box before taking a shot the went just over the cross bar and out of play for a Colorado goal kick.
Colorado generated a corner kick in the 31st minute when defender Sterling Penniston-John blocked a Rapids 2 cross inside the box. On the ensuing corner kick in the 32nd minute, Dynamo 2 goalkeeper Xavier Valdez came off his line to punch away the ball to avert the attacking play and ensure that the match remained scoreless. Valdez then went on to save a shot from outside of the penalty area from Daouda Amadou in the 33rd minute. On the night, Valdez finished with three saves.
Houston nearly scored in the 41st minute when midfielder Juan Castilla found midfielder Brooklyn Raines with a perfect through ball inside of the penalty area. Raines got a shot off on goal, but it was saved by the Colorado goalkeeper.
Palomino had a dangerous play in the 75th minute as he received the ball from Raines at the top of the penalty area, turned and quickly fired off a shot that looked promising, but was corralled by Colorado’s goalkeeper as the score remained 1-1.
It looked as if Houston had scored their second goal in the 78th minute when Avila fired a shot that took a deflection off Raines and into the back of the net before the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Houston had one final look at goal with the final kick of regulation after Raines won a free kick 25 yards from goal in stoppage time. Palomino fired a hard right-footed shot over the Colorado wall, but wasn’t able to get the ball to dip back down beneath the crossbar, sending the contest to a penalty shootout.
Dynamo 2 head into a bye week before heading out on the road for their next game as they travel to Minnesota to take on MNUFC2 for the third and final time this regular season at Allianz Field on Saturday, August 27 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
