Summary
With just 17 players available due to injuries, suspension, and eligibility, the Dynamo turned in a strong first half but still trailed their Mexican rival, only to see another red card – this one to Dominic Oduro – ruin their chances of a comeback. Paul Aguilar sealed the game for Pachuca in the second half.
Notes
The Houston Dynamo suffered a 2-0 loss to Mexican rival Pachuca Wednesday night at Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, playing the entire second half with 10 men due to a red card. The Dynamo dropped to third place in the group behind Árabe Unido and Pachuca, but the Dynamo have two of their three remaining games at home.
Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall was the star of the game for the Dynamo, making 10 saves – including six in the first half – to tie a club record held jointly by Hall (7/21/09 at Seattle, overtime) and Pat Onstad (3/21/08 at New England).
The Dynamo dressed just 17 players, including three goalkeepers, for the match due to numerous absences and suspensions (listed below). They return home to face Real Salt Lake Saturday night, kicking off a stretch of six consecutive home games in 30 days.
In an entertaining first half that saw numerous chances for each team, Pachuca broke through in the 26th minute when forward Edgar Benitez bodied off Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell, broke into the penalty area, and slotted a low, left-footed shot inside the right post.
A minute earlier, Dynamo forward Dominic Oduro had been cautioned for removing his jersey while a teammate lay injured. The yellow card came back to haunt Houston, as Oduro was booked again for a foul near the end of the first half and was ejected. It marked the fourth straight game with an ejection for the Dynamo (six total red cards).
Pachuca dominated the second half, outshooting Houston 14-3, and finally scored a second goal in the 74th minute when Paul Aguilar fired a low, left-footed shot from the top of the area that might have taken a deflection on its way past Hall.
With the win, Pachuca evened the all-time series against the Dynamo at 2-2-1 and shut out Houston for the first time. The loss also dropped the Dynamo’s record against Mexican opposition below .500 for the first time at 4-5-4. The Dynamo are now 0-5-5 on the road in CONCACAF competition. MLS clubs are now 0-17-1 on the road against Mexican opposition.
Houston was without forward Luis Angel Landín (cup-tied); midfielders Corey Ashe (red card), Ricardo Clark (personal), Danny Cruz (U-20 World Cup), and Stuart Holden (red card); and defenders Andrew Hainault (red card) and Richard Mulrooney (knee surgery). Forward Abe Thompson was ineligible because he was signed after the roster deadline for this game.
Defender Craig Waibel became the eighth player in Houston history to make his 100th start for the club in all competitions. Midfielder Brian Mullan came on as a second-half substitute to make his record 150th appearance for the Dynamo out of 164 games. Captain Wade Barrett made his 135th career Dynamo start.
Tally Hall, John Michael Hayden, and Erik Ustruck all made their fifth starts of the season – three in Open Cup play and two in the Champions League, all on the road.
Houston Dynamo (1-1-1) vs. Pachuca (2-1-0)
September 16, 2009 -- Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca MEX
2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League -- Group A
Scoring Summary:
PAC -- Edgar Benitez 2 (unassisted) 26
PAC -- Paul Aguilar 3 (unassisted) 74
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Ryan Cochrane, Bobby Boswell, Craig Waibel, Erik Ustruck (Brian Mullan 64), John Michael Hayden, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis (Mike Chabala 74), Wade Barrett, Brian Ching (Cam Weaver 46), Dominic Oduro.
Substitutes Not Used: Tyler Deric, Pat Onstad, Eddie Robinson
Pachuca -- Miguel Calero, Paul Aguilar, Javier Munoz, Marco Perez, Gregorio Torres, Christian Gimenez, Jaime Correa, Jose Francisco Torres (Damian Alvarez 77), Damian Manso (Luis Montes 68), Edgar Benitez, Juan Carlos Cacho (Gabriel Caballero 68).
Substitutes Not Used: Rodolfo Cota, Juan Carlos Rojas, Carlos Rodriguez, Edy Brambila
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Dominic Oduro (caution; Shirt Removal) 24
HOU -- Dominic Oduro (ejection; Second Caution) 46+
HOU -- Geoff Cameron (caution; Reckless Tackle) 50
HOU -- Cam Weaver (caution; Reckless Tackle) 56
gameSumLabel">Referee: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
gameSumLabel">Referee's Assistants: Hector Recinos (SLV); Gilberto Gonzalez (SLV)
gameSumLabel">4th Official: German Arredondo (MEX)
gameSumLabel">Attendance: 18,000
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-63 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
