The Houston Dynamo booked their place into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals after coming from behind to tie Olimpia 1-1 on Tuesday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Dynamo, which clinched an MLS playoff spot on Saturday, fell behind in the first half on a searing Douglas Caetano free kick which surprised goalkeeper Tyler Deric in the 21st minute. The goal was just reward for an Olimpia side which dominated the first-half action.
Houston manager Dominic Kinnear was sent off just before halftime as the game grew chippy to start the second half. But the home side preserved their unbeaten record at home when defender Andre Hainault headed home a Nathan Sturgis corner kick in the 65th minute.
The Dynamo would strike the post in the 77th minute when forward Cam Weaver nodded a ball off the right post after a cross from Calen Carr.
When Olimpia's Brayan Beckeles was sent off with 10 minutes remaining, the Dynamo only had to see out the result which allowed them to finish tops in Group 3 and advance to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals that will be played next year.
Kinnear opted to field what was largely a reserve side against Olimpia, with Je-Vaughn Watson, Boniek Garcia and Mac Kandji coming off the bench in the second half.
The Dynamo conclude their MLS regular season campaign on Saturday night with a trip to Colorado, where they hope to pick up precious points in their quest to improve their playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.
Houston Dynamo (2-0-2; 8 points) vs. C.D. Olimpia (1-1-2; 5 points)
October 23, 2012 – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston
CONCACAF Champions League group stage
Attendance: 19,462
Scoring Summary:
OLI: Douglas Caetano (unassisted) 21
HOU: Andre Hainault 1 (Nathan Sturgis 3) 65
Houston Dynamo: Tyler Deric; Warren Creavalle, Nathan Sturgis, Andre Hainault, Corey Ashe; Calen Carr (Macoumba Kandji 85), Luiz Camargo, Giles Barnes (Boniek Garcia 78), Colin Clark (Je-Vaughn Watson 46); Cam Weaver, Brian Ching
Substitutes not used: Tally Hall, Bobby Boswell, Alex Dixon, Kofi Sarkodie
C.D. Olimpia: Donis Escober; Brayan Beckeles, Fabio de Souza, Israel Fonseca, Juan Carlos Garcia; Sebastian Rosano, Luis Garrido, Alexander Lopez (Reynaldo Tilguath 70), Javier Arnaldo Portillo (Jose Escalante 72); Douglas Caetano (Ramiro Bruschi 86), Roger Rojas
Substitues not used: Noel Valladares, Carlos Mejia, Juan Ramon Mejia
Misconduct Summary:
HOU: Andre Hainault (caution) 39
HOU: Brian Ching (caution) 56
OLI: Brayan Beckeles (caution) 68
OLI: Donis Escobar (caution) 75
HOU: Calen Carr (caution) 75
OLI: Brayan Beckeles (ejection) 79
HOU: Tyler Deric (caution) 84
Referee: Juan Carlos Guerra (Guatemala)
Referee's Assistants: Hermenerito Leal, Juan Lemus
4th Official: Oscar Reyna
