Houston Dynamo FC earned three massive points with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Football Club in front of a sellout crowd of 21,284 fans tonight at PNC Stadium.
Defender Griffin Dorsey gave Houston the lead in the 75th minute after slicing his way through LAFC’s defense. Dorsey dribbled toward the goal from the right flank and was able to beat out three Los Angeles defenders before getting a clear look at the goal and netting his first goal of the season.
Houston opened the scoring in the 13th minute after forward Sebas Ferreira converted a penalty kick. The Dynamo were awarded the penalty after LAFC midfielder Ilie Sanchez blocked a shot from Dorsey with his arm inside the box in the ninth minute. Referee Matthew Conger confirmed the handball after going to the monitor to review video of the play.
Los Angeles scored the equalizer seven minutes later off a cross from Carlos Vela that found Cristian Arango inside the box. The Colombian forward leaped over a pair of Dynamo defenders to head the ball at the far post.
As the stadium clock hit 90 minutes, the fourth official indicated that there would be eight minutes of added time. During stoppage time, midfielder Darwin Cerén received his second yellow card of the match, leaving the Dynamo to see out the final minutes while down a man. Despite the man advantage, LAFC were only able to manage one unsuccessful shot before Conger blew his whistle for full time.
While Dorsey netted the game-winner, goalkeeper Steve Clark took home Man of the Match honors after his six-save effort, including four in the second half. Clark came up with a string of stunning saves in the second half, twice denying LAFC forward Gareth Bale from close range to keep the game level at a goal apiece and set the stage for Dorsey’s game-winner.
The Dynamo back line played a crucial role in the victory as well, with Houston defenders sliding to cut out passes and get in front of shots. Captain Tim Parker came up with a crucial goal-line clearance when he blocked a shot from Bale in the 69th minute.
With his penalty kick, Ferreira extended his team scoring lead with 10 goals in the regular season and 11 in all competitions, including three goals in his last four outings for the Dynamo. The 24-year-old needs to score one goal to match the Club record for the most goals scored by a first-year player. Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario set the mark in 2006 and forward Fafa Picault matched it in 2021.
Dorsey’s goal was his first of the season and the third of his career, all of which have come with the Dynamo. In addition to winning the penalty that Ferreira converted, the 23-year-old was denied a goal in the 56th minute after he dribbled inside the box and chipped the LAFC goalkeeper before a defender raced in to clear the ball off the line.
The Dynamo close the week on the road against Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field on Sunday, Sept. 4. The match will air live in English on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and in Spanish on TeleXitos 47.2.
