In the inaugural edition of the Dynamo Charities Cup between CF Monterrey and the Houston Dynamo, a Corey Ashe injury and a tough-played match resulted in anything but a friendly on Sunday night.
Second-half substitutes Geoff Cameron and Dominic Oduro scored to give Houston a 2-1 victory and the inaugural Charities Cup trophy. CF Monterrey came out attacking from the start, and Houston was initially put on its back feet.
In the fifth and sixth minute, two shots from distance forced good saves from Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall. However, Hall spilled both shots, and the ensuing rebounds both could have easily been slotted home. On the first, Dario Carreno had the rebound fall to him five yards out with an open net, but his effort went wide. On the second, a Dynamo defender made a great sliding tackle to usher the rebound out for a corner, and the score remained level.
Houston pressed the game down the flanks and sent several dangerous balls into the box. Ashe on the left was particularly dangerous taking on defender Felipe Baloy. Aldo de Nigris retaliated on Ashe in the 34th minute, earning a yellow and forcing Ashe to leave the game with an apparent ankle injury, replaced by Mike Chabala.
Following the injury, Brian Mullan, who was on the bench, and de Nigris earned yellow cards. The best chance for the Dynamo in the first half came from a Brad Davis free kick in the 40th minute. Davis sent a quality ball into the box, and it found Dynamo forward Cam Weaver, whose shot went wide as the first half ended scoreless.
Both sides substituted freely, but it was Cameron and Oduro who had the biggest impact off the bench. In the 62nd minute, Cameron sent a cross dangerously to the far post, and Monterrey defender Baloy poorly played it out for a corner. The ensuing corner kick from John Michael Hayden found Cameron's head perfectly, and the Dynamo midfielder hit his header perfectly into the back of the net, giving the Dynamo a 1-0 lead.
The second half was relatively calm until a scuffle in the 69th minute after Eddie Robinson was called for a foul, and Monterrey players took offense. The ensuing scuffle resulted in four red cards, with both teams playing down a man. The extra space opened up opportunities for both teams. Monterrey capitalized first, as a William Paredes cross found Jesus Zavala, who jumped over Wade Barrett, at the far post, and Zavala put the header into the back of the net to draw the match level in the 82nd minute.
Houston continued to press for the winning goal, and it paid dividends in the 85th minute. Craig Waibel sent a beautiful left-footed pass behind the Monterrey defense and into the path of Oduro, who rifled a shot to the top right corner to win the game and the inaugural Dynamo Charities Cup.
Up next for Houston is a showdown next Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. against the LA Galaxy at Robertson Stadium. Both LA and Houston are tied atop the Western Conference with Chivas USA with only two regular season games remaining on the MLS schedule.
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
Monterrey vs. Houston Dynamo
October 11, 2009 -- Robertson Stadium, Houston TX
Dynamo Charities Cup
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Geoff Cameron (John Michael Hayden) 63
MNT -- Jesus Zavala (William Paredes) 82
HOU -- Dominic Oduro (Craig Waibel) 85
Monterrey -- Omar Ortiz (Jonathan Orozco 46), Diego Ordaz, Felipe Baloy (Diego Martinez 66), Duilio Davino (Jose Maria Basanta 61), Severo Meza (Luis Alfonso Rodriguez 66), William Paredes, Gerardo Galindo (Hector Morales 79), Luis Perez, Jesus Arellano (Manuel Perez 66), Dario Carreno, Aldo de Nigris (Jesus Zavala 77).
Substitutes Not Used: Eduardo Guevara, Elliott Huitron, Brayan Martinez, Juan Carlos Medina.
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett (Andrew Hainault 87), Erik Ustruck (Brian Mullan 78), Brad Davis (Geoff Cameron 55), John Michael Hayden, Corey Ashe (Mike Chabala 34), Cam Weaver (Abe Thompson 78), Luis Angel Landin (Dominic Oduro 79).
Substitutes Not Used: Tyler Deric, Pat Onstad, Bobby Boswell.
Misconduct Summary:
MNT -- Felipe Baloy (caution; Reckless Foul) 34
MNT -- Aldo de Nigris (caution; Reckless Foul) 35
MNT -- Duilio Davino (caution; Reckless Tackle) 51
HOU -- Eddie Robinson (caution; Reckless Tackle) 69
MNT -- Luis Perez (ejection; Violent Conduct) 69
HOU -- Eddie Robinson (ejection; Violent Conduct) 70
MNT -- Felipe Baloy (ejection; Violent Conduct) 75
MNT -- Omar Ortiz (ejection; Violent Conduct) 75
HOU -- Brian Mullan (caution; Dissent) 79
gameSumLabel">Referee: Anthony Russo
gameSumLabel">Referee's Assistants: Pedro Trejo; Rodolfo Nino
gameSumLabel">4th official: Jasen Anno
gameSumLabel">Attendance: 10,456
Weather: Cloudy-and-64-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
