GAME NIGHT:
DYNAMO 1, FIRE 1
The Houston Dynamo got a late goal from defender Bobby Boswell to earn a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire in front of 12,473 at Toyota Park on Saturday night. Boswell rose above Chicago defender Yamith Cuesta to head a Brad Davis corner kick home in the 83rd minute. The goal extended Houston’s unbeaten streak to five games and brought Chicago’s winless streak to four.
Chicago took an early lead with an opportunistic goal in the 18th minute. Forward Diego Chaves beat Houston defender Corey Ashe to a loose ball just outside the box, turning and sprinting into the right side of the area before blasting a 10-yard shot into the top left corner.
Houston nearly equalized just five minutes later. Forward Will Bruin created the chance, beating Chicago center back Josip Mikulic in the box to get a clear look at goal from a bad angle. The rookie, however, was unable to sneak his chipped shot past Cuesta, who cleared the would-be goal from inside the six-yard box.
The 20 minutes that followed were very sloppy. Both teams struggled in possession, eventually resorting to a direct style that did not produce any legitimate opportunities until the 44th minute, when Houston forward Cam Weaver headed a Davis corner kick inches wide of the right post.
The Dynamo started the second half strongly, almost equalizing in the 47th minute when midfielder Lovel Palmer volleyed a shot from the top of the arch and sent the ball crashing into the outside of the right post. The Fire weathered Houston’s storm and created a couple of dangerous chances in the middle of the second half.
The first opportunity came in the 62nd minute. Houston failed to clear a Marco Pappa free kick and Baggio Husidic collected the bouncing ball at the penalty spot. The unmarked midfielder, though, couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, sending his half-volley well over the crossbar.
Chicago could have doubled its lead four minutes later. Some nice combination play on the left sideline allowed Fire winger Patrick Nyarko to play former Dynamo forward Dominic Oduro behind the Houston defense. The speedy striker ran into the box for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Tally Hall but couldn’t quite finish, hitting his 12-yard effort off the crossbar and out of play.
Houston turned up the pressure after Oduro’s near miss, spending a lot of time in Chicago’s box before eventually equalizing with seven minutes left to play in regular time. Davis curled in high corner kick to the far post that Boswell headed across to pull the Dynamo even. Both teams pushed for a winner after Boswell’s goal but, despite having seven minutes of stoppage time to work with, neither came close. The result moves the Dynamo to 2-1-3 on the season, while the Fire are now 1-3-2.
Houston Dynamo (2-1-3) vs. Chicago Fire (1-3-2)
April 23, 2011 -- Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL
Scoring Summary:
CHI -- Diego Chaves 4 (unassisted) 18
HOU -- Bobby Boswell 2 (Brad Davis 4) 83
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Hunter Freeman (Je-Vaughn Watson 78), Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainault, Corey Ashe, Danny Cruz (Colin Clark 67), Lovel Palmer, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, Cam Weaver, Will Bruin (Jason Garey 88).
Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Tyler Deric, Eddie Robinson, Kofi Sarkodie.
Chicago Fire -- Jon Conway, Jalil Anibaba (Dasan Robinson 76), Josep Mikulic, Yamith Cuesta, Gonzalo Segares, Patrick Nyarko, Logan Pause, Baggio Husidic (Michael Videira 65), Marco Pappa, Diego Chaves, Dominic Oduro (Gaston Puerari 83).
Substitutes Not Used: Orr Barouch, Dan Paladini, Bratislav Ristic, Sean Johnson.
Misconduct Summary:
CHI -- Dominic Oduro (caution; Simulation) 21
CHI -- Diego Chaves (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 91+
HOU -- Lovel Palmer (caution; Tactical Foul) 95+
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: Hector Vergara; Adam Wienckowski
4th Official: Ismail Elfath
Attendance: 12,473
Weather: Clear-and-56-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
