GAME NIGHT:
DYNAMO 0, RSL 0
Both Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo had opportunities to snatch three points, but they were unable to finish their chances as they played to a 0-0 score on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The result takes RSL’s league home unbeaten streak to 29 games. For Houston, it puts an end to a two-game losing streak.
The match was the first for RSL since losing midfielder Javier Morales to a broken ankle after a tackle in last week’s win over Chivas USA. Despite expectations that head coach Jason Kreis would replace Morales with Andy Williams, young playmaker Collen Warner lined up in the attacking midfield position.
Lacking Morales’s ability to maintain possession, RSL were vulnerable to Houston’s quick power game. The Dynamo’s Brad Davis whipped in several dangerous balls in the first half, but big strikers Will Bruin and Cam Weaver were unable to connect.
RSL were also without striker Fabian Espindola, so Arturo Alvarez got the starting nod. In the 42nd minute, he got involved in the action, sending in a cross for forward Alvaro Saborio, but the Costa Rican’s header sailed wide of the goal.
What the first half lacked in chances, the second half made up for straight away.
In the 48th minute, Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark struck a low shot to the near post, but the shot missed wide. A minute later, SaborÃo put in a cross that midfielder Ned Grabavoy managed to get a foot on, but his touch went just wide of the net. As the second half wore on, Houston began committing more numbers forward, and it almost paid off.
RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando was forced into a pair of saves from Bruin, first from a hard shot from distance in the 60th minute and a few minutes later after the Houston rookie ran into open space behind the defense. The RSL keeper knocked down the initial shot and jumped on the loose ball before anyone could tuck it into the net.
In the 86th minute, Weaver nearly earned three points for the Dynamo. As the visitors broke in 3-on-1, with Weaver at the head of the attack, RSL defender Nat Borchers made a precise saving tackle at the top of the area, toe-ing the ball away.
Then, in stoppage time, Williams, who came on in the 60th minute for Warner, had a great chance to give the home team the win. A quick bit of interplay set the Jamaican veteran into the Houston area. He got his shot off under a sliding defender, but it skidded just wide of the right post.
RSL fall to third place in the West but with several games in hand on the two teams ahead of them, the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas. They travel to Dallas next weekend. The Dynamo, now tied for third in the East, welcome the East-leading New York Red Bulls next Saturday.
Houston Dynamo (3-3-4) vs. Real Salt Lake (5-1-1)
May 14, 2011 -- Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT
Scoring Summary:
Houston Dynamo
-- Tally Hall, Hunter Freeman, Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainault, Corey
Ashe, Colin Clark (Je-Vaughn Watson 67), Lovel Palmer, Geoff Cameron, Brad
Davis, Cam Weaver (Jason Garey 87), Will Bruin (Koke 69).
Substitutes
Not Used: Mike Chabala, Tyler Deric, Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor.
Real Salt Lake -- Nick
Rimando, Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert, Ned
Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Collen Warner (Andy Williams 60), Will Johnson
(Nelson Gonzalez 85), Alvaro Saborio, Arturo Alvarez (Jean Alexandre 74).
Substitutes Not Used: Tony Beltran, Luis Gil, Kyle
Reynish, Chris Schuler.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Will Bruin (caution; Unsporting Foul) 25
RSL -- Robbie Russell (caution; Unsporting Foul) 27
Referee: Abbey Okulaja
Referee's
Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry; Paul Scott
4th
Official: Mark Declouet
Attendance: 16,301
Weather: Cloudy-and-65-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
