Houston Dynamo FC defeated FC Dallas 3-2 at BBVA Stadium in the final edition of the Texas Derby this season. This was the second time in the past three matches that Houston captured all three points against a Texas rival, and the win extended the Dynamo’s unbeaten run to three in a row.
With the win, the Dynamo claimed the 2021 Texas Derby, finishing with a win and two draws in the annual series. The winner of the annual series captures El Capitan, a Texas Revolutionary War-era cannon, and the cannon will return to Houston for the first time since 2017.
The Dynamo did not need long to break open the scoring. In just the fifth minute, defender Adam Lundkvist found forward Fafà Picault streaking up the left wing. Picault then whipped a pass across the 18-yard-box that eventually found the feet of forward Griffin Dorsey at the back post, where he hammered home his second goal in the past three matches.
Dorsey’s goal marked the third consecutive match in which the Dynamo scored first, all of which have ended with Houston earning at least a point.
Houston built on the momentum from the early goal with a dominant first-half performance, keyed in large part by the play of Dorsey and Picault. The duo connected on Houston’s second goal of the game in the 20th minute. This time it was Dorsey who found Picault for the sliding effort to put the home side up 2-0. The goal was Picault’s 10th of the season, tying his career high from 2018 while with Philadelphia.
Dallas' best chance of the first half came off a 36th-minute corner kick. After the initial corner was dealt with, midfielder Brandon Servania received the ball from the corner and immediately laced a shot from outside of the 18-yard-box. The dipping shot was on target but was parried away by Houston goalkeeper Michael Nelson before being cleared. Nelson was credited with two saves on the night as he earned his second victory in MLS play.
The Dynamo extended the lead to 3-0 early in the second half when defender and captain Tim Parker drew a foul inside the box while attempting to corral the ball in the 59th minute. After the foul was called, midfielder Darwin Quintero took the penalty kick and coolly curled the ball past a diving effort from Dallas goalkeeper Phelipe. The goal was the first of the season for Quintero.
FC Dallas broke into the scoring column twice late in the game. The first goal for the visiting side came in the 86th minute when forward Jáder Obrian received a pass from midfielder Jesús Ferreira before scoring to pull a goal back for the visiting team.
Obrian also accounted for the second goal, this time in stoppage time, to get Dallas within one goal to earn a draw. This time, Obrian struck the ball from outside the 18-yard-box and past a diving Nelson to shrink the Dynamo lead to just one goal. Despite the late scoring spurt, Houston was able to fend off their in-state rivals and secure the victory.
The Dynamo will be back in action next Saturday, September 25 when they visit Minneapolis to take on Minnesota United FC in another crucial contest as they push for a postseason berth. Kickoff for that match is set for 7 p.m. CDT, and fans can watch in English on Quest Texas Ch. 55 or in Spanish on TeleXitos Ch. 47.2.
