Sunday's 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy won't reverse the results of the past two MLS Cups, but the Houston Dynamo will gladly take the three points and their first road win of 2013. Despite playing without captain Brad Davis, the Dynamo took it to the two-time defending champs on their home turf. Andrew Driver's second-half goal stood up as Tally Hall and the Dynamo back line kept the powerful Galaxy attack off the board for the full 90 minutes.
With the result, the Dynamo moved up one spot to No 6 in the MLSsoccer.com power rankings. MLS Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle had this to say about the Dynamo:
Clutch win by the Dynamo in Carson on Sunday night. Getting it done there has always been a tall task, and doing it without Brad Davis made it even tougher. If they're going to start playing like that on the road with regularity, they will compete for the Shield.
Avi Creditor, who does a weekly breakdown and the MLS power rankings for SI.com was slightly more impressed with the Dynamo win. Creditor had this to say after moving Houston up to No. 3 in his rankings:
Playing without Brad Davis, the Dynamo still managed to secure a rare road win. Davis' replacement, Andrew Driver, played the part masterfully with his game-winning goal. It's of little consolation now considering the Dynamo had lost the last two times at the Home Depot Center in the MLS Cup final, but perhaps the win provides a psychological boost should the club be in the same position this December.
Over at ESPN.com, soccer writer Jeff Carlisle was impressed with the Dynamo's defensive effort, but not enough to move Houston up from the No. 7 spot in his rankings.
The Dynamo's first road league win since July was a whopper as they beat L.A. 1-0. Andrew Driver scored the game winner, but the victory owed itself more to Houston's collective defensive effort -- and Tally Hall's save of Donovan's penalty.
The Dynamo will look to grab six points on this road trip when they take on D.C. United on Wednesday at RFK Stadium. The match can be seen locally on CSN2, Mega TV or at MLSsoccer.com as part of the MLS Stream of the Week.
