Houston Dynamo FC opened a two-game road trip with a 2-2 draw against CF Montréal earlier this evening at the Florida Blue Training Center in Fort Lauderdale. The first group logged 75 minutes and left the game with a 2-1 lead. The Dynamo finished the final 15 minutes of the friendly with an entirely different lineup as both sides looked to manage minutes prior to the start of the season.
Houston took the lead in the fifth minute after Ivan Franco won a foul in the final third. Hector Herrera took the free kick and found Tate Schmitt inside the box, the defender played a ball that found Thor Úlfarsson near the far post for the opening goal of the game.
Both teams traded goals in the second half beginning with Montreal’s equalizer. The Canadian side scored 15 minutes into the second half as Houston nearly cleared the ball inside the box.
Midfielder Coco Carrasquilla and Schmitt sparked the sequence for the second Dynamo goal of the evening. The Panamanian international created space for Iván Franco inside the box and the young winger beat the Montreal goalkeeper at the far post.
Montreal scored in the final minutes of the game to secure a 2-2 draw.
The Dynamo backline was tested three minutes after taking the lead and goalkeeper Steve Clark was well positioned to save a low shot at the bottom corner of the near post. Clark tallied his second save of the game four minutes later.
Carrasquilla forced a save in the 16th minute with a shot from distance. Carrasquilla scored for the Dynamo earlier this preseason in a friendly against Club America from Mexico.
Houston’s first opportunity of the second half was generated off a long pass from Herrera that found Corey Baird outside the box. Baird dribbled away from a Montreal defender to create space for a shot, but his effort missed the inside of the far post.
Homegrown midfielder Brooklyn Raines forced a save minutes after entering the game. The Dynamo charged forward after winning the ball in the opposing third opening space for the midfielder who was denied at the bottom corner of the near post.
Dynamo Academy product Diego Rosas forced a save in the final minutes of the match at the near post.
Amine Bassi generated two dangerous opportunities that resulted in a sequence of saves and clearances in the final moments of the game. Initially the Montreal backline cleared his free kick and the ensuing corner kick prior to the referee calling for the end of the match.
The Dynamo conclude this two-game road trip on Wednesday against the Columbus Crew in Fort Lauderdale. The preseason comes to an end against FC Dallas on Feb. 18 at Shell Energy Stadium in a closed-door friendly.
