VANCOUVER, British Columbia (July 20, 2024) – Houston Dynamo FC earned their first victory at BC Place in explosive style, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4-3 tonight. With the result, the Dynamo have only lost once in their last 10 matches, while finding the back of the net 22 times over that stretch.
The Dynamo scored their fourth goal and match winner in the 87th minute when the ball fell to Griffin Dorsey after bouncing around the box, and the defender put his boot through the ball for this second goal of the night and the season.
Houston took the lead in the 29th minute when forward Aliyu Ibrahim put a ball into the box from the left side to midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, who controlled and put a strike on the ball that deflected into the back of the net. The play marked Carrasquilla’s second goal of the season and Ibrahim’s fourth assist.
Houston doubled its lead in the 36th minute when Dorsey curled a ball inside the far post with his left foot from the edge of the penalty box. The goal marked the American’s first of the season.
Vancouver pulled a goal back in the 48th minute, when a cross from the left side deflected and found the head of Fafa Picault from point blank range.
The Whitecaps equalized the score at two goals apiece in the 54th minute when a set piece found Picault at the far edge of the box, who then delivered the ball into the middle of the box to the head of Ranko Veselinovic.
Vancouver took the lead in the 66th minute when Sam Adekugbe received a ball down the left side and crossed the ball across the face of goal to meet Ficault for his second goal of the match.
The Dynamo netted the equalizer in the 78th minute when defender Brad Smith took the ball on a Houston break and fired a shot across goal into the top corner that did not give goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka a chance at a save. The play marked the Australian’s second goal of the season, while forward Sebas Ferreira recorded his third assist of the season on the play.
Notably, forward Ezequiel Ponce made his Dynamo debut in Vancouver tonight after Houston signed him on a club-record transfer fee from AEK Athen in Greece last month. The 27-year-old Argentinian earned a place in the starting lineup and played the first half of the match.
Goalkeeper Steve Clark was called into action in the fifth minute when Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter got to a loose ball in the box and fired a shot, but the veteran shot stopper went down to his right to meet the ball for his first of three saves on the night.
Clark was called into action again when Pedro Vite took his chances from outside of the box in the 16th minute, but the goalkeeper tracked the attempt the entire way to quell the danger.
Clark stepped up again in the 39th minute to make a full-stretch save to his left when Picault tried to curl a ball around the goalkeeper inside the box.
Houston kicks off Leagues Cup play next week, hosting LIGA MX side Atlas FC on July 27 and MLS side Real Salt Lake on August 5 in Group Stage play. Tickets for those matches are available HERE.
