The Houston Dynamo saw their 11-game unbeaten streak and 10-game home unbeaten streak in all competitions both come to an end Wednesday, losing 3-1 to Mexican power Pumas UNAM in CONCACAF Champions League Group B play.
Pumas went ahead 2-0 with a pair of goals in the first 30 minutes. Juan Carlos Cacho converted a penalty kick in the 19th minute, and Fernando Espinoza finished off a counter-attack in the 30th minute.
The Dynamo pulled a goal back in the 39th minute when Geoff Cameron made a run down the right and crossed for Nate Jaqua. In traffic, the cross deflected off of Pumas defender Marco Antonio Palacios for the lone Dynamo goal.
Pumas essentially put the game away in the 69th minute when Marco Antonio Palacios atoned for his own goal with a sensational backheel volley directly from a corner kick.
The teams combined for 34 fouls in the match, with Pumas earning five yellow cards and the Dynamo one.
Houston is now 1-1-2 in Champions League play for a total of five points with two games remaining, trailing Pumas (9) and Luis Angel Firpo (7) in the standings with two games remaining for Houston and Firpo and one for Pumas and San Francisco F.C.
Originally scheduled for a 9:06 p.m. kickoff, tonight’s game was delayed by 40 minutes and kicked off at 9:46 p.m.
Pumas UNAM (3-2-0) vs. Houston Dynamo (1-1-2)
October 22, 2008 – Robertson Stadium, Houston TX
2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League -- Group B
Scoring Summary:
PUM -- Juan Carlos Cacho 1 (penalty kick) 19
PUM -- Fernando Espinoza 2 (Orlando Pineda) 30
HOU -- Own goal (Marco Antonio Palacios) 38
PUM -- Marco Antonio Palacios 1 (Ismael Iñiguez) 69
Pumas UNAM -- Alejandro Palacios, Marco Antonio Palacios, Fernando Espinoza, Luis Fuentes, David Cabrera, Jehu Chiapas, Fernando Santana, Orlando Pineda, Juan Carlos Cacho, Ismael Iñiguez, Martin Bravo (Javier Cortes 90).
Substitutes Not Used: Victor Patiño, Juan Carlos Ramirez, Salvador Medina, Luis Rosas, Eduardo Herrera.
Houston Dynamo -- Pat Onstad, Craig Waibel, Patrick Ianni (Brad Davis 70), Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett, Geoff Cameron, Ricardo Clark (Richard Mulrooney 46), Stuart Holden (Dwayne De Rosario 62), Corey Ashe, Nate Jaqua, Kei Kamara.
Substitutes Not Used: Tony Caig, Mike Chabala, Guy-Roland Kpene, Chris Wondolowski.
Misconduct Summary:
PUM -- David Cabrera (caution) 24
PUM -- Ismael Iñiguez (caution) 32
HOU -- Stuart Holden (caution) 43
PUM -- Luis Fuentes (caution) 70
PUM -- Martin Bravo (caution) 71
PUM -- Marco Antonio Palacios (caution) 81
gameSumLabel">Referee: Neal Brizan (T&T)
gameSumLabel">Referee's Assistants: Simon Baptiste (T&T); Dion Neil (T&T)
gameSumLabel">4th Official: Terry Vaughn (USA)
gameSumLabel">Attendance: 8,741
Weather: Rainy-and-69 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
