GAME NIGHT:
DYNAMO 2, NEW YORK 2
Mehdi Ballouchy sent Houston’s largest crowd of the season home upset, heading home a 91st-minute equalizer to save a 2-2 road draw for the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at the Dynamo’s Robertson Stadium.
Ballouchy battled for space at the near post and found himself on the end of a Joel Lindpere corner kick. He snapped a quality header past Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall to give New York a point, maintaining the Red Bulls' two-point lead on the Dynamo in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Philadelphia Union.
Would-be Houston hero Koke had broken a 1-1 stalemate in the 82nd minute, knocking in the rebound of a Geoff Cameron header off a corner kick. Koke — whose goal opened his MLS account — made a lunging effort to beat two New York defenders to the loose ball and push it past goalkeeper Greg Sutton.
The late activity came on the heels of an open and fast-paced first half.
Dane Richards took just 39 seconds to give New York 1-0 lead, smashing a Luke Rodgers knock-down past a diving Hall. Richards — who said during the week he would take the chance to quiet the Dynamo crowd if he got it — was a menace throughout the night for the Red Bulls. His goal was both the fastest scored in Red Bull history and the fastest conceded in Dynamo history.
New York’s lead did not last long, as Brad Davis converted a penalty in the 12th minute. Rookie Will Bruin drew the foul from Rafa Márquez, whose attempted slide tackle in the box caught the forward’s ankle. Davis stepped up and calmly hit a low shot to Sutton’s left for his first goal of the season.
The early goals were the highlights of an active first half that featured plenty of chances. Both teams pushed forward chasing a second goal, and only a series of quality defensive clearances from both sides prevented the breakthrough.
New York avoided a 34th-minute disaster as former Dynamo midfielder Dwayne De Rosario nearly headed in an own-goal off a Houston corner, but Sutton pushed it over the bar.
The late goals saved a second half that was more about physicality than technical quality. Three yellow cards were handed out — Bobby Boswell joined Davis and Márquez in the book — and numerous fouls provided ample free kick chances.
Both teams resume play on Wednesday, with the Dynamo heading to the West Coast for a match with the LA Galaxy and New York facing a home game against defending MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids at Red Bull Arena.
New York Red Bulls (4-2-4) vs. Houston Dynamo (3-3-5)
May 21, 2011 -- Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX
Scoring Summary:
NY -- Dane Richards 2 (Luke Rodgers 2) 1
HOU -- Brad Davis 1 (penalty kick) 12
HOU -- Koke 1 (unassisted) 82
NY -- Mehdi Ballouchy 1 (Joel Lindpere 1) 91+
New York Red Bulls -- Greg Sutton, Jan Gunnar Solli, Rafael Marquez, Tim Ream, Roy Miller, Dane Richards, Dwayne De Rosario, Teemu Tainio, Joel Lindpere, Luke Rodgers (Corey Hertzog 94+), Juan Agudelo (Mehdi Ballouchy 79).
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Kassel, Stephen Keel, Carlos Mendes, John Rooney, Bouna Coundoul.
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Hunter Freeman, Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainault, Corey Ashe, Colin Clark (Je-Vaughn Watson 69), Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer, Brad Davis (Mike Chabala 85), Cam Weaver, Will Bruin (Koke 74).
Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, Tyler Deric.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Bobby Boswell (caution; Tactical Foul) 49
NY -- Rafael Marquez (caution; Reckless Foul) 62
HOU -- Brad Davis (caution; Reckless Tackle) 64
Referee: Juan Guzman
Referee's Assistants: Greg Barkey; Ian Anderson
4th Official: Baldomero Toledo
Attendance: 25,314
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-85-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
