Postgame Notes: Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake

THE WIN:

• Moved the Dynamo to the top of the MLS Western Conference standings with 23 points and a 7-5-2 record.
• Matched the team's win total from the 2016 season, with seven.
• Extended Houston's unbeaten streak at BBVA Compass Stadium to eight games.
• Improved Houston's record at BBVA Compass Stadium to 7-0-1 this season.
• Improved the Dynamo's all-time record at BBVA Compass Stadium to 47-18-26.
• Was the Dynamo's 99th win at home all-time.
• Improved head coach Wilmer Cabrera's record on the Dynamo sidelines to 7-5-2 and 7-0-1 at home.
• Was Cabrera's 16th win as an MLS head coach.
• Improved the Dynamo's all-time record against Real Salt Lake to 12-8-5 overall and 10-2-1 at home.
• Gave the Dynamo a 3-2-1 record in May after posting a 2-2-1 mark in April.

TEAM NOTES:

• The Dynamo matched a club record with five goals in the game. It was the fourth time the Dynamo scored five in a game, and the first since March 12, 2016 vs. FC Dallas.
• The 5-1 score line marked Houston’s second four-goal victory of the season and the 11th win by four or more goals in franchise history.
• With five goals tonight, the Dynamo have now scored 24 at home this season through eight games, an average of 3.0 per game.
• Houston improved its goal differential at BBVA Compass Stadium to 24-7 (+17) on the season.
• After not having any goals scored off of left-footed shots through the first 13 games of the season, Dynamo players scored three with their left feet tonight – MF Alex’s strike in the 15th minute, FW Mauro Manotas’ goal in the 45th and FW Erick Torres’ tap-in goal in the 52nd.
• The Dynamo were the beneficiary of an own goal in the third minute of the match when FW Mauro Manotas fired a left-footed cross that Salt Lake DF Justin Schmidt deflected into his own net. It was the first own goal by a Dynamo opponent since March 12, 2016 vs. FC Dallas.
• The own goal by Real Salt Lake in the third minute was Houston’s second-fastest goal this season. FW Romell Quioto scored in the second minute vs. Columbus on March 11.
• The Dynamo scored first for the seventh time this season. Houston improved to 6-0-1 this year when netting the first goal of the game.
• The Dynamo led at halftime for the ninth time this season. Houston improved to 7-1-1 this season when leading at intermission.
• The Dynamo took a two-goal lead in the 15th minute through a goal from MF Alex. Houston has led by at least two goals in all eight home games this season.
• The Dynamo took a three-goal lead for the fourth time this season and fourth time in eight home games.
• The Dynamo led 3-0 at intermission for the first time since March 8, 2014 vs. New England. They went on to win that game 4-0 to open the 2014 season.
• Houston outshot Real Salt Lake 18-16 in the match. It was the ninth time this season that the Dynamo outshot their opponents, and Houston is 6-2-1 in those games.
• Real Salt Lake controlled the ball for 56.0 percent of the match. It was the 11th time this season that the Dynamo lost the possession statistic. Houston is 7-3-1 in those games.
• The Dynamo attempted 328 passes in the game. It was the 10th time this season that the team attempted fewer than 400 passes, and they are now 7-2-1 in those games.
• Houston’s seven shots on goal were the third-most by the team this season. They attempted 11 shots vs. Orlando City (May 6) and 10 shots vs. New York Red Bulls (April 1) and scored four goals in each contest.
• The Dynamo used their 14th different starting lineup in 14 games thus far this season.

PLAYER NOTES:

• MF Alex scored his first goal of the season and the 11th of his career when he hit the back of the net with a low left-footed strike in the 15th minute.
• Alex notched his seventh assist of the season when he had the secondary assist on FW Erick Torres’ goal in the 52nd minute. All seven of his assists have come at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• Alex made the 100th of his MLS career. He became the eighth Brazilian-born player in MLS history to start at least 100 games in league play.
• MF Juan David Cabezas tied for the team high with 51 total touches and four tackles, matching DF Adolfo Machado in both categories.
• Cabezas made his ninth start with the Dynamo and his eighth in a row tonight.
• MF Ricardo Clark made his 301st career start in MLS regular-season play tonight. Clark became the 14th field player in MLS history to start at least 300 games on Sunday night at FC Dallas.
• Clark completed 91.7 percent of his passes on 36 attempts, which was a game-high among starters for either team.
• DF A.J. DeLaGarza made his 207th career start in tonight’s game.
• GK Tyler Deric made a season-high seven saves in the game, just three days after tying the previous high with four saves at FC Dallas on Sunday night.
• Deric made his 61st career appearance in MLS regular-season play. Deric tied GK Joe Willis with seven starts apiece in net this season.
• FW Alberth Elis registered his first two-assist performance of the season, picking up a secondary assist on FW Mauro Manotas’ goal in the 45th minute and assisting FW Erick Torres’ goal in the 52nd.
• Elis made his 11th start with the Dynamo tonight.
• MF Boniek García recorded his 29th career assist and his first of the season when he served a cross that DF Leonardo headed home in the 68th minute.
• García made his 10th appearance of the season and the 130th of his career when he came into the game for FW Mauro Manotas in the 62nd minute.
• DF Leonardo scored his third career goal, his first with the Dynamo and his first since 2014, when he headed home a cross in the 68th minute.
• Leonardo’s goal was just the third of the year not scored by a forward.
• Leonardo made his eighth consecutive start, his 11th with the Dynamo and the 91st of his career tonight. It was his 96th career appearance in MLS regular-season play.
• DF Adolfo Machado tied for the team lead in the game with 51 total touches and four tackles, matching MF Juan David Cabezas in each category.
• Machado started his 14th consecutive game and played the full 90 minutes for the 14th consecutive outing. He and Alex are the only two players to have started every game this season, and Machado is the only player who has been on the field for every minute of the season.
• FW Mauro Manotas scored his fourth goal of the season, and the 10th of his career, with a strike in the 45th minute. Manotas became the 12th player in Dynamo history to tally double-digit goals for the club.
• Manotas registered his second assist of the season and the third of his career when he set up MF Alex for his goal in the 15th minute. Manotas also created the first goal with a low cross that was deflected into the net for an own goal.
• Manotas made his ninth start of the season, his sixth in a row, and the 19th of his career tonight.
• MF Memo Rodriguez made his third career appearance when he came on for MF Alex in the 66th minute.
• FW Vicente Sánchez made his eighth appearance of the season and his second in a row when he came on for FW Alberth Elis in the 71st minute.
• FW Erick Torres become the fifth player in Dynamo history to score at least 10 goals in a season, joining Giles Barnes, Will Bruin, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario, when he tapped in a left-footed finish in the 52nd minute.
• Torres recorded his second assist of the season and the sixth of his career when he set up FW Mauro Manotas’ goal in the 45th minute. Torres’ two assists on the season are already a career-high.
• Torres made his 11th start of the season, his 18th with the Dynamo and the 62nd of his career tonight.

DYNAMO STARTING XI (4-3-3):

• Tyler Deric; A.J. DeLaGarza, Adolfo Machado, Leonardo, Dylan Remick; Ricardo Clark (C), Juan David Cabezas, Alex; Alberth Elis, Erick Torres, Mauro Manotas