In a match between the 2008 MLS Reserve Division conference winners, the Dynamo Reserves made a Jason Garey goal stand on their way to a 1-0 win over the Sporting Kansas City reserves at Robertson Stadium on Monday morning.
Garey - who has come off the bench in the last two league games - headed home a Francisco Navas Cobo free kick in the 67th minute. The sixth-year veteran played all 90 minutes, splitting time between forward and central midfield.
“It started raining really hard, and with the wind it was tough to see out there for a little while,” Garey said. “But Francisco sent in a great ball, and it was just a little header flicked at the near post, and thankfully it went in.”
In addition to Garey’s goal-scoring performance, the Dynamo got good contributions from a number of places on the field, including Jamaican midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson, who is back in Houston on an extended trial looking to secure a deal. He played the full 90 minutes after arriving late Sunday night. The Jamaican international displayed some creativity early in the match playing underneath the forwards and combined with his teammates well.
[inline_node:333569]“[Watson] started off very well in the first half and looked good,” said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. “He got a little tired out there as the game wore on, but he showed some good moments. Especially at the beginning of the game, he looked very good.”
Three Dynamo Academy players suited up on Monday. Midfielder Abe Matamoros and forwards Chance Bergen and Nono – a Brazilian forward who recently joined the academy – came on as subs. Though entering late in the game can make it difficult to get into the flow, all three players inserted themselves well by creating a few scoring chances. The energy and attacking play made an impression on the coaches and their teammates.
“The Academy players worked hard,” Garey said of his young counterparts. "I thought they did well and they created some chances there at the end and almost scored a few goals."
Overall, the Dynamo put together a good performance to start the reserve season and accomplished their goal of getting valuable time for several players who are expected to contribute.
“I thought it was a good performance from the guys today,” said assistant coach Wade Barrett, who headed the reserve team with Steve Ralston. “You come off last night when the intensity was high, and today the crowd is much smaller so you have to bring the intensity from inside. You’ll get a lot out of these games if you put a lot into them, and I thought the guys did that today.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.
