HOUSTON, TX – Houston Dynamo hosted Colorado Rapids on Saturday night. The Rapids were coming off a frustrating draw at home. Tab Ramos and his side were desperate as the Dynamo winless streak was at 11 going into this match.
Colorado Rapids Edge Houston, Dynamo Winless in Twelve
The first half was a tale of two quarters. The Burgundy Boys were aggressive and dominant in the opening minutes. After a few looks on set pieces, Lalas Abubakar opened the scoring on a corner. He beat Maynor Figueroa to score.
Michael Barrios could have made it 2-0 in the 14th minute. Diego Rubio found him on a cross from wide. Barrios did not time the open header well enough and the shot went over the bar.
After that, it was Houston flipped the script. Maximiliano Urruti and Adalberto Carrasquilla got things going with several plays in transition, then dominating possession play.
Griffin Dorsey had a great chance in the 25th minute. Some great two touch passing unleashed him in the box, but his shot was saved then deflected out for a corner.
Colorado’s clean sheet would be dirtied in stoppage time. Barrios ran into Figueroa from behind to draw a penalty. Fafa Picault converted the spot kick, sending William Yarbrough the wrong way. The half ended 1-1.
The home side kept dictating the play and controlling the midfield, but the visitors retook the lead against the run of play. Off a turnover, Diego Rubio found Mark-Anthony Kaye on the touchline. He crossed to the open space at the far post and the onrushing Barrios had a tap in to make it 2-1 on the hour mark.
Houston were not done yet. Carrasquilla played Matías Vera in on goal nine minutes later, but Yarbrough made a great save.
Substitute Braian Galván iced the match in the 80th minute. In transition, Cole Bassett found him at the edge of the box. He cut back and bent his shot inside the far post.
Referee Rosendo Mendoza stopped play in stoppage time due to abusive language from the crowd. The match was paused for several minutes. It was unclear from the TV broadcast whether the crowd was chanting the P word or not.
The game ended 3-1 with Houston getting several half chances in stoppage time, but nothing dangerous.
Never take your eyes off of Mikey 😏#HOUvCOL pic.twitter.com/oI7GD2U9Oe
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) August 15, 2021
Three Key Takeaways:
Midfield battle: The swings in momentum came down to the midfield. Houston started too slow and struggled in the 5-3-2. As Carrasquilla heated up, so too did Houston. Colorado had key moments in the second half, spurred on by Kaye covering ground and getting on the ball.
Moments matter: The first half was even overall. I can’t say the Rapids dominated the second half. Houston controlled the match for long stretched but the Rapids finished two really good chances.
Carrasquilla shines, but not enough: The new regista for Houston looked the part. He made things happen offensively and dictated the tempo. He and his teammates started too slow and they didn’t do enough in the final 20 however. Hard to argue the team should have won this game. They are now winless in 12 matches.
