Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, a midfielder, altered plays and found striker Aliyu Ibrahim at the edge of the box to give Houston the lead in the seventh minute. Ibrahim was able to have a one-on-one opportunity after a Red Bulls defender stumbled while attempting to clear the ball. The striker scored his first goal of the year at the far post. In the past three games, the 22-year-old has now recorded one goal and two assists.
Dante Vanzeir’s pass to Elias Manoel at the back post gave the Red Bulls the equaliser in the 43rd minute.
Lewis Morgan took advantage of a mistake on Houston’s half of the field to give New York the lead in the 59th minute. The midfielder beat Dynamo keeper Steve Clark at the near post after dribbling to the top of the area.
After the Dynamo gave up a free kick well outside the area in the 20th minute, the visiting had their first opportunity of the match. The next player to attempt a free kick was Emil Forsberg, but his shot struck the bar instead.
Clark was called into action in the 28th minute when he denied Daniel Edelman’s header at the near post. The Dynamo goalkeeper finished with three saves.
Houston nearly scored the equalizer in the 61st minute after the Red Bulls backline attempted to clear a cross from defender Gryphon. The ball bounced off two Red Bulls defenders prior to falling to Sebastian Kowalczyk, but his effort bounced off the far post. Ultimately, the Dynamo midfielder was called offside.
Carrasquilla was brought down by a Red Bulls defender in the 63rd minute, sparking a scrum between both teams that led to a yellow card for Dorsey and Red Bulls defender Frankie Amaya. Kowalczyk took the ensuing free kick and found defender Erik Sviatchenko, but his header was off target.
Houston almost equalized in the 89th minute after forward delivered the ball into the box from distance to the head of a charging Dorsey, and the defender’s attempt forced a quick reaction save from Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel.
Two minutes later, Carrasquilla cut back just outside of the box to create his own space and took a shot that glanced off the outside of the far post.
The Dynamo next host the defending MLS Cup champions, Columbus Crew, in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday, March 6, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Shell Energy Stadium. Columbus will host the second leg on Tuesday, March 12. Tickets for the first leg are available HERE.
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