From the Houston Dynamo.
FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo
South Texas Shootout (Preseason Friendly)
Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas
Attendance: 5,432
The Houston Dynamo used three first-half goals from set pieces to cruise to a 4-0 win over rival FC Dallas in a preseason friendly Saturday before a crowd of 5,432 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was the second soccer game held at the facility, both won by the Dynamo.
Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis was at the center of the first-half offense. In the eighth minute, his free kick was deflected into the Dallas net by FC Dallas defender Alexis Pradié. In the 29th minute, Davis served a corner kick that midfielder Geoff Cameron powered into the back of the net with a firm header. Just before halftime, Davis himself bent a 23-yard free kick into the top left corner of the net.
Houston changed its entire lineup at halftime and added a fourth goal in second-half stoppage time. Trialist Steven Morrissey burst into the box and was taken down, and midfielder Danny Cruz stepped up to fire the penalty kick into the lower left corner to complete the rout.
Goalkeepers Tally Hall and Tyler Deric each made big saves for Houston. Hall stayed tall to stop a Brek Shea shot with his chest in just the fourth minute, and Deric reacted well to save a Maykel Galindo header in the 89th minute to preserve the shutout.
Line-Ups
Houston Dynamo
Tally Hall (Tyler Deric 46), Kofi Sarkodie (Lovel Palmer 46), Eddie Robinson (Bobby Boswell 46), Andrew Hainault (Jermaine Taylor 46), Mike Chabala (Hunter Freeman 46), Corey Ashe (Danny Cruz 46), JeVaughn Watson (Richard Edwards 46), Geoff Cameron (Lester Peltier 46), Brad Davis (Josue Soto 46, Francisco Navas Cobo 76), Brian Ching (Cam Weaver 46), François Swaby (Steven Morrissey 46).
FC Dallas
Kevin Hartman (Chris Seitz 46), Jackson (Andrew Wiedeman 46), Bobby Warshaw (Bruno Guarda 71), Alexis Pradié, Jair Benitez (Moises Hernandez 46), Marvin Chavez (Sheldon Palmer 46, Jason Yeisley 71), Eric Alexander (Bruno Martins 46), Eric Avila (Ricardo Villar 42, Brayan Martinez 72), Brek Shea (Bim Ogunyemi 46, Bryan Leyva 71), David Ferreira (Scott Gordon 46), Milton Rodriguez (Ruben Lunan 29, Maykel Galindo 71).
Scoring Summary
Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
FC Dallas 0 0 0
Houston Dynamo 3 1 4
HOU -- Own goal (Alexis Pradié) 8
HOU -- Geoff Cameron (Brad Davis) 29
HOU -- Brad Davis (unassisted) 40
HOU -- Danny Cruz (penalty kick) 93+
What's Next For The Dynamo?
Houston's preseason will continue with a trip to Phoenix, Arizona after Mondays training session. The Dynamo will scrimmage Sporting Kansas City, the Columbus Crew, and the Portland Timbers in a five-day span.
Next Preseason Game: Tuesday, February 15, 12 noon CT, Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City (scrimmage), Phoenix AZ
MLS Opener: Saturday, March 19, 7:30 p.m., Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, Robertson Stadium, Houston
All photos courtesy of and credited to Nigel Brooks.