Three second half goals were enough for the Houston Dynamo to defeat D.C. United, giving the club their first win in over a month, keeping them from being the last place club in Major League Soccer.
17 year-old D.C. United academy product Andy Najar was dangerous for United throughout the game and struck first blood in the 29th minute. Najar collected a long cross-field ball on the edge of the box, before faking out Andrew Hainault, who started ahead of Mike Chabala, and Adrian Serioux, and firing a shot past Pat Onstad.
D.C. United looked dangerous throughout the first half but were unable to double their lead and capitalize on a number of Dynamo mistakes.The inability to take advantage of Houston's mistakes proved costly as D.C.'s fate took a turn for the worse in the second half.
Houston tied the game in the 66th minute when a Brad Davis pass deflected off of United's Devon McTavish and past the outstretched Troy Perkins. It was a fluke of a goal, but it's the kind of luck that Houston has been missing most of the season.
Geoff Cameron gave the Dynamo the lead in the 70th minute when he headed in a cross off a Brad Davis free kick. It was Cameron's second goal of the year and his first since rupturing his PCL earlier this season.
D.C. United continued to press in attack and Andy Najar forced Pat Onstad to make a critical save in the 87th minute of the game.
The Dynamo sealed the win with a goal late in stoppage time when Dominic Oduro scored on a breakaway in the 100th minute of the match. The game went well past the five minutes of displayed stoppage time because Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad went down with an injury that required significant attention from Houston's medical staff. Onstad looked like he busted his lip, cracked his nose, picked up a black eye and may have even injured his head when he ran into Andrew Hainault on a corner kick.
The win was Houston's first on the road since May 8, breaking a four-game losing streak and boosting their confidence ahead of the last four games of the season.
Both team's coaches may face disciplinary action from Major League Soccer as both were ejected and sent to the locker room early after a confrontation on the sidelines.
Houston's next game is this coming weekend against the Philadelphia Union, where they will play in PPL park for the first time.
Game Summary
Houston Dynamo 3, at D.C. United 1
RFK Stadium
Attendance: 13,828
Houston Dynamo (7-14-5)
D.C. United (5-18-3)
Scoring Summary:
DC -- Andy Najar - 29
HOU -- own goal - 66
HOU -- Geoff Cameron - 70
HOU -- Dominic Oduro - 100+
Houston Dynamo -- Pat Onstad, Richard Mulrooney (Danny Cruz 69), Adrian Serioux, Ryan Cochrane (Eddie Robinson 63), Andrew Hainault, Corey Ashe, Lovel Palmer, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, Brian Ching, Joseph Ngwenya (Dominic Oduro 59).
Substitutes Not Used: Samuel Appiah, Mike Chabala, Cam Weaver, Tyler Deric.
D.C. United -- Troy Perkins, Devon McTavish (Junior Carreiro 83), Julius James, Dejan Jakovic, Jed Zayner, Andy Najar, Branko Boskovic, Kurt Morsink, Santino Quaranta, Danny Allsopp (Carlos Varela 74), Pablo Hernandez.
Substitutes Not Used: Jordan Graye, Stephen King, Jaime Moreno, Clyde Simms, Chase Harrison.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Ryan Cochrane (caution; Dissent) 29
DC -- Andy Najar (caution; Reckless Tackle) 69
DC -- Jed Zayner (caution; Reckless Foul) 79
HOU -- Brad Davis (caution; Delaying a Restart) 82
DC -- Julius James (caution; Reckless Tackle) 89
HOU -- Geoff Cameron (caution; Reckless Foul) 93+
Referee: Alex Prus
Referee's Assistants: -George Gansner; Adam Wienckowski
4th Official: Landis Wiley