Darwin Quintero
Darwin Quintero (23) celebrates his golazo against the Vancouver Whitecaps as Fafa Picault (10) looks on. (Courtesy of Houston Dynamo)

Darwin Quintero’s brace lifts Houston past Vancouver Whitecaps

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HOUSTON – Darwin Quintero’s thrilling home performance Saturday night against the Vancouver Whitecaps can be summed up best by Houston Dynamo head coach Paulo Nagamura.

“He was awesome,” Nagamura said.

Indeed he was.

El Cientifico del Gol delivers

Quintero is known throughout the CONCACAF region as El Cientifico del Gol for his chemistry with the ball at his feet and knack for scoring spectacular goals. And the scientist did just that Saturday night, putting on a show at PNC Stadium while netting a brace to lift the Houston Dynamo (1-1-1, 4 points) past the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps for the club’s first win this season.

Nagamura, who earned his first win as Dynamo head coach, made three changes to the team’s starting lineup from last week’s road match against Sporting Kansas City. Quintero, along with Adalberto ‘Coco’ Carrasquilla and Griffin Dorsey, were inserted into the starting lineup.

Quintero and Coco’s presence on the pitch was noticeable from kick-off. Both players controlled the midfield and got Houston into dangerous scoring opportunities throughout the game, including the team’s first goal of the season.

In the 32nd minute, Coco lofted a cross to the back post, where a streaking Corey Baird got behind the defense. Baird one-timed a low cross to Quintero, who tapped it into the back of the net for the club’s first goal this season.

While Quintero’s first goal came about due to his movement on the pitch, his second goal was a thing of beauty and easily a Major League Soccer Goal of the Week nominee.

How does Quintero describe his golazo in the second half?

“It’s inexplicable. What one thinks or does on the field happens in thousandths of a second. When I saw the ball there, I said to myself: ‘Let’s hit it, see if it turns into something memorable.’ Thank God the ball found the back of the net,” Quintero said.”

“The most important thing is our teamwork. What the team did. The goals are always a team effort. Sebas (Ferreira) left it for me to hit it, and now we are able to leave happy with a victory.”

Quintero’s free-roaming position

Quintero’s brace resulted from a skillful player playing in the correct position with a game plan to impact the game. Nagamura was pleased with his players’ performance and expected it based on the game plan and strategy going into the matchup and the skills that El Cientifico del Gol brings to the pitch.

“They gave me a lot of freedom at the top, with a specific function defensively, which I managed to fulfill until I was exhausted,” Quintero said. “They gave me a lot of freedom to move where I wanted, break the lines, and that helped me in the style of play that I have.

Quintero’s role against the Whitecaps was specific to that game, Nagamura said. Each game has a different game plan, but he recognizes this role fits Quintero to a tee.

Dynamo winger Fafa Picault felt the impact of having Quintero on the pitch. With Quintero on the pitch, the Whitecaps focused their attention on him, allowing Picault more liberty to make runs, and get in 1v1 situations with the outside backs.

Picault and Quintero spoke at length during the week about their connection on the pitch, and on Saturday, the duo connected a few times.

“I think with every player you play when you play with center midfielders. Your movement is going to be different and obviously certain through balls I don’t get from other players, but I get from [Darwin Quintero] because of the way he plays,” Picault said.

“When you are playing with him [Quintero], you have to have confidence that the ball is going to come in the right spot. I think we connected a few times today, but I think throughout the year, it will get better and better.”

Quintero also connected a couple of times with Ferreria, the Dynamo’s splash offseason signing. One of those connections led to Quintero’s MLS Goal of the Week nominee.

Another connection included Quintero blindly lofting a pass over his head to Ferreira in the box. The Paraguayan settled the ball, cut to his right, his left, then sent a low show to the back post, but his effort went wide.

Despite the failed goal-scoring opportunity, Ferreira, much like Picault, has confidence that Quintero will put the ball in the right spot.

Putting the ball in the right spot for the Dynamo this season has to be the back of the net. The Dynamo scored 36 goals all of last season. If Quintero can keep operating in a free-roaming position, it could assist Houston to surpass last season’s tally.