HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo advance to the next round of the Leagues Cup after a 5-3 penalty shootout win against Pachuca and has its defense to thank for it.
The reigning Liga MX Apertura champions, Pachuca, entered Wednesday’s match having a Leagues Cup Group Stage bye. The Tuzos’ fresh legs meant Houston had to defend and play on the back foot for large portions of the game.
“They looked a little sharper,” Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said. “It looked like they had more energy from the get-go, but again, we’ve been playing a lot of games. They haven’t. So, that was to be expected. We knew that. We prepared for that.”
Houston withstood Pachuca’s attack leading to the Orange having more interceptions (15), clearances (13), tackles won (14), and duels won (58) than the Tuzos en route to a nil-nil game.
“We defended the box really well. Teams press you and turn you over, and our ability to keep a zero against a team with that many quality attackers, it’s pretty impressive,” Olsen said.
“So, as much as you guys want to talk about the offensive part not being there tonight, focus on the defensive part. It’s a bunch of guys working their tails off for each other, defending the box, and blocking shots.”
Dynamo midfielder Artur echoed his coach’s words adding that when Houston stays compact and covers for each other, they are hard to score on.
Steve Clark’s heroics and experience
Among the defensive moments of Wednesday’s game was a 46th-minute tip save by Dynamo keeper Steve Clark to keep the game scoreless. Clark repeated his heroics during the penalty shootout when he saved Pachuca’s fourth penalty kick.
“It’s a fun moment to kind of put us ahead and then [Luis] to finish the game off. It was wonderful,” Clark said of his penalty shootout save.
After the game, Dynamo right-back Griffin Dorsey had nothing but high praise for Clark’s heroics during the game and the penalty shootout.
“He is an absolutely amazing goalkeeper, and it gives me chills to think about it,” Dynamo right back Griffin Dorsey said. That was a great stop. He’s just consistent.”
Dorsey has been a consistent starter for the Dynamo’s Leagues Cup games. The right-back appreciates having an experienced teammate like Clark supporting him from behind.
“He’s loud. He’s clear. He’s concise,” Dorsey said. “It’s very helpful for me as a player.”
The Dynamo will need more of Clark’s heroics in the next match if it wants to continue in Leagues Cup. As it stands, Houston is among one of a few teams who are in contention for three trophies.
“We’re alive in three competitions. We have the U.S. Open Cup here. In the United States, we have the Leagues Cup and obviously the league play,” Clark said. “So, we’re building something slowly.
Houston will continue building Monday night when it hosts the winner of Cruz Azul and Charlotte FC.
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.