Ezequiel Ponce, right, had his shot blocked by Stefan Frei. (Courtesy of Houston Dynamo FC

Dynamo deja vu in playoff penalty loss to Sounders

HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo beat themselves in their first-round playoff series against the Seattle Sounders.

That was the assessment from Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen after his side’s 6-7 penalty loss in Shell Stadium, effectively ending their postseason run. Olsen’s statement is warranted, seeing how Houston finished their playoff game a man down after Dynamo captain Hector Herrera was shown a red card for spitting toward the referee.

The Mexican midfielder was not happy to receive a yellow card and let his feelings know to the detriment of his team. The expulsion followed Coco Carrasquilla’s exit from Game 1 for kicking a Seattle Sounders player. Of note, both red cards were handed out in the 66th minute.

Houston would concede a goal in the 87th minute but found an equalizer in injury time via a Seattle own goal to send the game to penalties where the home team would fall.

“We beat ourselves with some of the discipline stuff, and obviously the PK’s,” said Olsen.

Olsen had stressed to his team that the Sounders don’t beat themselves. That statement proved true, as Seattle denied the Dynamo a goal, as the sole goal Houston scored was a Sounders’ own goal. Houston had scoring opportunities in Game 2, but much like the regular season, finding the back of the net was an unattainable task for Houston, even as it led the game in most offensive statistics.

The Dynamo had more possession, 53 compared to Seattle’s 47, and more shots on target, seven compared to the Sounders lone shot. According to FOTMOB, the Dynamo had five big chances to score versus Seattle’s one big chance — Christian Roldan’s goal in the 87th minute.

“It’s just about scoring a goal,” said Olsen on what his side could have done differently to win the game. “And not get a red card. Those would be two things that would probably help us win that game.”

The latter is the sole responsibility of Houston players, in this case, Herrera and Carrasquilla. That it is two of the club’s most important players adds insult to injury for Houston.

“Last two games, we played a man down, which made it tougher,” said Artur. “I think our chances would’ve been much better, that affected how things played out.”

Dynamo players knew what to expect when facing Seattle. A team dialed into the game’s little details and a difficult team to break down. 

“When you look at where we were at in the 60th minute of both games, I think we we’re in a really good spot,” said Griffin Dorsey.

A Tate Schmitt miss from the penalty spot later, and the Dynamo season ended. A season with high hopes ends in the first round of the playoffs.

“We gave everything we have, and we weren’t good enough,” said Dorsey. “At this point, it’s back to the drawing board.”

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