Dynamo vs Crew April 27 2019
Tomás Martínez scores Houston's second goal to secure all three points for the Dynamo. (Jesus Acevedo Jr./The Bayoucitian)

Dynamo get back to winning ways in 2-0 victory over the Crew

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HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo bounced back from their first loss of the season to nab three points at home against the Columbus Crew 2-0.

Houston (7-1-1, 16 points) looked like the better side from the get-go. Houston won the possession battle, 51-49, and managed more shots on target than the Crew.

And it started in the 2nd minute when Alberth Elis, applying pressure up the field, stole the ball from Crew defender Lalas Abubakar. Elis sprinted towards the end line and sent a low cross towards the penalty area where Manotas was for the tap-in goal.

The goal is Manotas’ third of the season to go along with four assists. The Colombian’s four assists already surpass his output from a season ago, when he only notched one. The goal also breaks a five-game scoreless streak for him.

That Manotas wasn’t scoring wasn’t something that dwelled on head coach Wilmer Cabrera.

“Maybe he wasn’t scoring but he was assisting, something that he wasn’t used to doing,” Cabrera said. “So, he’s growing. He’s getting more mature but today he scored and also he had two or three chances that he could have had a hattrick in the first half.”

Houston stayed on the front foot the rest of the half and would carry the one-goal lead into halftime.

La Naranja would carry the momentum into the second half and it wouldn’t take them long to get an opportunity to add to its lead. In the 50th minute, Houston earned a free kick just outside the box. Memo Rodriguez stepped up to take it but the Dynamo Homegrown Player’s shot ricocheted off the post.

But Houston’s tenacity would pay off five minutes later.

Manotas got the ball on the right wing with acres of space. The Colombian forward dribbled towards goal and then crossed the ball into the box. Crew ‘keeper Zach Steffen punched the ball away but it fell to a Tómas Martinez at the top of the box.

The Argentinian midfielder one-timed a shot passed Steffen who could only look on as the ball went into the back of the net.

“It’s important we keep winning. And that the goal aids the team, especially in victories,” Martinez said, who scored in Houston’s second consecutive home game. “So I’m happy about that, and yeah, the goal was similar to the last one.”

Cabrera said the Dynamo’s goal brought calmness to his side as they finished the game.

“I think we closed it, the game, very well,” Cabrera said. “It was important for us to close the game to feel like we can have a clean sheet, [our] first [clean sheet] game of the season.”

Aside from calmness, the goal gave Houston a cushion to finish the game.

Houston now shifts focus to the first edition of the Texas Derby as FC Dallas comes to town Saturday, May 4th.

“It’s big for sure. We are pretty close in the standings right now,” Dynamo ‘keeper Joe Willis said of the upcoming Texas Derby.

“Obviously, they’re a Western Conference team and our biggest rival. Today’s clean sheet was hopefully a big confidence booster for us going forward, and hopefully, we can keep this going forward.”