HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo were in a giving mood in their first Leagues Cup match of the year, gifting the visiting side Tigres UANL two scoring opportunities that the Liga MX side capitalized on en route to a 4-1 win.
Heading into the half, Houston trailed by a goal, but aside from the goal, the game was even. Tigres had the better xG, but the Dynamo were active and found ways to get on the ball and create opportunities in the first half.
An early strike just after halftime from Ondřej Lingr via a Brooklyn Raines through ball put the game level at 1-1. From there, Tigres pushed for the match-winner, but Houston withstood the pressure until it decided to cough up the ball.
In the 63rd minute, Dynamo ‘keeper Jonathan Bond shanked a clearance directly to Diego Lainez and his wicked left foot outside the box. The winger proceeded to curl one into the back of the net from 22 yards out.
Seven minutes later, Dynamo captain Artur sent a weak-footed back pass to Bond, but Tigres Ángel Correa got to the ball first, then danced around Bond before scooping the ball into the back of the net for his second goal and sending the mostly pro-Tigres crowd into a frenzy.
Two gifts given, and well received by Tigres. A team that requires no extra help to put the ball in the back of the net, which UANL displayed via Correa’s first goal of the game, and Tigres’ eventual fourth goal. To boot, the Nuevo Leon side scored a fifth goal but was declared offside by the slimmest of margins.
The last thing a team facing Tigres, one of the best teams in the entire region, needs is to shoot themselves in the foot, yet the Dynamo did just that.
“Obviously, they’re quality is the highest level, but we gave them the game. We gave them two gifts,” said Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen. “And when you gift one of the best teams in the region two goals, you don’t have a chance.”
The 4-1 scoreline doesn’t tell the story of the Houston Dynamo’s Leagues Cup loss to Tigres, and for Olsen, it doesn’t take away from the overall performance of his team. He praised his side’s
“I know it’s strange to say in a 4-1 loss, but the gifts we give a team like that, you don’t get away with at that level,” said Olsen. “And they end up punishing you, and that’s the story of the game.”
The loss puts Houston at a disadvantage heading into Game 2 of the tournament, one that has a new format for how teams advance to the next round. The top 4 clubs from each league-specific table advance to the Knockout Rounds.
Houston (0-1-0) next opportunity to pick up points comes Friday night when they host Mazatlán at Shell Stadium.
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.