HOUSTON – The Dynamo suffered a 3-1 defeat against Seattle Sounders FC Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium, after a controversial red card left the Orange with ten. Here are three thoughts from Houston’s loss to Seattle.
Poor start
Full team or not, Dynamo coach Ben Olsen wasn’t happy with Saturday night’s effort. It was a stalemate for the first 20 minutes until Danny Musovski opened the scoring for Seattle with an open header from close range via a Paul Rothrock cross. The Dynamo conceded two more in the second half, down a player, with Albert Rusnák burying the ball in the back of the net in the 46th and 58th, respectively.
The Dynamo still had chances to make it interesting, winning the shot attempt battle 15-14, tied 4-4 for shots on goal. Houston (2-4-6) holds the 14th position in the Western Conference with 10 points, with 12 games played. The Dynamo dropped their second straight MLS bout (2-0 loss to LAFC) but were coming off a 4-1 U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 win over Phoenix Rising FC, May 7.
“This Dynamo team is not going to quit,” Olsen said. “This is not a quitting team, and everybody is still giving everything. But if you give up two goals quickly like that, and you are not able to grind a little, the game is over. We created some chances in the second half, and the guys worked hard, but it was a poor start, and that is disappointing.”
Emotional rollercoaster
Dynamo defender Femi Awodesu was shown a red card for a handball minutes after providing the 1-1 equalizer for his first career goal. The Dynamo took advantage of a free kick with Awodesu finding a cross from Jack McGlynn and sending a header to the top left corner in the 32nd minute. Six minutes later, Awodesu was fighting Daniel Musovski for position, trying to win over a long ball from goalkeeper Stefan Frei, when Awodesu was shown a straight red card for a handball, awarding Seattle a penalty kick.
After VAR review, the Sounders received a direct free kick, but the red card was upheld. Olsen was superb about the goal, but did not like the call.
“It’s just the wrong call,” Olsen said. “It’s the wrong call, and he makes the call, and then it ends up being something that he has to stand by, and I think that’s a problem. I just completely disagree with the call. Saying that, it was a really good first half from us against a good team, resiliency to come back and get the goal.”
Trio of debuts
Defenders Felipe Andrade, Pablo Ortiz, and forward Toyosi Olusanya all made their MLS debuts against Seattle. Olusanya is the latest arrival to Houston and came on in the 80th minute, replacing Ondrej Lingr. Olusanya signed with Houston on a full transfer from St. Mirren FC in Scotland on April 23. He scored 14 goals and three assists in 67 games from 2022-25. The 27-year-old from England was leading his former team in goals scored this season with eight.
McGlynn, who picked up his team-high fourth assist of the season in the loss, is looking forward to playing with Olusanya more.
“Off the field, (Toyosi Olusanya) is a bright and happy guy,” McGlynn said. “He is now available to play with us, and he came on and did a good job tonight. The team is really looking forward to having him.”
Houston will play two MLS matches this week. They host Minnesota United FC on Wednesday, May 14, and travel to FC Dallas on Saturday, May 17.