It isn't often that a coaching staff and teammates get a chance to rave about the finishing abilities and subtle goal-scoring touch of one of their most rugged defenders.
Saturday at BMO field in Toronto was a rare exception to the usual rule -- as strapping 6-foot-2 center back Bobby Boswell scored a dramatic and clinical equalizer for the Houston Dynamo, allowing them to escape with a 1-1 tie against the hometown Reds.
"Goals come from a lot of places," said Houston coach Dominic Kinnear. "We always encourage our taller players like Boswell to attack the ball in the box, no matter what position they are playing."
The soft-spoken Boswell had little to say about his stellar performance after the game, chalking it up to an all-around team effort while Kinnear and his teammates noted his humble and workmanlike approach to the game.
"He is usually a pretty modest guy, a solid contributor and goes about his business very quietly and very professionally," said Kinnear.
Houston was missing eight regulars from its lineup, including midfielder Brad Davis (flu), the team's assist leader, along with striker Brian Ching, who leads the team in scoring, and midfielder Stuart Holden. Ching and Holden were both away on Gold Cup duty for the United States.
As the second half wore on in Saturday's game, the possibility of saving points began to seem more and more out of reach for the visitors from Texas, who were playing their sixth road match in a grueling three-week stretch.
That is until Boswell rushed into the penalty area against the run of play, past the Toronto offside trap, notching his memorable strike.
The buildup to the tying goal, just 15 minutes from full time, came as a clearance of a Dynamo corner kick was snapped up by Houston midfielder Geoff Cameron at the top of the Reds penalty area.
Cameron played a looping ball to Boswell whose first shot was stopped by Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei. But the defender quickly pounced on Frei's rebound and then tapped home his first league goal of the season for the Dynamo.
"The play went one way and the ball went the other and I just continued my run into the box -- brought [the ball] down and was able to get a second swipe at it to tie the game," said Boswell. "A win would have been better but we will take the point on the road."
Boswell who joined the Dynamo last season after spending the three previous seasons with D.C. United, scored his sixth career MLS goal and was mobbed by teammates after his strike.
"It wasn't the first time I have found the back of the net but it is always a nice feeling to score," said the 2006 MLS Defender of the Year.
Boswell joined D.C. after securing a development contract in the spring of 2005, scoring three goals in his first season, including a game-winner against Chicago.
In May 2008 after joining Houston, Boswell struck for the winner in a 2-1 regular season victory again against the Fire and was also the hero during a 2-0 SuperLiga victory last July against Mexican Primera League side Pachuca. Boswell also struck for a goal in a 4-0 U.S. Open Cup quarter-final win over Charleston on July 7.
Just ten minutes before his goal against Toronto, he also had managed to rescue his team from certain defeat in a more familiar role, clearing a deflected shot by Reds striker Chad Barrett off the goal line.
"He was just so alert in both boxes today and understands the value of playing his role at both ends of the field in defensive positions but also on attack," said Kinnear.
Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad had rushed out of goal to block Barrett's effort but the ball skimmed off the Canadian international and looked like it would find the back of the net to give Toronto a 2-0 lead before Boswell booted the ball into touch.
"I knew Bobby was coming in from behind me and would be watching the line so I attacked Barrett and closed down the angle, making sure I got enough of it," said Onstad. "But if it wasn't for Boswell's clearance the final result would have been much different for us."
Former Houston Dynamo midfielder Dwayne De Rosario opened the scoring in the 37th minute when he outpaced Boswell and defender Julius James at the top of the Dynamo penalty area and then laced a hard shot past Onstad for the opening goal of the match.
De Rosario returned to his hometown of Toronto in February 2009 after a trade for defender Julius James.
"Obviously I am familiar with his moves after spending so much time on his team over the years," said Onstad, who played with De Rosario in Houston and San Jose as well as with Canada's national team and as a member of the United Soccer Leagues Toronto Lynx. "I think it was the first goal he scored against me in a game. If you give De Rosario that sort of time and space like we did on the first goal you just know he is going to punish you."
Onstad stopped a breakaway by De Rosario just four minutes into the game and seconds after stopping Barrett's second half attempt at goal was called on to thwart a turn-around volley by his former teammate at the top of the penalty area.
Toronto outshot Houston 7-5 but enjoyed the lion's share of scoring chances and even ball possession.
Peter Mallet is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
