Tomas Martinez struck on a gorgeous curler to give his side the lead for good, Alberth Elis scored his third goal earlier in the second half, and the Houston Dynamo survived bad luck and a weather delay to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Dynamo also struck the woodwork three times — including once on Mauro Manotas' penalty — during a contest that saw the second-half restart delayed by 1 hour and 11 minutes due to lightning in the stadium vicinity. They remain unbeaten after entering Week 7 as one of only three MLS teams without a defeat.
Jackson Yueill leveled the match from distance four minutes after Elis' opener for his first career MLS goal in his 39th appearance since 2017. But despite hanging in the match, the Quakes were clearly second best, struggling to cope with the Dynamo's rapid counterattacking style for much of afternoon.
San Jose's Marcos Lopez was sent off late for his studs-up challenge on Houston's Boniek Garcia.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: If you merely looked at the final score and didn't watch, you'd think the Dynamo played down to the level of their opponent. That was hardly the case. Instead, it was an uncharacteristically tough day for Manotas, combined with some unkind woodwork and potentially a second penalty kick that wasn't awarded moments before Yueill's equalizer. And still the Dynamo persevered, making the case they might be a side with the mettle for a deep run this fall.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Martinez's is a playmaker, but he took his 60th-minute goal with a poacher's efficiency, striking the loose ball on his first touch. While the goal frame denied Houston thrice on Saturday, on this occasion it was kind for the Argentine.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Tomas Martinez. The Argentine Young Designated Player has not quite made the impact that was expected since his arrival in the summer of 2017, but his obvious class showed through here. He earned a first-half penalty and then took matters into his own hands in the second. A breakout season from Martinez could be the difference between a good Dynamo side and a contending one.
Up Next
- HOU: Friday, April 19 at LA Galaxy (11 pm ET | UniMas, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- SJ: Saturday, April 20 vs. Sporting Kansas City (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
