Houston Dynamo 3, LA Galaxy 3 | 2017 MLS Match Recap

Jose Romero

The LA Galaxy could have salvaged something good out of Wednesday night, leading by two goals late in their match at Houston though they'd been eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the evening with FC Dallas' win over Colorado.

But Alberth Elis converted a penalty, then scored again in the 88th minute and gave the Houston Dynamo an important 3-3 draw. Houston stayed in playoff contention at 40 points with four games to play.

The Galaxy blew a pair of two-goal leads, as Houston's DaMarcus Beasley gave up on own goal on a failed clearance in the third minute, and Roman Alessandrini scored his 11th goal of the season in the 12th minute.

Tomas Martinez scored his first goal for Houston in the 26th minute, but the Galaxy made it 3-1 on Bradford Jamieson IV's second-half goal.

The Dynamo had two shots hit woodwork and were the stronger offensive team for much of the match. It paid off in the form of Elis' late heroics.

Goals

3’ – LA – DaMarcus Beasley (OG) Watch
12’ – LA – Romain Alessandrini Watch
26' – HOU – Tomas Martinez Watch
47' – LA – Bradford Jamieson IV Watch
84' – HOU – Alberth Elis (PK) Watch
88' – HOU – Alberth Elis Watch

Alberth Elis leads Dynamo's late comeback: "He's an animal"

Three Things

DYNAM-IC COMEBACK: The Dynamo got down by two goals twice, but continued to press forward throughout the match and got so many chances to score, it came as little surprise that their efforts paid off. Elis was a catalyst, but Romell Quioto and Martinez made things difficult for the Galaxy defenders and the constant attacking salvaged a big point that might not have been.
A LOSS FOR BOTH TEAMS: While the Galaxy let two leads get away that cost them two points -- in many ways a microcosm of their season -- the Dynamo got off to a horrid start against an opponent with nothing more to play for than pride and couldn't take three points from a team they should have handled. The Dynamo really could have used three points to strengthen their playoff chances, but will have to find those points elsewhere as October approaches.
THE MARTINEZ FACTOR: Martinez has only been with the Dynamo since July, but it looks like he can be a factor going forward. The 22-year-old from Argentina took four shots, opened his account with the first-half goal, and hit the post with one of his shots. He was also effective with his corner kicks and made a fine long pass to Quioto just before halftime for a quality chance.