Houston Dynamo 3, New England Revolution 3 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Charles Boehm

The New England Revolution stunned the Houston Dynamo in both the opening and closing minutes of a wild opening-day affair at sunny BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday, as Diego Fagundez and Daigo Kobayashi scored clutch goals to steal a point for the visitors in a 3-3 draw.

Fagundez, who also had two assists on the evening, got the visiting Revs off to a flyer as he drilled a vicious half-volley inside goalkeeper Joe Willis' left-hand post from long range just minutes after kickoff.

Swerve. #NERevs #SoccerSunday https://t.co/XJsAe7xBO8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 6, 2016

But a defensive gaffe by the visitors gifted Houston an equalizer just before halftime as Cristian Maidana made goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth pay.

Maidana's fellow Dynamo debutant Andrew Wenger struck to give his side the lead in the 50th minute. But Houston were pegged back barely two minutes later as Charlie Davies scored at the second time of asking after New England beat a poorly-executed Dynamo offside trap.

Dynamo star Giles Barnes stroked home a well-taken finish in the 77th that looked likely to be the game-winner. But his defensive mates were pinned back by a furious late Revs rally that concluded with Kobayashi thumping home Fagundez's cross deep in stoppage time to shock the home faithful.

Box Score

3' – NE – Diego Fagundez
46+' – HOU –Cristián Maidana
50' – HOU –Andrew Wenger (Will Bruin, Ricardo Clark)
52' – NE –Charlie Davies (Diego Fagundez)
77' – HOU – Giles Barnes (Will Bruin)
93'+ – NE – Daigo Kobayashi (Diego Fagundez)

Three Things

Fun, frantic, frustrating (for the coaches): This game was open, end-to-end and full of quick transitions and counterattacks. That made it enjoyable to watch for many, but not for Owen Coyle and Jay Heaps. Both coaches will be frustrated by the poor defending their sides displayed, and the letdowns in concentration that prevented either side from taking the three points they'll feel were within their reach. Not unusual for opening day, though.
Fagundez, Nguyen in midseason form: The Revs' attacking sparks were two players who didn't show many signs of offseason rust. Fagundez hit an early golazo out of nothing, then set up both of his team's other two goals. Nguyen was sharp and creative on the ball, and on the other side, worked hard to disrupt the Dynamo's buildup play.
A promising new identity for Houston: All winter Owen Coyle has been pledging to make the Orange more fluid in attack and more attractive to watch. This game was a good start, and suggested that he's got the tools to implement that: Maidana was active and influential, Wenger was full of running down the right...but what about Cubo Torres?