The Houston Dynamo picked up a hugely valuable road point on Saturday, playing New York City FC to a 1-1 draw at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut in a match that was moved from Yankee Stadium due to a scheduling conflict.
Dynamo forward Mauro Manotas scored in the 16th minute to pull Houston level after Maxi Moralez nodded home a Jack Harrison cross to give NYCFC the lead in the fifth minute. Houston's Alberth Elis and NYCFC's Alexander Callens both had clear opportunities to win the game in stoppage time, but both had their shots saved.
The result moved Houston above the playoff line in the West, one point ahead of Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas, both of whom play later Saturday night. For NYCFC, the draw marked a missed opportunity to move closer to securing a top-two seed in the East. New York City are now four points ahead of Chicago, who play at Philadelphia this evening.
Goals
Three Things
- HOME SWEET HARTFORD?: Saturday’s match was the first-ever MLS contest to be played in the state of Connecticut, as NYCFC had to move their “home” contest from Yankee Stadium due a New York Yankees game that had to be rescheduled due to rain. Given the result and sparse crowd – attendance was listed at just 10,165 – we don’t expect NYCFC to be itching to get back to the Nutmeg State any time soon.
- FRESH FORWARDS: Houston head coach Wilmer Cabrera took a bit of a gamble with his lineup, electing to bench his regular front three of Elis, Cubo Torres and Romell Quioto to start Manotas at striker, with Vicente Sanchez, Alex and Tomas Martinez playing behind him. The move worked out decently; Sanchez had a largely excellent match, Manotas got the goal and Elis was a game-changing sub, but the Dynamo were also wasteful with a few opportunities both early and late in the match.
- VILLA RETURNS: For the first time since suffering an injury while on international duty with Spain early in September, David Villa returned to the NYCFC starting lineup on Saturday. The MLS Golden Boot leader was mostly held in check by the Dynamo, registering a lone shot before being taken off in the 84th minute.
Next Up
- NYC: Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE in the US, TSN1, TVAS in Canada)
- HOU: Wednesday, Sept. 27 vs. LA Galaxy (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
Help us Kick Childhood Cancer!
Bid on a David Villa game-worn, autographed jersey. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Children's Oncology Group, whose mission is to find better cures for childhood and adolescent cancer.
