Written by Juan Pereira

Photo by Houston Dynamo FC

It’s looking like “Houston Tienamo” moniker is returning to H-town… 

In all seriousness, Ben Olsen’s side had a decent performance that was marred only by a couple of mistakes in their own side of the field. The club was able to fend off an inspired performance from Atlanta, who were playing for the first time without head coach Gonzalo Pineda. 

The first goal of the match came in the opening minutes thanks to a Dynamo set piece. The delivery from Hector Herrera found Griffin Dorsey, who attempted a backheel shot that went off the post. The rebound found Escobar, who was in the perfect position, and Houston grabbed the early lead. Escobar paid his respects towards his old club and decided not to do any excessive celebrations. 

In the 24th minute, Amine Bassi took a shot that was nicely saved by the Atlanta goalkeeper. On the counter, Micael was exposed, which resulted in a sequence of plays that gave Atlanta the equalizer. 

In the 28th minute, Dorsey made a fantastic run into the box, but the American’s shot was deflected away from close proximity for a corner. 

In the 31st minute, it was Dorsey again who found space on the wing, and his shot was denied once again. The Dynamo were knocking on Atlanta’s door through the right side on a frequent basis. 

In the 55th minute, it was Atlanta that took the lead. Dorsey made a crucial mistake in his own part of the field, and Clark wasn’t able to get his hands up in time. 

In the 89th minute, Latif Blessing gave Houston Dynamo FC life after a nice Coco Carrasquilla assist. However, after a couple of minutes of high-intensity football, the game ended with the points shared between the two teams. 

Ben Olsen described the game as “two points lost” for his side, but in the grand scheme of things, and with Ezequiel Ponce on the horizon, away results are key. 

The team will have a short rest before returning to action against Seattle on June 19th, where they will try to turn their home struggles around.