Western Conference rivals Houston Dynamo FC and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 draw as part of MLS is Back weekend at BBVA Stadium Sunday evening.
The new-look Dynamo, under head coach Paulo Nagamura, asked more of the questions, especially after halftime. But their first quality scoring chance — a left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box by Adam Lundqvist — was parried away by Zac MacMath. Lundqvist collected the rebound, but headed wide of the mark on the hour mark.
The match heated up in the final 20 minutes with both teams close to claiming all three points. New Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark dove to his left to get a piece of a dangerous Maikel Chang shot in the 73rd minute, then touched away a sneaky Pablo Ruiz service toward the back post intended for big offseason signing Sergio Córdova seven minutes later.
Darwin Quintero nearly struck for the winner as a second-half substitute, but his attempt from distance two minutes later caromed off the crossbar.
Goals
- None
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It was a slugfest for two teams who splashed cash on attacking help during the offseason, but struggled to create chances in a match that seemed destined for a scoreless draw. Dynamo record signing Sebastian Ferreira didn’t get one touch in the box on his debut, while Córdova came off the bench for RSL and managed one shot in a 25-minute shift.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The Goal Scientist got a rise out of the BBVA Stadium crowd with a great cutback to his left to create space, but this shot from distance instead rattled the crossbar in the 82nd minute.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Clark, who moved from the Portland Timbers to become the Dynamo's No. 1 goalkeeper, didn’t have a lot to do, but made the saves when needed, especially denials of Chang and Ruiz in an eight-minute span in the second half to preserve the clean sheet.
Next Up
- HOU: Saturday, March 5 at Sporting Kansas City | 3:30 pm ET (Univision, TUDN, Twitter) | MLS regular season
- RSL: Saturday, March 5 vs. Seattle Sounders | 6 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+) | MLS regular season
