Nicolas Lodeiro’s late goal gives Sounders 1-1 draw with Houston
Aug 24, 2016, 8:27 PM | Updated: Aug 25, 2016, 9:28 am
Despite a fairly slow and uneventful match, the Sounders made their match in Houston against the Dynamo exciting late by scoring in the dying minutes to get a 1-1 draw and snatch a point Wednesday.
As expected, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer made a number of changes to his starting lineup. Nelson Valdez, Zach Scott, Erik Friberg, and Dylan Remick all returned to the lineup, as well as Alvaro “Flaco” Fernandez, who made his first start since returning to the club last month. Defender Roman Torres, activated from the disabled list after being injured in September 2015, began the night on the bench.
With playoff hopes in the balance, the Sounders had to make careful adjustments in the hopes of keeping players like Clint Dempsey and Chad Marshall healthy for Sunday’s match in Portland. They faced a fairly healthy Dynamo team, which is only missing veteran DaMarcus Beasley to injury at present.
It clearly took a little time for the Sounders’ changed lineup to get going, but players like Nicolas Lodeiro and Cristian Roldan continued the fine form that they’ve shown in recent weeks. The first half-hour of the match saw very little action, with only a handful of shots registered between both teams and none of them threatening goal. The Dynamo probably had some of the better chances; Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei wasn’t really tested, though he did field a few tame shots. Overall, this was one of the most uneventful halves that the Sounders have played in awhile.
The second half started with the same level of action that the first ended with, as both teams seemed to be affected by the heat and fatigue. After another ineffective 10 minutes, Valdez came off for Seattle and was replaced by Jordan Morris. Not long after, Joevin Jones came into his old super-sub role on the left-side of midfield, replacing Erik Friberg and allowing Roldan to drop back into the midfield pivot with Osvaldo Alonso.
Schmetzer clearly wanted to get some pace on the pitch for his side, hoping to punish Houston’s tired defense. But it was the home side that had the first real chances after that, as the Dynamo nearly had an opportunity on the counter and another one that Frei awkwardly snagged out of the air. Morris was clear on goal not long after that thanks to a great pass by Lodeiro, but his final ball was poor and saved by Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis’ leg.
A clearly exasperated Sounders defense got caught way out of position and a poor bounce gave Houston’s Andrew Wenger the ball with plenty of space, and he took advantage by blasting the ball past Frei to put Houston up 1-0. The Sounders then came agonizingly close after the ball trickled towards Willis’ goal after a Flaco cross bounced off a Houston defender, but the referee deemed that the goalkeeper had gotten the ball clear before it went over the line. Replays showed that it looked very much like it went over the line, and the broadcast crew agreed. The Sounders were definitely aggrieved by the lack of a decision.
The Dynamo nearly had another after going 2-on-1 with Frei on the counter, but luckily the final ball went wide of goal. The last minutes of the half were all Seattle, as the Sounders knocked at the door constantly with a number of chances and corner kicks. Thanks to some extra injury time due to time wasting by Houston, a quick attack in the dying minutes saw Jones burst into the Dynamo’s box and cross it low to a waiting Lodeiro, who casually passed the ball into the back of the net to get the Sounders a late equalizer.
Man of the match: In a match that was as tepid to watch as it was humid on the pitch, one of the few players deserving of any praise for Seattle was the goalscorer, Lodeiro. He was, yet again, the only player creating anything of note for the Sounders, and popped up with the goal just when his team needed him most.
Turning point: When the referee team failed to notice that the ball had completely crossed the Houston goal line, it changed the vibe of the game for both sides. Luckily for Seattle, Houston’s time-wasting gave them time to get another chance and leave no doubt.
One reason to worry: The Sounders were pretty dire for most of the match, but hopefully that can be chalked up to the weather, fatigue, and a relatively weakened starting lineup.
One reason to relax: A point on the road isn’t as good as three, but it’s much better than a defeat. Schmetzer extends his unbeaten streak as head coach to five matches.
Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.