Maidana’s revenge is best served with key goal as time winds down
Cristian Maidana’s wait was finally over Saturday night. It had the most glorious of endings, too.
Traded to the Dynamo from Philadelphia in the offseason, Maidana said he counted down the days until he could take the pitch against his former club. With one sweeping kick from his left foot, Maidana delivered perhaps the biggest goal of the first half of the Dynamo’s season.
Maidana’s 20-yard free kick in the fifth minute of the second-half added time gave the Dynamo a 1-0 victory over the Union in front of 18,457 fans at BBVA Compass Stadium. Maidana’s goal was the first time a Dynamo player has scored a goal on a free kick in second-half stoppage time.
“I have been waiting for this game for a while, ever since I left that club,” Maidana said. “Playing this game and having this impact is significant for me.”
Adding to his season-long angst was the fact he was disappointed when he showed up at the stadium on Saturday. Maidana was slated to start because the Dynamo thought they would be without defender DaMarcus Beasley after he suffered a knee injury in training Thursday.
Beasley did some work before official warm-ups Saturday and decided he was healthy enough to play. That pushed Maidana to the bench. He did not sub in until the 69th minute.
“This trade has done me well because I have been treated very well since I have been here,” Maidana said. “Overall, looking at the scope of the game, I wanted to play my role, but it did have significance.”
Philadelphia, which sits atop the Eastern Conference standings, got general allocation money, targeted allocation money and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Maidana and Andrew Wenger.
On Saturday, however, it didn’t get any points. It also did not score a goal for only the third time in 18 games.
Union coach Jim Curtin said the irony of Maidana scoring the only goal was not lost on him.
“Chaco is a great player,” Curtin said. “He got us to two Cup finals in Philadelphia. He had a great career with Philadelphia. He is a good player, and he has good left foot. He showed it tonight.”
Saturday’s victory snapped the Dynamo’s five-game MLS winless streak. The Dynamo (4-8-5) have won two U.S. Open Cup games with Wade Barrett as the interim coach, but Saturday was their first victory in league play.