Comeback win offers a bit of consolation
It feels good to be on the winning end after so many blown leads.
That fact was written on Romell Quioto’s face as he smiled before jumping into the crowd to celebrate his game-winning goal in the waning minutes of Saturday’s 3-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
“We started off good with the ball and moving the ball but we weren’t as dangerous,” coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “It wasn’t that we were playing bad but we made two mistakes and they capitalized off two mistakes.”
Forward Mauro Manotas set up the goal, attacking from the edge and fixing a pass across the mouth of the net that connected with Quoito, who initially struggled to get on top of the ball before splitting a defender and the keeper and tapping in the score in the 87th .
The Dynamo dominated their opening 30 minutes against San Jose before a foul abruptly put the game — and their slim playoff hopes — in jeopardy. The Dynamo (9-13-8, 35 points) entered the game in 10th place, needing a sizable degree of help in their push for the sixth and final Western Conference playoff spot. Through most of the first half they dominated possession and most other statistical categories including more shots (six to three) and corner kicks (four to none).
Defender Adam Lundkvist was particularly active. In the 31st minute, he nearly found Manotas, who missed wide on the would-be opening goal. Seconds later, he tapped the ball to midfielder Tomas Martinez in the area but he missed too.
Despite their shots off target, the Dynamo felt in control—until the 37th minute. That’s when defender Alejandro Fuenmayor stuck his leg out to deflect an attacking Tommy Thompson as he charged into the box. Fuenmayor was pinged for the foul, San Jose captain Chris Wondolowski stepped up to the dot and he converted to put the Earthquakes on top.
San Jose (4-19-8, 20 points) doubled the score minutes later and just before the half. In the 44th minute, it appeared to be Wondolowski again.
With an Earthquakes attack building pressure, Jackson Yueill passed the ball to Wondolowski for the shot. Instead, Fuenmayor was credited with an own-goal that pushed San Jose’s lead to 2-0 in the 45th minute.
The Dynamo rested several regulars to open the game but brought two in to begin the second half — Quioto and defender Adolfo Machado.
“We made the decision to change a little bit to give us energy to move forward and be a little more dangerous,” Cabrera said. “Coming from 2-0 to win the game 3-2 is very rewarding for a team who just played three days ago.”
In the 56th minute, the Dynamo got on the board when Manotas rifled a laser past Earthquakes keeper Andrew Tarbell. The goal gave Manotas sole possession of the club record for most goals in a single MLS campaign (15). It also puts him even with Giles Barnes for fourth on the club’s alltime scoring list (31) for goals in regular-season play.
The tying goal came in the 68th minute. Quioto lobbed an arcing corner kick to the center of the area where Tarbell got a hand on it, deflecting the ball away from the net but toward the feet of Martinez on the flank, where he slapped the ball through one defenders’ legs before it jostled past another’s elbow into the net.