SHORT-HANDED CLUB RALLIES FROM EARLY DEFICIT FOR 1-ALL TIE.
After rough start and missed opportunities, Manotas’ second-half goal salvages draw
New coach Tab Ramos was hired to orchestrate a more aggressive Dynamo attack this season.
In his debut, Houston asserted itself despite missing forwards Alberth Elis and Darwin Quintero and facing an early deficit, tying the LA Galaxy 1-1 at BBVA Stadium on Saturday.
“I thought the first 10 minutes we looked a little bit nervous, maybe the crowd, the first game. All those things made us start out a little bit slow, and that caused us to have to start out from behind,” Ramos said. “Other than that, I’m happy with what the team did today.”
In the 13th minute, Galaxy forward Cristian Pavon received a long outlet pass from goalkeeper David Bingham and quickly pushed forward before cutting inside along the top of the box and firing a shot into the top corner of the net where new Dynamo keeper Marko Maric had no chance to reach it.
“The tough part about playing such talented players is they just need just one moment,” defender Zarek Valentin said. “I think we outshot them, probably had more possession, a lot of the stats probably went in our favor, but in this league the margins are so small.”
The Dynamo outshot Los Angeles 9-5 in the first half and 15-11 in the game, and controlled possession for nearly 60 percent of the match.
But just two of those 15 shots were on target, and none connected until the 54th minute, when Valentin weaved a pass through two Galaxy defenders to Mauro Manotas in the box. He took a moment to calibrate his shot and kicked it past Bingham to tie the match.
“Me and Mauro developed a pretty decent connection for my first four weeks here,” Valentin said. “He just makes great movement. He’s one of these guys where if you get him the ball, you don’t give him too many chances, or else he’ll put it in the net.”
Late in the game, Houston’s high press gave way to Galaxy opportunities.
Dynamo defender Aljaz Struna made a game-saving block when midfielder Joe Corona tried to slip a shot into Houston’s empty net in the 66th minute.
Maric, who overcame a second-half cramp, didn’t appear bothered by it when he elevated for a leaping 74th-minute save on Sebastian Lletget’s left-footed shot from the center of the box.
“It’s hot, February, I still have to get used to it,” Maric said. “This weather is warm; in Europe it’s cold. It was a cramp, thank God it was nothing more, and I feel good now.”
The Dynamo will visit Sporting Kansas City next Saturday.
In a sense, that could provide a better early measure for how the team looks under Ramos after it won just two of 17 road games a year ago.
When Houston takes the field next week, Ramos wants to see more fluid and efficient ball movement in the box.
“We pride ourselves and sort of built the team so we can play the ball wide and get the ball open so we can have one v. ones on the wings, and we did that a lot. It must have been 30, 40 times that we found ourselves in position wide,” Ramos said. “We need to work on what happens after.”