Dynamo continue playoff push with come-from-behind win over Sporting KC.
The Dynamo have scored a record number of goals on their own this season, but one the other team scored for them Wednesday night could go down as one of the most pivotal in their pursuit of a return to the playoffs.
Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown knocked a Dynamo free kick into his own net for a goal in the 77th minute that gave the Dynamo a comefrom-behind 2-1 victory at BBVA Compass Stadium.
It is the first time this season the Dynamo (12-1010) won a game after trailing at halftime.
The result puts them four points clear of the playoff line with two games remaining in the regular season. Their last postseason appearance came in 2013.
Fortuitous free kick
The Dynamo and Kansas City (12-8-12) meet again Sunday in Kansas City. The Dynamo will try to build on their first back-to-back wins since May.
“It is massive,” goalkeeper Tyler Deric said. “We knew we had to get a positive result, and three points was the only result we needed. It was tough going down 1-0, but this team is about being resilient and stepping up whenever our backs are against the wall.”
The play on which the winning goal scored came began when Dynamo midfielder Tomas Martinez served an in-swinging free kick to the face of the net. The ball bounced inside the 6-yard line to Palmer-Brown, who had no time to react before kicking it in.
Deric saved a great attempt by Kansas City defender Seth Sinovic in the 93rd minute as the Dynamo held on.
The own goal signaled the end of a dramatic turnaround the Dynamo desperately needed after looking listless for much of the game.
The Dynamo’s attack lacked danger for the first 60 minutes. Except for a great opportunity by Vicente Sanchez in the minutes following Kansas City’s opener by Jimmy Medranda in the 33rd minute, the Dynamo never looked threatening in the first half.
Kansas City overwhelmed the Dynamo in the midfield. Kansas City has limited opposing attacks this season by pressuring the ball as soon as it commits a turnover. That strategy worked well against the Dynamo, who want nothing more than to get the ball forward as quickly as possible.
They rarely got it forward in a promising spot, and when they did, Kansas City’s players were there to stop the attack from building.
Martinez strikes
The Dynamo finally turned it around after 15 minutes into the second half and pulled level on a brilliant volley by Martinez.
The play began when Sanchez played a long diagonal pass through the right side of the penalty area. Palmer-Brown barely missed it, which allowed Dynamo right back A.J. DeLaGarza to run it near the end line.
DeLaGarza lofted a cross to the middle of the box that a defender headed toward the top of the box. The ball fell to Martinez, who ripped a left-footed shot toward the near post. Goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra was in perfect position but missed it.
“We never lost our concentration or our work tactically,” coach Wilmer Cabrera said. “Despite us trailing at halftime, we came back with more intensity, with more desire and we started to put more pressure on them. We started to find more of the ball to break through.
“We were fortunate to find the two goals. We created some other good chances throughout the