Not so pretty, but three points just the same

Union get much-needed win to stay atop East

CHESTER >> The reminder was so desperately needed that Jim Curtin provided it without prompting.

Yeah, the Union won Sunday, 2-1 over the Houston Dynamo. But it took two fluky goals for the firstplace hosts to overwhelm a team that entered ninth in the Western Conference.

“Overall, not our best,” Curtin said. “… I think our roster and our talent level is too good for a performance like tonight. Having said that, we did get an important three points. A lot of work on now if we want to be mentioned in the elite teams in the league. A performance like tonight is nowhere near good enough.”

The performance required two fortuitous goals — by Jack Elliott in the 78th minute, compounding a Kacper Przybylko goal on a Joe Willis howler in the first half — before a crowd of 18,450, the Union’s fourth sellout of the season.

Sunday had “trap game” written all over it. The Union were in first, wellrested, confident off of one of their best results of the year. Houston limped into its third game in nine days, missing two starters to suspension, off a heartbreaking stoppage-time loss in New York Thursday and dangling on the playoff precipice.

Union sides of the past have come up small on such occasions. The new and improved Union still flunked the optics test, but summoned the grit to get a result and stay in first in the East, three points clear of Atlanta. At 13-7-6, the Union (45 points) move six games above .500 for the first time in franchise history.

Christian Ramirez, in his Houston debut, scored just before halftime to punish a generally lackadaisical Union. But the home team did just enough, aided by an injury that limited Houston to 10 men for the last eight minutes of the game after it had run out of subs.

The winner was ugly but effective, off a short corner. Ilsinho, after a bad dive attempt, passed to fellow sub Jamiro Monteiro to loop in a cross. Aurelien Collin flicked it on for Houston right back Jose Bizama to clear off Elliott’s face, off the crossbar, then headed home by Elliott.

“I saw it going over the goalkeeper and then I was just waiting to see what was happening like everyone else, to see if it was going to bounce and go over or if it stayed,” Elliott said. “Luckily it went in the right place, and I’m extremely pleased with it.”

Elliott had a goal taken off the board for an offside earlier in the half. It made the second, his second of the season and fifth career, that much sweeter.

“You could see straightaway I was looking over at the assistant to see if he was going to put his flag up,” Elliott said. “Thankfully he didn’t get two in one game. Definitely feels good to get one after you get one taken away.”

The first half was adequate if boring from the hosts until a blip just before halftime. The Union were sloppy in possession and turned the ball over far too easily. It took some wasteful finishing for Houston not to punish them, then a cascade of errors on the first goal to let the Union sneak ahead.

Haris Medunjanin drove at the heart of the defense in the 18th and appeared to lose the ball to Juan David Cabezas, but Cabezas passed it to Przybylko to play a 1-2 with Medunjanin. The German’s shot was right at Willis, but it squirted off his hands and through the five-hole for Przybylko’s 11th goal.

“It was a double pass with Haris and in the end he gave me the ball and I just finished,” Przybylko said. “I also don’t care how it went in. It went in.”

That good work was undone by a lapse in the 42nd. The Union were pulled out of shape, and with Ray Gaddis slow to recover at right back, DaMarcus Beasley was afforded acres of space down the left wing. As he has for decades, Beasley crossed a dangerous ball, and no one stepped to Ramirez, acquired from Los Angeles FC midweek. Ramirez made no mistake with his first goal in a Dynamo shirt and fifth of the season.

Houston was the livelier side of the first 10 minutes of the second half. Elliott had to clear a Mauro Manotas shot off the line after Andre Blake had charged out to put pressure on the striker. Blake, then Kai Wagner were called on to get a foot to dangerous crosses by Memo Rodriguez into the six-yard box. Cabezas hit the deck in the 82nd minute and limped off favoring his right leg. He wouldn’t return, leaving Houston down a man for the last eight minutes plus stoppage time.

All those breaks were necessary for the Union to salvage a dodgy three points at home. It says something to Curtin that his team was capable of marshalling that resilience, but it’s equally indicative that they needed to dig so deep to get past Houston.

“It’s one of those things that at this time of the year, it sort of happens,” Elliott said. “The most important thing I think at this part of the year is winning, and sometimes you have to win ugly. That’s exactly what today was. Today we showed we can do that.”