The Houston Dynamo lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy last night thanks to a Landon Donovan goal on a penalty kick. It was Donovan’s league leading 8th goal of the season. With the loss, the Dynamo remained winless in the month of May and will have one more shot for that elusive May win as they return home to face the streaking FC Dallas on Saturday night.
The Galaxy earned a penalty kick in first half stoppage time when Dynamo midfielder Lovel Palmer was called for a handball in the box. Palmer looked to be trying to block Chris Birchall’s shot with his chest when the ball appeared to hit his right arm. The Dynamo pleaded their case to the referee but the penalty was given. Birchall’s shot appeared to be headed well wide of Tally Hall’s goal but Palmer instinctively got hit body in front of the shot and that is where he got in trouble. Donovan coolly stepped to the spot and sent Hall the wrong way for the eventual game winning goal.
For the Dynamo in this game it was more of the same headaches. The Galaxy played a defensive game in the second half to protect their lead and it worked. As I said in the preview, the Dynamo would go with how Brad Davis goes. While Davis was in the game the Dynamo were lacking badly in the final third. When Davis was subbed out in the 61st minute, the offense in the final third was non-existent. Forwards, Koke, Will Bruin, and second half sub Cam Weaver had to come back too far to retrieve the ball. Houston desperately needs an attacking midfielder to pull the strings, something they had in Dwayne De Rosario when they won their two championships.
Houston has a quick turnaround as they return home to face Texas rivals FC Dallas on Saturday. There has been a lot of back and forth lately in this rivalry. The Dynamo put up a billboard in the Dallas area claiming they were “Two Times Better Than Dallas” with an image of their two MLS Cups. Dallas hit back with flying banners over Robertson Stadium. Both teams will have a chance to prove it on the field Saturday night as El Capitan, an 18th century cannon, is on the line in the Texas derby.
(image courtesy of Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
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