Brad Davis, who has arranged so many important Houston Dynamo goals through the years, turned into the goal scorer for his club Tuesday. And it was a massive one.
Davis provided the Dynamo with a late goal in a 1-0 win over Santos in the teams’ CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series opener. The clubs move to Torreon, Mexico, for next week’s decider.
Houston started Tuesday contest a bit nervous, but was eventually the slightly stronger side.
Neither team looked to be at top speed. Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall nearly put his team in trouble with some sloppy balls off his feet, and other Dynamo defenders seemed to have similar clearing issues.
Right back Kofi Sarkodie had an especially rough time.
Even Davis’ set-piece deliveries weren’t the usual bit of crisp bacon that we’re used to, as the Dynamo veteran needed extra time to get going upon his halftime introduction. Davis was the only change from Houston’s starting lineup from the weekend’s 2-0 league win over D.C. United.
But Adam Moffat, Boniek Garcia and the midfield was strong enough. Giles Barnes continues to work himself into the true, attacking midfielder that’s been missing around BBVA Compass Stadium. Plus, Scottish midfielder Andrew Driver made his Dynamo debut late Tuesday.
The Dynamo would surely love to take a 2- of 3-goal lead to Mexico, but the psychological impact of even a one-goal cushion cannot be underestimated. Dominic Kinnear’s team – the coach was suspended for last night’s match, by the way – knows that a tie will be sufficient in Torreon, although even that will be difficult.
Full match highlights are here:
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