Posted on October 23, 2012
HOUSTON — A draw was just as good as a victory for the Houston Dynamo on Tuesday night.
Andre Hainault headed in a corner kick in the 65th minute to boost the Dynamo to a 1-1 tie with 10-man Olimpia and into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Dynamo (2-0-2, eight points), which needed a win or a tie to advance, captured Group 3, while Olimpia (1-1-2, five) finished second and out of the money.
The quarterfinals will be played next year.
It certainly proved to be a contentious game as seven yellow cards — four to Houston — and one red card were handed out. Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear also was ordered from the bench for arguing with game officials.
“I was really happy with the second half performance,” Kinnear told reporters. “I think our second half was much better and it was a great goal by Andre and we qualified for the quarterfinals. So it’s been a great three or four days for the guys and for the club. Really happy with the response and the way we handled ourselves in the second half.”
The Dynamo clinched a berth in the Major League Soccer playoffs over the weekend.
“It was massive,” goalkeeper Tyler Deric told the Houston Chronicle. “It’s a lot of momentum built clinching playoffs and then clinching quarterfinals in a couple of days. It’s a great feeling. All the guys are flying high right now.”
After both teams felt each other out in the opening 15 minutes, Olimpia had the first opportunity when Brazilian Douglas Caetano headed a right-wing cross wide left in the 17th minute.
Two minutes later, Luis Garrido tried to convert a 4 v 4 situation, but he sent his shot over the crossbar.
Caetano found himself with yet another chance in the 21st minute and he did not squander his opportunity. Calen Carr set up a free kick by fouling an Olimpia player some 30 yards out on the left side. Caetano then stepped up and sent a laser beam of a shot over goalkeeper Tyler Deric misjudged just a bit. Deric was out of the net by a couple of steps, but could not recover in time as the visitors grabbed a 1-0 advantage.
“These games are like this when both teams want to win badly,” Caetano was quoted by the Chronicle.
Houston’s Colin Clark got tangled with Olimpia’s Israel Fonseca in the penalty area in the 39th minute, a play in which Kinnear felt should have resulted in a penalty kick.
Kinnear, who was on the fourth official for part of the first half, complained about the non-call to the ref and was dismissed from the Dynamo bench by the referee in the 41st minute, leaving his assistant coaches in charge for the rest of the match.
Kinnear was forced to watch the rest of the match on TV from the team locker room. What transpired in the 65th minute he certainly had to like as his team equalized with the Honduran club.
Nate Sturgis, taking over corner kick service for Brad Davis (who did not play), sent the ball into the penalty. Andre Hainault beat his man and nodded the ball from six yards past goalkeeper Donis Escober for a 1-1 deadlock.
Two minutes after Houston’s Calen Carr and Escober traded yellow cards, Cam Weaver almost gave the hosts the lead when he headed an attempt off the right post in the 77th minute.
Olimpia was forced to finish the match a man down after Brayan Beckeles was awarded his second yellow card in 11 minutes in the 79th minute when he pushed Calen Carr out of bounds.
Photo: Andre Hainault connected for the equalizer for Houston, which was good enough to boost the MLS club into the CCL quarterfinals. Andy Mead/YJC
Categories: Central America, Champions League, Honduras, North America, U.S.A.
Tags: Brayan Beckles, Calen Carr, Cam Weaver, CONCACAF Champions League, Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo, Israel Fonseca, Nate Sturgis, Olimpia
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