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Hainault header steers Dynamo into CCL quarters

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

When the Houston Dynamo headed to the locker room during Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions League match against CD Olimpia, they had reason to worry. Head coach Dom Kinnear had been ejected during the first half, Olimpia had taken a 1-0 lead and the Dynamo were going to have to comeback without their coach and without standouts Brad Davis and Will Bruin.

Andre Hainault headed home a Nathan Sturgis corner kick in the 65th minute to give the Dynamo the vital goal they needed to earn a 1-1 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday night.

The draw allowed Houston to finish first in its group, securing a place in the Champions league quarterfinals for the first time since the 2008-2009 tournament.

Olimpia jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a Douglas Caetano free kick in the 21st minute, capping a solid stretch of play for the visiting Honduran squad.

Things changed in the second half, as the Dynamo played with more energy and purpose and eventually earned the goal they were looking for when Hainault headed home Sturgis cross.

What did you think of the match? Impressed with Houston’s comeback? How bad was the referee? See the Dynamo making a run in the knockout round?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. 2nd worst ref i have ever seen (1st was also a concacaf). Something needs happen. This game are a joke. That game was ready to get out of hand.

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  2. I have a lot of respect for Houston. Year in and year put, up or down they always seem to have a core of quality that seems to shine through.

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    • we appreciate that. i actually had good hopes for philly this year, especially after a union playoff appearance last year, but nowak really messed it up. not completely sold on hacksworth yet but i will give him more time.

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  3. olimpia supporters should not have been allowed to sit in our “end zone” area. they should have been made to sit opposite end zone. an object was thrown from the top area to our bottom area on supporter’s group. luckily HPD and security acted right away to contain.

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  4. The refs in this game is exactly why the CONCACAF is a joke. One of the worst reffed games I have ever personally witnessed. This guy made Toledo look like a saint.

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    • LOL, yes but its no surprise. concacaf refs are as bad as mls refs. i do like the mexican refs though, but even they have their bad days.

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  5. Dynamo have good depth on the team this year. Backups have been playing most of the minutes in CONCACAF and doing well, depth a big plus. Warren Creavalle had some nice moments at right back. Hard luck for Cam weaver, hitting the post with a header yet again, seems like he has hit the woodwork once or twice a game in CONCACAF. Je-Vaughn Watson (aka Jerome Watson in FoxSportsAnnouncerWorld) and Calen Carr had great energy and ran all night. Andre Hainault header was great, (check the highlights). Smart move having Boniek come off the bench at the end to keep possession and generally keep things tight against his former club.

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    • One of the fundamental problems the team needs to resolve is who starts along Bruin at F and/or comes in at F or the wings off the bench b/c your buddy Carr runs around a lot but hits wormburner crosses that 2/3 of the games are to no one, Kandji is freelancing all the time and with modest success, and Watson is also hit and miss. When they are playing well they offer us a speed element that balances the team better; when they play poorly as shown by stretches last night, the offense looks punchless and dead ball dependent.

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    • It’s not a B side, we have our A Team and our 1st Team. and I’m starting to prefer some the players in our “B” side.

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      • I prefer Hainault and Creavalle to Sarkodie and Ashe. I think ol’ Dom’s got that one backwards and you don’t have to watch many games to see it.

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