CRUSHED AT HOME: HOUSTON CAN’T ANSWER AGAISNT A MESSI-LESS MIAMI
Written By: Vicente Garcia Miale, SFL Staff Writer
HOUSTON – Houston Dynamo FC suffered its second loss in a row after facing an Inter Miami side that lacked its most promising star, Lionel Messi.
Thousands of fans gathered at Shell Energy Stadium to witness Houston’s first-ever MLS Sunday Night Soccer, one of the new alterations made within the league’s scheduling system.
With only two changes from its first starting eleven, Ben Olsen attempted to battle Javier Mascherano’s front. Franco Escobar and Erik Sviatchenko formed a backline that conceded six minutes into the match after failing to connect a difficult pass trying to build out the back. Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez’s pressure was enough to win the ball back in Houston’s 18-yard box, where Telasco Segovia found the bottom of the net.
Olsen’s side looked to possess the ball and change the game's rhythm when Allende found the net for Miami’s second goal of the night. Miami’s 2-0 lead arrived after Segovia and Suarez combined down the middle to put Tadeo Allende in a one-beat-one scenario in front of Andrew Tarbell’s goal. Miami’s collective effort and great pressure from its attackers led to another stolen ball when Houston captain Artur failed to control the ball, allowing Inter Miami to secure a 3-0 lead with Segovia’s brace right before the end of the first half.
Houston’s lack of roster depth did not stop Olsen from making rotations at the beginning of the second half as Nico Lodeiro, Ethan Bartlow, and Daniel Steres entered the match. Although Houston looked to create danger the match’s pace slowly came down before picking up in the final ten minutes of the show.
Luis Suarez, who collected three assists in the match, did not leave empty-handed. A skillful run near the left side of Houston’s 18-yard box saw Suarez beat three defenders on, allowing him to score Miami’s fourth goal of the match.
Houston ended a horrible night at The Shell with a little light between the darkness as Nico Lodeiro found the net for the first time as a Dynamo player. A great collective effort led to a Miami turnover that ended in Erik Duenas' feet. The midfielder filtered a great pass to Lodeiro in front of Miami’s net.
A final score of 1-4 showed a packed stadium the lack of depth within Houston’s roster and the inability of Houston’s front office to incorporate new talent.
“We live by the idea of earning the right to play, and we want to
play soccer the right way. We want to be brave and earn the win. But we’re still trying to
figure ourselves out, and in these types of games, we have to stay in it with more
personality. They're a good team, and I think in the end we were outcoached. The loss
hurts, but we’ll keep moving forward,” said Olsen.
Houston will look to bounce back in their visit to Columbus on March, Saturday 8.
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