For the first time in just over two years, a Texas Derby match ended in a win rather than a draw, with a Michael Barrios goal and a Santiago Mosquera brace providing FC Dallas the goals they needed for a 4-2 win over rivals Houston Dynamo at Toyota Stadium on Saturday night.
Barrios opened the scoring in the 10th minute, assisted neatly by Maximiliano Urruti for his sixth goal (plus three assists) in the last seven matches. Dallas had more chances to get on the board throughout the half, but two back-to-back Joe Willis saves kept Dallas from building on its lead, and the first half finished 1-0.
That would change early in the second half, with four goals coming in a ten-minute flurry of activity. Two of those were from Mosquera — a 48th-minute chip on a ball that got away from an off-his-line Willis, and a 51st minute strike through traffic. Mauro Manotas got a goal back for Houston, shooting from outside the box, and then Reto Ziegler converted a penalty Urruti won for drawing contact in the box. One more goal would come via penalty kick, as Alberth Elis, in an unusual sub role, closed the lead to 4-2 — but the Dynamo would get no closer.
Goals
- 10' – DAL – Michael Barrios | WATCH
- 48' – DAL – Santiago Mosquera | WATCH
- 51' – DAL – Santiago Mosquera | WATCH
- 53' – HOU – Mauro Manotas | WATCH
- 58' – DAL – Reto Ziegler (PK) | WATCH
- 72' – HOU – Alberth Elis (PK) | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: FC Dallas ran its impressive home record to 9-1-4, reclaimed the top spot in the West, and got to give its latest acquisition Abel Aguilar a bit of a late-game runout. Plus, they won El Capitan outright, avoiding any of the tie-breaking scenarios in a series that's tended to draws lately. For Houston? Oh, pobrecito! That's a winless streak extended to 10 matches, including an eight-match string in which they've taken just one of a possible 24 points. Dynamo fans can take consolation in hosting the U.S. Open Cup finals, now that the 2018 playoffs appear less attainable than ever.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Mosquera's opening goal epitomized the opportunism of Dallas's attack as well as Houston's hard luck. Willis had some fantastic saves that kept the match from being more lopsided, but his gamble to go outside the box to challenge for the ball proved devastating.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Though Mosquera had a great three minutes amounting to a great night, Barrios set the tone with his early goal that extended his scoring streak, and showed his uncanny ability to run up and down a flank in a manner that leaves defenses confounded.
Next Up
- DAL: Saturday, September 15 vs. Columbus Crew SC (8 pm ET | TV & streaming info)
- HOU: Saturday, September 15 vs. Portland Timbers (8:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info)
