Not all stat sheets are created equal. Case in point: Houston Dynamo FC's 2-1 win at Minnesota United FC over the weekend.
Sure, Houston's fourth victory in their last five games will be credited to an Alejandro Bran own goal (38') and Sebastian Kowalczyk's long-range blast with 13 minutes remaining. But none of that would've been possible without defender Ethan Bartlow's miraculous goal-line clearance earlier in the match.
With the match scoreless in the 34th minute, Minnesota looked poised to take the lead when Wil Trapp took advantage of some sloppy Dynamo play out of the back to chip goalkeeper Steve Clark. However, Bartlow had other plans, sliding fearlessly past Trapp to prevent the shot from clearing the goal line and stun the Allianz Field crowd.
Game-saving plays don't come bigger than this, making Bartlow the obvious choice for Energy Moment of the Matchday presented by Celsius for Matchday 9.
"This was his best game that I've seen him play since I've been here, so that's really encouraging," Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said post-match of the 24-year-old center back. "He was composed, I thought he was reading the game well and he was big in the aerial duels... great game from him."
Third in the Western Conference, Houston (4W-2L-1D, 13 points) host Texas rivals Austin FC Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
