Griffin Dorsey got Houston Dynamo FC off to a fast start with a first-minute goal and Fafa Picault added two goals of his own on either side of halftime en route to a 3-0 win over Austin FC at BBVA Stadium Saturday night, snapping a 16-match winless streak.
In a battle between two teams way outside the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs race, the victory lifts Houston above Austin and off the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
And Houston wasted no time getting on the board, scoring just 48 seconds in via an attack that Darwin Quintero spearheaded with an initial shot on goal. Dorsey then pounced on the rebound.
The Dynamo got their second goal in the 24th minute, with Austin defender Julio Cascante trying to deal with a Route 1 pass. But he put it in the path of Picault, who was delighted to get on the end of the miscue and finish.
Austin created a few chances to get on the board before halftime but ultimately didn't register a shot on goal through the opening 45. Close calls included Tomas Pochettino with a shot from distance in the 15th minute that just slipped wide of the post, and Cecilio Dominguez slipping and whiffing at the far post in the 28th minute on a corner kick that had his name on it.
Austin tried to push for an opening goal after halftime, with Alex Ring going close on a 53rd-minute curler that Dynamo keeper Michael Nelson saved. Then Dominguez and fellow Paraguayan Rodney Redes nearly combined on a goal, but that saved attempt sprung a counter-attack that Teenage Hadebe worked to Picault for his second goal of the match and eighth on the season.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Houston got their first win since May 22, and while it’s still a long climb for them to get into playoff contention, it was a welcome three points after what amounted to a lost summer. Austin have now lost nine of their most recent 11 matches. What’s more, it’s the fourth time this season (in their five wins) that they’ve followed up a victory with three straight defeats. Though Austin have weathered multiple injuries and hard-luck matches this season, this particular defeat to a Texas rival doesn’t bode well for Josh Wolff and company.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Most matches don’t get their key moment in the first minute, but Dorsey’s goal encapsulated this one. Houston were ready from the get-go.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Picault, who famously turned on the jets for a goal against Austin in preseason that really kicked off this rivalry in earnest, got two goals in the match. His speed proved too much for Austin’s backline.
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