Austin FC made its first trip to Houston looking for the Club’s second victory of the season against the in-state rival. ATXFC bested the Dynamo in their first meeting on Aug. 4, but tonight, it was Houston who took the points with a 3-0 win at BBVA Stadium.
Griffin Dorsey started the scoring just 48 seconds in after Darwin Quintero was able to get a shot off from inside the box that forced Brad Stuver to make a diving save. The rebound fell to Dorsey who fired a shot that beat a recovering Stuver.
Fafa Picault added to Houston’s lead in the 24th minute when a poor touch from Julio Cascante led to the forward’s opportunity on goal. Picault found the bottom corner of the net to Stuver’s left. The Dynamo took a 2-0 lead into halftime despite Austin creating a couple of chances.
Austin looked to have scored its opener in the 64th minute when Rodney Redes latched onto a long ball and played in a beautiful cross to an onrushing Cecilio Domínguez. The forward’s shot was saved by Dynamo goalkeeper Michael Nelson and banged off the post. Within seconds, it was Picault on the break at the other end of the field, securing his second goal of the night.
THREE THINGS
- STRONG SUPPORT: Hundreds of Austin FC Supporters made the trip to Houston to represent the Club in its first match at BBVA Stadium. The ATXFC faithful were loud throughout the night, cheering on the Verde & Black.
- RUBBER MATCH: With each Club now having a win against the other, the season series will be decided on Oct. 24 when the Dynamo come back up to Austin to face ATXFC.
- BACK TO Q2: After two straight on the road, Austin returns home to Q2 Stadium on Wednesday in what will be the first of three in a row at home. All three California teams are set to visit Austin over a span of 11 days.
QUOTABLES
- Wolff on allowing a goal in the first minute: "Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable. On a lot of levels, unacceptable. Players responsibility and intensity when the ball is in play, just the general demeanor of some of our players at the beginning of the game is unacceptable."
- Ring on the team's struggles: "The difference between MLS and other leagues is that the level is very close because you have a salary cap. Teams are, talent-wise, very close to one another and if you don't bring the grit, the desire, the fight then it doesn't matter -- you're not going to win games in this league."
- Wolff on what's in store for the next few matches: "We're definitely assessing what we have game-by-game. We got three games in a week and there's certainly going to be some changes over the next game as well as the third. Playoffs I don't really worry about, we have to get these guys ready to compete for a game."
