Loss to L.A. leaves Dynamo stunned
But the one thing they didn't do was find the back of the net. Santino Quaranta took the one shot that counted for Los Angeles with a volley in the 69th minute that settled inside the far post and gave his club the 1-0 win at Reliant Stadium.
"It was a dream goal by him," said Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear. "So our guys put everything into it; it's quite a few times now that we've gone walking away with one point or zero when we should be walking away with three. So I know the guys are dejected."
Dynamo thought they had tied the match in the 82nd minute as they appeared to have scored on a corner. But the referee's assistant ruled Eddie Robinson knocked the ball into the goal with a handball.
"It hurts me to say it, but he made the correct call," said Kinnear. "I felt bad for our two forwards -- they were getting manhandled a little bit, but sometimes that's how games are called.
"But I'm very surprised to stand here talking about a loss. I felt the way we played we should have had the three points, but we just didn't execute."
Houston outshot the Galaxy 11-5 with Los Angeles getting just two shots on goal in the entire match. The match was also a physical one with 53 fouls called between the two sides.
"We controlled everything -- corner kicks, shots on goal," said Kinnear. "I think they had two shots, one that Pat [Onstad] came out to stop and then the easy little pass that sets up the goal. I think the thing that upsets the guys -- it's not that we lost, but the way we lost."
Rookie Stuart Holden made his first MLS start after coming into the starting XI last Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup. Holden came into the team for All-Star Game hero Dwayne De Rosario, who was sent off in the last league match before the All-Star break. The Canadian MVP candidate has been the engine that has run the Dynamo midfield for much of the season; on Wednesday, Holden played wide on the left while Brad Davis came in to pull the strings in the center of midfield.
"[Holden] played against the Carolina Dynamo last week," said Kinnear. "Just let him feel what it's like to get out there. I think he played well and the entire team played well."
Dynamo still have a seven-point gap behind Western Conference leader FC Dallas, with the two teams set to play Saturday evening at Robertson Stadium.
Scott Joiner is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
