Advertisement

Galaxy shuts off Dynamo streak

Share

The Houston Dynamo, owner of the best record in Major League Soccer, gave Galaxy fans a nervous feeling that wouldn’t be put to rest until the very end of Sunday night’s game, when they were showered with victory confetti.

It was a feeling Galaxy fans have been deprived of for much of a season in which the team has recorded only three victories.

But on a night when the home crowd perhaps needed a reason to forget the U.S. national team’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final earlier Sunday, the Galaxy supplied a dose of amnesia in the form of a 1-0 victory that ended the Dynamo’s 11-game unbeaten streak in front of 17,938 at the Home Depot Center.

Advertisement

The Galaxy ended a two-game skid, the second such streak in Coach Bruce Arena’s tenure, on the strength of Todd Dunivant’s goal in the 24th minute.

The Galaxy (3-3-9) took advantage of a Houston club that was missing several players (injuries and call-ups) in the first game of a five-game trip.

The Galaxy also had absences to deal with, including forward Landon Donovan, who played for the U.S. against Brazil in South Africa.

That created an opportunity for Dunivant, who recorded his first goal of the season off an assist from Mike Magee.

After receiving a pass from out of bounds, Magee dribbled toward the goal and fed the ball to Dunivant, who gently led it.

The Galaxy hung on the rest of the way, fending off attempts by Houston (8-3-4) to claw back into it.Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts recorded his third shutout of the season.

Advertisement

“Obviously, a good win for us,” Arena said. “A tough game, a blue-collar game. A game where [there was] nothing wrong, from getting a goal, and defending and getting your three points. It’s a good exercise; it’s a good habit to get into.”

The Galaxy collected 15 fouls, 12 in the first half, which Houston Coach Dominic Kinnear said partly explained his team’s loss.

“I think their defenders were being a little tight, a little physical,” Kinnear said. “I think we came out flat tonight. . . . I think in the first half they were just a little more physical than we were.”

Even though the Dynamo left Sunday’s game with the league’s best record intact, Kinnear dismissed any notion that Houston underestimated the Galaxy.

“No, not at all,” Kinnear said. “I think we’re never over-confident when we step on the field because we have respect for all teams we play against.”

--

mario.aguirre@latimes.com

Advertisement
Advertisement