Houston Dynamo FC picked up their first road victory of the season tonight with a 3-1 win over Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. The match started at 9:55 p.m. Eastern Time after a 107-minute weather delay due to lightning in the area near the stadium.
Three second-half goals – a pair from forward Fafa Picault and one from forward Darwin Quintero – propelled the Dynamo to victory in a match that ended just before midnight on the East Coast. Center back Ethan Bartlow started and went the distance in his Major League Soccer debut, ending the night with four clearances, seven passes into the final third and 61 total touches.
After a scoreless first half, Houston took the lead in the 49th minute off a cross from defender Griffin Dorsey that found Quintero outside the six-yard box. The five-foot-five Quintero leapt and calmy headed the ball toward the far post for his third goal of the season.
The Dynamo doubled their lead in the 57th minute from the penalty spot after Picault converted the spot kick for his first goal of the season. The Dynamo were awarded the penalty kick after Quintero was brought down inside the box by the Maimi goalkeeper.
Miami pulled within a goal in the 66th minute after Gonzalo Higuain converted a penalty kick. The local team was awarded a foul inside the box after the Dynamo goalkeeper attempted to punch the ball away from Robert Taylor.
Picault put the nail in the coffin with a low strike in the 93rd minute on a counterattack. With Miami committing numbers forward in search of a late equalizer, Houston midfielder Coco Carrasquilla won possession in his own end and found forward Tyler Pasher at midfield, who played Picault into space along the right flank.
Houston’s first opportunity of the match came in the sixth minute on a breakaway from Picault, who forced a save from Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman at the far post.
Miami Forward Ari Lassiter sparked a rebuttal on the opposite end seconds later by forcing a save from Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark at the near post. The Dynamo shot stopper finished with four saves on the night.
Dorsey found forward Sebastián Ferreira inside the box in the 35th minute, but the Paraguayan’s bicycle kick was just off target at the near post. Ferreira is one of three players that returned from international duty this week and the forward earned his first cap for the senior national team against Peru on Tuesday, March 29.
The Dynamo return to PNC Stadium for a pair of home matches, first on April 9 when they host the San Jose Earthquakes and then on April 16 when they welcome the Portland Timbers. For tickets and additional information, visit HoustonDynamoFC.com.
