Mauro Manotas and Chandler Hoffman each scored two goals as the Houston Dynamo captured the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup with a 4-0 victory over Santos Laguna on Saturday night.
The Dynamo improve to 4-3-0 all-time in the Charities Cup, with wins over Santos Laguna, Stoke City, Monterrey and Aguila.
The friendly match was the first meeting between the Dynamo and Santos Laguna since the reigning Liga MX champions defeated Houston in the 2013 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
Manotas, a 20-year-old Colombian who signed with the Dynamo in May, scored for the first time since June 30, when he scored his first Houston goal against the Colorado Rapids in the U.S. Open Cup.
Hoffman, back after a loan spell with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in USL, scored his first two Dynamo goals in his first appearance since June 30.
The opening goal arrived in the 41th minute as Brad Davis dribbled through a crowd of Santos Laguna defenders at the top of the box and tested goalkeeper Julio Gonzalez with a low shot from 12 yards. Manotas put the rebound home from six yards for a 1-0 Dynamo lead.
Manotas drew a penalty kick in the 49th minute as Davis centered after a strong buildup with Alexander López. Manotas settled the ball and was tripped by his Santos defender and the Dynamo gained the spot kick. Manotas confidently converted the penalty, going to the bottom right corner and past the dive of Gonzalez for his second goal of the night.
Three Dynamo players who spent the summer on loan created the third goal. Memo Rodriguez, back after spending the season with the Charleston Battery, began the scoring play seven minutes after entering the game as a substitute. From the right edge of the box, he drove a low cross to Zach Steinberger, back from Indy Eleven, and his shot was saved by Gonzalez, but the Dynamo were once again first to react as Hoffman buried the rebound from close range for a 3-0 lead.
The Dynamo gained their second penalty of the night only a minute later as substitute Rob Lovejoy drew a foul at the end line.
Like Manotas, Hoffman stepped to the spot and converted the penalty kick, going low and to his left to complete his two-goal night and complete the scoring.
The Dynamo opened the game with a strong lineup, with six holdovers in the starting lineup from Sunday’s loss at FC Dallas – Davis, Will Bruin, Ricardo Clark, Leonel Miranda, Raúl RodrÃguez and David Horst.
In the first half, Santos Laguna gained the best of the early chances. In the 17th minute, Cape Verde national team forward Djaniny Tavares headed over the cross bar from a good cross from Jesus Escoboza. The sequence began with a good diagonal through ball from Jesus Molina.
Three minutes later, Tavares fired high from 25 yards after a good layoff from Escoboza.
Houston’s best chance of the first half hour came in the 27th minute as a long throw in from Sheanon Williams was settled by Manotas, who just missed the near upper corner with a half volley from 15 yards on the right edge of box.
Santos continued to push for the opening goal in the 34th minute. From a free kick, a deflected header fell to Javier Orozco, who missed wide with an overhead kick from 12 yards.
It was Tavares coming close once again a minute later. The forward capped a very creative set piece with a header off the cross bar from four yards after Escoboza’s free kick was headed across goal by Molina.
Later, another quality set piece from Santos provided a scoring chance as Bryan Rabello’s corner kick was smashed by Orozco over the goal from 15 yards.
Houston made three changes at halftime, with López, Rasheed Olabiyi and Kofi Sarkodie entering the match for Clark, Horst and Bruin.
Trailing 2-0 in the 63rd minute, Tavares hit the cross bar again, driving past two Houston defenders onto his left foot and clipping the top of the bar at near upper corner from 16 yards.
Five minutes later Lovejoy received a pass from Olabiyi on left wing, cut inside and past two defenders, but his shot was blocked from 15 yards.
Next up, the Dynamo host the Seattle Sounders at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18 at BBVA Compass Stadium in the final home game of the regular season.
Houston Dynamo vs. Santos Laguna
BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup
October 10, 2015 – BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,640
Scoring Summary:
Houston Dynamo: Mauro Manotas (unassisted) 41
Houston Dynamo: Mauro Manotas (unassisted) 50
Houston Dynamo: Chandler Hoffman (unassisted) 82
Houston Dynamo: Chandler Hoffman (unassisted) 84
Houston Dynamo: Joe Willis (Michael Lisch 85); Sheanon Williams, David Horst (Kofi Sarkodie 46), Raúl RodrÃguez, Taylor Hunter (AJ Cochran 64); Leonel Miranda (Memo Rodriguez 75), Nathan Sturgis (Zach Steinberger 64), Ricardo Clark (Rasheed Olabiyi 46), Brad Davis © (Rob Lovejoy 57), Will Bruin (Alexander López 46); Mauro Manotas (Chandler Hoffman 77)
Substitutes Not Used: None
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 4
Santos Laguna: Julio Gonzalez; José Abella (Óscar Bernal 58), Néstor Araujo (Kristian Alvarez 58), Adrián Aldrete (César Ibanez 58), Carlos Izquierdoz ©; Jesús Molina (Sergio Ceballos 58), Diego Gonzalez (Ulises Rivas 72), Bryan Rabello (Néstor Calderon 72), Jesús Escoboza (Luis Mendoza 72); Djaniny Tavarez, Javier Orozco (Edson Rivera 72)
Substitutes Not Used: Cristhian Lopez
TOTAL SHOTS: 12; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 11; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 2
Disciplinary Summary:
HOU: Ricardo Clark (caution) 25
HOU: Sheanon Williams (caution) 88
SAN: Kristian Alvarez (caution) 90
Referee: Nima Saghafi
Assistant Referees: Mark Cahen, Jennifer Garner
Fourth Official: Mike Arrington
