Saturday’s BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup match against Santos Laguna won’t be the first time that the Dynamo have seen Los Guerreros in action. The two sides also faced off in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals 2013, and produced a 3-1 aggregate win for Santos.
The Dynamo entered the knockout rounds of the competition for the first time since 2008, while Santos had reached the final of the 2011-12 edition of the tournament and was the 2012 Liga MX Clausura champion.
The quarterfinal took place just a week after the Dynamo opened the 2013 regular season. Houston hosted the first match of the two-legged tie, and could not accept a loss in the States if they were to have any hope of advancing.
Santos entered as favorites, and their formidable attacking duo of Darwin Quintero and Herculez Gomez put pressure on the Dynamo defense but was unable to secure an important away goal past Tally Hall.
Brad Davis began the match on the bench but subbed in at halftime and ended up being the difference in the 89th minute. Corey Ashe raced down the left flank and put the Santos defense on their heels before pulling a pass back for Davis, who placed a low left-footed shot across the face of goal and inside the far post for the 1-0 victory. The win extended Houston’s home unbeaten streak in all competitions to 32 games.
The teams met again a week later in Torreon, Mexico, with the Dynamo just needing a draw or an away goal and no more than a one-goal loss to advance. Things didn’t start well for the Dynamo, as Warren Creavalle was whistled for a foul in the box on Oribe Peralta in the 23rd minute. Juan Pablo Ramirez’s initial penalty kick was saved off the underside of the crossbar by Hall, but Ramirez beat defender Bobby Boswell to the rebound at the open net to tie the aggregate score.
Gomez, the killer of American teams in CCL play, put Santos in the lead five minutes later as he narrowly beat Hall to a ball at the edge of the penalty area to again score on an open goal. The Dynamo had their chances, out-shooting the hosts 13-12, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Marc Crosas put the game and the series out of reach in the 77th minute as he volleyed home an Osmar Mares cross at the far post for a 3-0 final score.
Santos went on to finish as runners-up once again in the 2012-13 tournament, falling in the final to fellow Mexican side Monterrey. It was the last time that the Dynamo have faced a Mexican side, as they didn't make it out of the group stage of the 2013-14 CCL.
