Dynamo scores two goal in five-minute span for a 2-1 comeback win over Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t hold the lead against the Houston Dynamo at Pay Pal Park in San Jose in MLS action on Sun Jul 17, 2022 (@SJEarthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — In a battle of playoff hopefuls, the Houston Dynamo scored two goals in the second half to complete a 2-1 comeback victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose had its three-match unbeaten streak snapped. Houston, with the win, have points in two of its last three matches.

Possession was even in the first half as both teams weren’t able to generate many scoring chances.

San Jose (5-8-7-22 points) had two shots on target in the opening 45 minutes. In the 13th minute, Benji Kikanovic set up Cristian Espinoza for a shot, but his attempt was grabbed by Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark.

Then late in the half in the 41st minute, Clark came up big when he knocked a rocket of a shot by Paul Marie from 20 yards out over the net for a corner kick.

Houston (7-10-4-25 points) did not generate a shot on target against Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski in the first half.

San Jose drew first blood in the 53rd minute. Off a set piece, Tommy Thompson’s header hit off the top of the crossbar and ‘Quakes captain Jackson Yueill cleaned up the rebound with a right footed shot past Clark for his fourth goal of the season.

Houston took advantage of Marie’s turnover inside San Jose’s zone in the 71st minute. Fafà Picault picked the ball from Marie, then centered a pass over to Sebastián Ferreira who kicked in a right-footed shot for his co-team leading seventh goal of the season.

“I think the mistake [on the first goal] was an individual mistake, and on the second goal we had to keep the ball out when there wasn’t a clear moment to build up, and that’s it. I don’t think it was because we were building up in the back that Houston had those opportunities. I think we committed individual mistakes and that’s why it’s a very simple analysis today,” interim head coach Alex Covelo said.

The save of the match belonged to fullback Tim Parker. In the 73rd minute, the Earthquakes thought they had regained the lead just over two minutes later when Jeremy Ebossise had the ball inside the box staring at an empty net. Ebobisse’s attempt was blocked away by Parker with a sliding save right along the goal line.

The Dynamo gained their first lead of the match in the 76th minute after the ‘Quakes failed to clear the ball out of their own zone. Darwin Quintero found Thorleifur Úlfarsson in the center of the box and he beat Marcinkowski with a left-footed shot to the far corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

San Jose had one final chance to score the equalizer on the match’s final play off of a corner kick. However, Nathan’s header attempt sailed wide left of the net.

“I just forget this game,” said Jamiro Monteiro. “It already happened. We lost. Now we’re onto next week. We still have 14 games. Tomorrow is a new day. We have a new week, new chances. Every week is a new chance for us.”

Clark finished the match with four saves on five shots to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made two saves on four shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with eight corner kicks. Houston had seven.

The ‘Quakes were without fullback Marcos Lopez who was suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation.

San Jose is 9-16-4 all time against Houston.

San Jose had its four-home match (W2 D2) unbeaten streak against Houston that dated back to 2017. Their four-match run was San Jose’s longest home unbeaten run against the Dynamo in MLS play.

The Dynamo snapped its four-game losing streak on the road. They are 4-14 from home dating back to last August.

After his right-footed goal in San Jose’s 3-2 win over the Galaxy on Wednesday, Ebobisse has now scored 10 goals with his right foot in MLS. Since 2019, Ebobisse is the only MLS player with double-digit goals with each of his right foot, his left foot and his head.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts a friendly against Spanish La Liga team RC Celta De Vigo on Wednesday 7/20 at Pay Pal Park at 7:15pm. They return to MLS action against the Portland Timbers on Saturday 7/23 at 7:30pm at Providence Park.

Dynamo hang on to defeat Earthquakes 4-3

The San Jose Earthquakes just couldn’t catch up to tie the game against the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo squeezed by with good defense keeping the Quakes out of the zone for a one goal win at PNC Stadium in Houston in MLS action on Sat Apr 9, 2022 (photo by the San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Houston Dynamo scored two goals in the second half and then hung on for dear life to preserve a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at PNC Stadium.

San Jose remain winless in their first six matches to start the season. Houston have won two matches in a row and have points in four consecutive matches.

Houston (3-1-2) drew first blood in the eighth minute off a set piece. Adam Lundqvist’s corner kick found its way on to the foot of Sebastián Ferreira and he buried a one-timer past Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski for the first of his two goals on the night.

San Jose (0-4-2) answered back in the 25th minute with the first of Jeremy Ebobisse’s two goals in the first half. Cade Cowell centered a pass in the box and Ebobisse slammed home a one-timer top shelf for his second goal of the season.

Three minutes later Ebobisse struck again for the Quakes. Jan Gregus crossed the ball into the box where an unmarked Ebobisse headed the ball into the lower left corner for his second goal and third of the season in the 28th minute.

“I think it’s tough to get too high on scoring in a defeat because ultimately it’s a defeat. It doesn’t advance the team’s goals. If the team’s goals aren’t advancing, then my individual goals aren’t either,” Ebobisse said.

Houston scored the equalizer just before halftime. Marcinkowski aggressively came out to stop Tyler Pasher’s one-on-one attempt, but Darwin Quintero cleaned up the rebound into an empty net for his team leading fourth goal of the season in the 43rd minute.

The Dynamo used the momentum of Quintero’s goal and seized the momentum in the second half with two unanswered goals 11 minutes apart.

Teenage Hadebe scored off a corner kick from Pasher with a left footed shot that beat Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season in the 57th minute.

Then in the 68th minute, Fafà Picault danced around a couple of Quakes defenders inside the box before finding Ferreira along the left side and the Paraguayan striker’s shot deflected off of Marcinkowski for his second goal of the match and of the season.

Tommy Thompson brought the Quakes back into the match in the 77th minute off a set piece. Thompson’s high volley off a corner kick beat Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark to the far side for his first goal of the season.

“It’s a difficult loss. Any time you concede four goals, you’re not going to be happy about it. It’s been a difficult start to the season. There’s no hiding from that. This is not how we planned it. It’s just something that we’re going to have to correct,” said Thompson.

San Jose had a chance to score the equalizer in the 85th minute but Clark robbed Ebobisse’s bid for a hat trick when he made a save on Ebobisse’s header that was headed for the far corner.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with two corner kicks. Houston had three.

The Quakes have a 9-15-4 overall record against Houston Dynamo FC.

Ebobisse’s two goals were also his 29th and 30th goals of his MLS career. He has now scored three goals in the last two matches. His brace marks the third of his MLS career and first since Oct. 7, 2020 (vs. LA).

Thompson also made his 163rd appearance for the Quakes, tying Richard Mulrooney for sixth most appearances in club history.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host Nashville SC on Saturday 4/16 at 12:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Earthquakes and Dynamo draw 1-1 amid controversial offsides call

The San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo played to a 1-1 draw in one of the more thrilling games this season at Pay Pal Park in San Jose Sat Jul 24, 2021’s game was the only home game the Quakes would play in the month of July (USA Today photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The soccer gods have had no love for the San Jose Earthquakes.

A controversial offsides call negated what would have been the winning goal for the San Jose Earthquakes in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half. Instead the Quakes had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

Carlos Fierro sent in a free kick into the middle of the box where Andy Rios had tapped it into the far right corner of the net. As the team celebrated what they thought was the go ahead goal, the assistant referee on the right sideline ruled the play was offsides.

San Jose has drawn a point in four consecutive matches but extended its season long winless steak to 11 games. Houston is 0-2-2. in its past four matches.

Houston (3-4-8) drew first blood late in the first half. A free kick from the left side was headed back toward the middle of the pitch by Oswaldo Alanís. Matías Vera collected the ball and fired a low liner of a shot that beat Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski just inside the right corner for his first goal of the season in the 40th minute.

San Jose (3-7-5) answered back in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Shea Salinas won a free kick along the left endline. Cristian Espinoza serviced the ball into the middle of box where Zarek Valentin accidentally kicked into his own net for an own goal.

The action pack first half saw the Quakes saw San Jose dominate in possession with a 70%-30% margin.

Marcinkowski had a busy opening 45 minutes as he made four saves, two of those were diving stops.

In the second half, both teams came out aggressive as the physical play resulted in tempers flaring with several skirmishes resulting after hard fouls by both sides.

San Jose had a chance to gain the lead in the 87th minute, when they drilled in a low cross that would’ve been a tap in, but Dynamo goalkeeper Marko Marić footed away the ball which swept the ball away from danger.

Maxi Urruti made a bad tackle on Fierro with a minute left in stoppage time resulting in yellow card issued. Fierro frustrated by the foul, retaliated against Urruti with a kick and swing, that resulted in a red card and automatic ejection from the match.

Fierro will be suspended for the next match against the Seattle Sounders.

Marić finished the match with two saves. Marcinkowski made fives saves on six shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with three corner kicks. Houston had five.

The Dynamo beat San Jose, 2-1, in Houston in the season opening match in April. The Dynamo have won six of its last ten against the Earthquakes but have managed just one win in their last six trips to San Jose (D1 L3).

Houston has won four of its last 28 MLS matches (D12 L12) with all four wins coming at home. Houston is winless in 16 straight on the road (D7 L9), the second-longest away winless run in club history (20 straight from July 2015 to August 2016).

Chris Wondolowski has scored just two times in 19 career appearances against the Dynamo. His 0.13 goals per 90 minutes against Houston is the lowest against any team he’s played 100 or more minutes against in his MLS career.

UP NEXT: San Jose heads back out on the road as the travel to Seattle to take on the Sounders on Saturday 7/31 at 2:00pm at Lumen Field.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes shutout Dynamo 2-0, Quakes prep for Cali Clasico; plus more

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes shutout the Houston Dynamo 2-0 at Avaya Stadium Wednesday to earn three points.

2. With the win, San Jose soared in the current MLS Western Conference standings.

3. The Quakes recently signed Mexican winger Carlos Fierro pending his P-1 visa.

4. The Quakes prepare for the Cali Clasico against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, June 29.

5. The US men’s soccer team shutout Panama 1-0 in the Group D decider Wednesday.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Vako’s brace powers Earthquakes over Dynamo 2-0

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a game that was dominated from start to finish, led by Georgian striker Vako, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Houston Dynamo with a convincing 2-0 win on Wednesday evening at Avaya Stadium.

Vako put on a clinic out on the pitch for San Jose, whose unbeaten streak was extended to five games (4-0-1), scoring twice and had opportunities to score more than two as Houston had no answer in trying to stop him.

San Jose continued their transformation since starting the season 0-4 and have jumped to sixth place in the Western Conference that even has surprised head coach Matias Almeyda.

“I knew it was going to take a while,” said Almeyda. “I even thought it would take a little bit longer. The start was completely negative. But it’s day to day and we have to keep insisting on improving. This is one of the team’s that has the lowest payroll in the league and watching them compete at this level makes me proud.”

The Quakes (6-6-4) drew first blood halfway through the first half. Magnus Eriksson centered a pass that split two Dynamo defenders from along the right side of the goal-line to an unmarked Vako, who one-timed a chip shot past Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis for his first goal of the game and second goal of the season in the 22nd minute.

The Quakes controlled the tempo and play in the first half as they kept the Dynamo on their heels with the majority of the possession (61%-39%) being played in the Houston’s defensive zone in the opening 45 minutes.

“Really growing that belief,” said Wondo. “It’s a funny thing, confidence. We’ve bought into Matias’ game plan and when you execute it in the right way it’s very effective. It’s a lot of fun.”

In the second half, San Jose kept the pedal to the metal as they dominated play and were constantly in Houston’s end of the pitch getting six quality scoring chances in the first 20 minutes.

When Vako wasn’t scoring, he was setting up his teammates, including captain Chris Wondolowski. Vako centered a pass over to a wide-open Wondo, who was robbed from six yards out by Willis’ great two-handed save to keep the ball out of the net.

“It would’ve been very easy for him to just throw in town,” said Wondo regarding the play of Vako, who had struggled earlier on in the season. “But he’s (done) the opposite. As you saw tonight, he’s a very great player.”

Jackson Yueill led a three-on-one attack after stripping the ball off a Houston defender from 30 yards out, but his shot sailed wide of the mark in the 69th minute.

Houston (7-5-3) could not muster much of a counter attack against San Jose. An errant pass here, a turnover there was the story of the night for the fifth place Dynamo. Their poor offensive play was the catalyst for the quick counters by the Quakes that led to their numerous scoring chances.

San Jose doubled their lead in the 75th minute when Vako scored his second tally of the evening and third goal of the season when collected a rebound inside the box, dribbled five yard into the middle and rifled a shot past Willis to put the home team comfortably ahead.

“I’m just trying to stay focus and keep going,” said Vako. “I’m just happy I had some chances and I used it.”

GAME NOTES: Quakes defender Anibal Godoy underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove scar tissue from his abdomen that was impairing his bilateral nerves. He is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

Quakes forward Danny Hoesen missed the game with an upper thigh injury.

Defenders Nick Lima (USA) and Harold Cummings (Panama) were away on international duty for their respective countries participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Houston’s Ronaldo Pena received a yellow card in the 17th minute for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct. AJ Delagarza Jr. also received a yellow card in the 57th minute on a low tackle attempt.

San Jose leads the overall series 7-4-2.

UP NEXT: The Quakes host the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, June 29 in the annual California Clasico at Stanford Stadium at 6:30 pm.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: The black and blue remain in the Bay Area this month

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. After coming off a two-game road trip, San Jose’s now ranked 11th in the MLS Power Rankings following Week 14.

2. The Quakes’ U-12 Boys Academy capped off their season with results against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Crossfire Premier.

3. Nick Lima and Jackson Yueill were called up to the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) camp.

4. Jackson Yueill embraced the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) experience.

5. The Quakes received backlash for deciding to celebrate Pride Month this Saturday at Avaya Stadium against FC Dallas.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week for Sports Radio Service

Earthquakes fall to Dynamo 2-1

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes had hoped to make it two wins in a row at the BBVA Compass Stadium against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Quakes last shutout the Portland Timbers 3-0 at Avaya Stadium last Saturday.

Scenes before the battle.#VamosSJ | #HOUVSJ pic.twitter.com/EZsikgZoMf

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) April 13, 2019

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Florian Jungwirth, Harold Cummings, Tommy Thompson, Jackson Yueill, Anibal Godoy, Shea Salinas, Cristian Espinoza, Magnus Eriksson and Danny Hoesen.

The game was underway in Houston and the Quakes applied pressure on the Dynamo in the early stages of the game. Daniel Vega rejected Alberth Elis’ shot from inside the box at the sixth minute. Also, there was some hostility as Maynor Figeroa was issued a yellow card at the 31st minute.

The real action didn’t occur until the 41st minute when Cristian Espinoza nearly kicked in a goal. However, Espinoza failed to do so and the game remained in a scoreless deadlock at the end of the first half.

There was a weather delay in Houston, and as the Quakes waited for the storm to pass, the team tweeted a shoutout to the handful of Black and Blue fans who made it to the game. The game resumed at 2:22 pm PT.

The Quakes were back at it at the 46th minute. The Quakes’ happiness didn’t last long as Alberth Elis scored a goal to make it 1-0 Houston at the 52nd minute.

The game was tied 1-1 when the Jackson Yueill kicked a goal into net from outside of the box at the 55th minute. But the Dynamo rained on the Quakes’ parade when Tomas Martinez made it 2-1 Houston at the 60th minute.

Shortly after, the Quakes broadcast switched from Univision to Univision Deportes Network. The Quakes then made their first substitution of the game. Jackson Yueill exited the game and Chris Wondolowski entered the game.

Things got hectic late in the game. Marcos Lopez was issued a red card at the 87th minute. That led to the Quakes’ second substitution of the game. Florian Jungwirth exited the game and Nick Lima entered the game. But it was too little, too late as Lima is a defensive starter and was supposed to be in the starting lineup. The Quakes lost to the Dynamo 2-1.

The Quakes return home to host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 pm PT.

Earthquakes get late equalizer goal to draw with Dynamo 2-2

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes (1-2-2) and Houston Dynamo (1-2-2) came into their game with the same record and desperate for a win. They ended the night still with the same record when they played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening at Avaya Stadium.

Houston had a scoring chance at the eight-minute mark, when Andrew Wenger received a pass from Romell Quioto, but missed the net by just a few feet. Then San Jose’s captain, Anibal Godoy, came close to the net within the 13-minute mark before the ball was cleared by Houston’s defense.

Magnus Eriksson broke the silence with a beautiful goal in the 25th minute, assisted by Jackson Yueill. Yueill was able to cross the ball into the middle of the box where Eriksson shot the ball past Dynamo goalie Chris Seitz.

Danny Hoesen came close to doubling the lead three minutes later, but was once again cleared by the Dynamo defenders. Tarbell made an excellent save off of Tomas Martinez at the 33rd minute, and Vako Qazaishvili attempted a shot for the Quakes within the 35th minute, but was blocked by Alejandro Fuenmayor.

Hoesen had two wide open scoring opportunities at the 42nd minute, both of which were stopped at the very last second by Seitz. Vako had a scoring chance at the 45th minute which went wide of net.

“Obviously I want to be in good spots and score,” said Hoesen about his team not capitalizing on their chances in the first half. “I’ve learned you gotta keep making the runs. So I gotta keep making my runs. We were off a little bit tonight. Hopefully next game it will be better.”

The Dynamo took control of play immediately in the second half. Martinez got the equalizer goal in the 48th minute off of a rebound and his shot deflected off a Quakes defender foot and into the net.

They would take the lead in the 68th minute when Alberth Elis made a nice centering pass from the right corner over to Mauro Manotas who one-timed the ball while crashing into the net to give Houston a 2-1 lead.

“We were aware of Elis’s strong play,” said head coach Mikael Stahre. “He’s big and fast. We were in big trouble at the point (of the game).”

The Quakes would get their own equalizer in the 85th minute when substitute Quincy Amerikwa’s shot was blocked by a Dynamo defender. Jahmir Hyka, who substituted in at the 67th minute, possessed the ball, dribbled in and used a Dynamo defender as a screen to shoot the ball past Seitz who never had any vision of the shot.

“It was an important goal for us for sure,” said Stahre about Hyka’s performance. “He replaced Vako. He came in with energy and quality. So I’m happy with him that’s for sure.”

Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell for the second consecutive week tied his career mark with making seven saves in a game. He did it last week against the Philadelphia Union.

GAME NOTES: This marked the first time in 56 games that Chris Wondolowski did not start for the Quakes. He came in as a substitute for Fatai Alashe in the 66th minute.

“We wanted to make a tactical change”, said Wondo after the game. “We wanted to add another guy in the midfield. Coach (Stahre) talked to me about that, it’s the role he asked me to play. Going forward (you) try to take that the best you can.”

Both teams were without the services of one of their players due to serving one game suspensions. San Jose’s Harold Cummings receiving a red card last week in the match against Philadelphia. Houston’s DaMarcus Beasley was served a red card in the 35th minute in a match against New England.

Vako is one of eight players in the MLS that has multiple goals and assists (2G, 2A).

Yellow fever! Things were chippy throughout the game as there were a combined 6 yellow cards called. Houston had four (Martinez, Elis, Adolfo Machado and Darwin Ceren) and the Quakes two (Wondolowski and Francois Affolter.

San Jose is now 1-2-1 at Avaya Stadium this season.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes face Orlando City next Saturday, April 21st at 4:30 pm PT.

Quakes lose 2-0 to Dynamo on the road

Photo credit: San Jose Earthquakes’ Twitter (@SJEarthquakes)

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes suffered a 2-0 blowout loss to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday.

The Earthquakes sported their blue and black jerseys in Houston, but were unable to get past the Dynamo in Saturday’s match.

The Dynamo struck first at the 10th minute when Erick Torres Garcia converted on his penalty kick to give his team a 1-0 lead.

David Bingham denied Torres’ free kick outside of the box, but the Dynamo held onto a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

The Earthquakes had a couple of chances, but were unable to capitalize on them. In the 31st minute, Marco Urena danced around the Dynamo defenders, but wasn’t able to get his shot past Joe Willis.

The officials issued a yellow card to Florian Jungwirth in the 35th minute.

Urena had a great run in the 39th minute as he tried to get in behind the Dynamo’s backline, but was unable to get his shot past the near post.

The Earthquakes trailed the Dynamo 1-0 at halftime.

The Earthquakes started the second half with a substitution. They swapped Shea Salinas in favor of Jahmir Hyka.

Jungwirth made a huge one-on-one tackle to disrupt a Dynamo counterattack in the 48th minute. Urena had another scoring chance in the 59th minute as he sent a shot into the net that went just wide.

The Earthquakes made another substitution in the 64th minute. They replaced Urena with Danny Hoesen. However, their efforts didn’t work.

The Dynamo took a 2-0 lead in the 72nd minute as Alberth Elis completed a shot at the back post.

The Earthquakes made their third substitution just one minute later. Tommy Thompson entered the match after Shaun Francis left.

Things simply didn’t go right for the Earthquakes. Cordell Cato wanted to cut the lead in half. He had a shot that just missed the far post in the 78th minute.

Five minutes of stoppage time were added to Saturday’s match. Ultimately, the Dynamo held on for a 2-0 win over the Earthquakes. Houston outshot San Jose 13-9.

Notes
Earthquakes’ starting lineup
Cato
Francis
Jungwirth
Urena
Fatai Alashe
David Bingham
Darwin Ceren
Anibal Godoy
Nick Lima
Shea Salinas
Chris Wondolowski

Up Next
The Earthquakes will visit the Minnesota United FC at TCF Bank Stadium next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PST on NBCSB+

Earthquakes Explode for Three Goals in Dominant Win Over Houston

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–The San Jose Earthquakes earned their second consecutive home win on Sunday Night with an impressive three goal win over the Houston Dynamo.  The win for San Jose also marks the fifth straight time the home team takes away at least one point from Buck Shaw Stadium.

The Earthquakes were able to do it without star, Chris Wondolowski, who is on leave for the United States National Team, in which he was named to the World Cup team earlier this week.  “The guys are trying to fill the void of not having Wondo, and it clearly worked tonight,” said Earthquakes Head Coach, Mark Watson.

Khari Stephenson lead the charge for the Quakes with two goals, his first two of the season.  The first came in the 37^th minute after a miscue from the Dynamo lead to an indirect kick for San Jose.  After a tap of the ball from teammate, Shea Salinas,  Stephenson drilled it into the bottom left corner of the net to take the 1-0 lead.  It wouldn’t be until the Second Half until Stephenson scored his second goal.  Steven Lenhart created the opportunity by being a pest in the 18-yard box and drawing a foul.  Stephenson found the bottom left corner again on the penalty kick in the 58^th minute.

Atiba Harris capped off the scoring with his first of the season that came off of a hustle play.  On a bouning ball to Houston Goalkeeper Tally Hall, Harris steeped up and applied pressure, beating the keeper to the ball with his head.  The ball took a home bounce of the post and found Harris for the tap in.

Houston forced Quakes Goalkeeper, Jon Busch, to come up huge to earn his clean sheet.  The Dynamo outshoot the Quakes 13-12 and 6-4 with shots on target.  Houston had their best chances come in the 30^th and 33^rd minutes, as Busch stopped three of the six on target in that span.  In the 30^th minute, Warren Creavalle headed a cross inside the six-yard box forcing Busch to make the diving save to his right.  Only three minutes later, Houston found a header once again in the six-yard box off the head of Will Bruin.  Busch made the initial save, but the rebound found the foot of Bruin, where Busch somehow found a way to get in front of that shot as well.  “Those two stops kept us in the game,” added Watson.  Busch earns his fourth clean sheet of the season in the win.

San Jose earns three points in the win, however remains in sixth place in the Western Conference, only trailing the Colorado Rapids by two points.  The Quakes return to the pitch on Saturday, May 31 as they travel to take on FC Dallas.