One on one: Dynamo, Chivas USA draw
Dwayne De Rosario struck first for Dynamo in the 55th minute, but Jesse Marsch squared things 20 minutes later, splitting a point apiece for the teams in the tie.
With the draw, Dynamo stretched their unbeaten streak to six matches and pulled them to within four points of the Western Conference-leading FC Dallas.
Brian Ching, in his second appearance after returning from World Cup duty with the U.S. national team, had two clear scoring chances saved by Chivas goalkeeper Preston Burpo in the second half but saw very little of the ball throughout the match.
Alejandro Moreno had the first look at goal for the visitors in the 15th minute. He tried a cross into the box from the right side but it was blocked by a Chivas defender. On the rebound, Moreno hit a half-volley that forced Burpo to react quickly to for the save.
Much of the play throughout the second half was bogged down in the midfield until the 36th minute when both sides had several clear chances on goal.
Chivas' Ante Razov and Juan Pablo Garcia tried a give and go just inside the Dynamo box but the return pass was picked off by Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
Then on the Dynamo's ensuing possession, Wade Barrett took a Dwayne De Rosario pass at the top of the penalty area but sent his left-footed shot inches over the crossbar and out of play.
In the 43rd minute it was De Rosario who forced a save from Burpo, sending a right-footed strike at the Chivas 'keeper from 20 yards out after freeing himself from a Chivas defender with a clever step-over dribble.
Three minutes into the second half, Chivas nearly got on the scoreboard if it weren't for a strong save from Onstad. Juan Francisco Palencia took a low shot from 20 yards out that was headed toward the left side of the goal but Onstad dove and slapped the ball away for a corner kick.
De Rosario then gave Dynamo the 1-0 advantage in the 55th minute. Barrett slid a pass to De Rosario near the edge of the Chivas penalty area and the Canadian sidestepped a Marsch tackle, freeing up the necessary space to send a hard shot past a diving Burpo and into the right netting. It was his fifth goal of the season.
Ching nearly had his first goal since returning to Dynamo from World Cup duty in the 64th minute but the big Hawaiian had his close-range header stopped by yet another goal-line clearance from Chivas defender Jonathan Bornstein. The rookie cleared two chances off the line last weekend in a 1-1 draw in Columbus.
Chivas found the equalizer in the 75th minute. Onstad made a save on a hard angled Palencia shot from eight yards out but the rebound fell at the feet of Marsch who slid in and slammed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal as a member of Chivas.
Ching was again thwarted by Burpo in the 80th minute, this time his point-blank shot bouncing off the 'keeper's chest from seven yards out.
Two minutes later, Brad Davis entered the match, replacing defender Kevin Goldthwaite. It was the first appearance for Davis since being sidelined with a quadriceps strain three games ago.
In the first minute of stoppage time, De Rosario raced towards goal but was taken down by Jason Hernandez 35 yards from goal. Hernandez earned a yellow card for his trouble.
De Rosario's shot on the ensuing free kick dipped over the wall and was stopped at the goal mouth by a diving Burpo, preserving the tie.
Danny Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
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