BC Pangie

The Houston Dynamo, unlike their MLS counterparts in the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup, came into the second leg of the quarterfinals down to an injury time Kurt Bernard goal. MLS sides have appeared to have a bit of bad form against Costa Rican sides, and the Houston Dynamo went into tonights match looking to turn that ugly trend around.

The game started a bit slow with both sides holding the ball although Houston showed some good movement early on. That would soon deteriorate and there was a brief spell that saw both sides frantically trying to shove the ball forward. Fortunately this quickly ended as the teams found their grooves.

Houston looked sharp in the twenty-third minute as back Kelly Gray made a run forward that found him in the the Puntarenas corner. He whipped a good ball into the box that missed two Houston players but found a diving Puntarenas goalie in Shane Orio.

Houston continued controlling the ball and applying pressure to the Puntarenas back line and eventually their work would be paid off. In the twenty-seventh minute Brian Mullan ripped a shot from outside that troubled Orio as he knocked the ball down to a waiting Brad Davis. Davis reacted and knocked the ball into Orio who couldn’t do anything but deflect it again. This time the deflection came to Daglish who’s first touch sent the ball a little high. Fortunately for Houston, Daglish was able to have a better second touch that put the ball over a scrambling Orio and into the back of the net.

At this point the game was back to a draw and the momentum was with Houston as in the twenty-ninth minute Mullan showed good skill to carry the ball into the box. He then gave it to Daglish who was unable to do anything.

At the end of the first half there was no comparing this game to the previous tie as both teams looked a class of difference. People were moving, and it was a valiant effort by both sides.

The second half continued to see Houston dominance with some good counter attacking and brief possession for Puntarenas. Puntarenas came close to pulling ahead again in the sixty-seventh minute as a free kick from about twenty-five yards forced Wells to push the ball over the bar. The resulting corner kick amounted to nothing and it was Puntarenas who would rue their chances seven minutes later.

In the seventy-fourth minute a free kick from between the eighteen and the touchline from Houston’s Brad Davis found substitute Brian Ching who put his shot into Orio. Once again it was Orio having difficulty controlling and his deflection landed at the feet of Kelly Gray who put Houston up two nil on the game, and two one on aggregate.

Houston had another great chance to put the game out of reach minutes later as Daglish carried around two defenders and ripped a shot from just inside the eighteen that beat Orio but couldn’t beat the right hand post. Brian Ching followed it up but couldn’t get his foot on it to put it away.

Only moments later Puntarenas would get a flash at the Houston goal. Some good work and counter attack was able to pressure the Houston defense and the ball squirted to Alvaro Guerrero a few yards off the penalty spot. Guerrero lined up his shot, but leaned back as he connected and sent the ball well over the net.

Both sides looked like completely different teams from the previous leg, but it was Houston that was able to pull through with a win that sees them into the semi’s against Mexican side Pachuca. The first leg of that match will be played at College Station in Texas on March fourteenth.

It will be an interesting semi-final stage as both semi-finals feature a team from the MLS and one from Mexican’s first tier. We could see an all Mexican, all MLS, or in a sense, a Mexico/US final to this years CONCACAF Champion’s Cup.

Houston: 7/10 | Puntarenas: 5.5/10

Final Score: Houston 2 – 0 Puntarenas
Aggregate Score: Houston 2 – 1 Puntarenas 

CD Olimpia came into this quarterfinal at RFK Stadium three goals behind on aggregate. They may have come with the hope of pulling off a major comeback, but their hopes were not enough as D.C. United continued their dominance of the scoreboard.

The first ten minutes of the match looked like Olimpia could get back into this match as they had two good balls put across the box just out of the reach of a diving Troy Perkins. Unfortunately for Olimpia no one was making a far post run which would have easily seen the ball in the back of Perkins’ net. Olimpia continued to look good with a long ball in that led to a shot that was skied.

The tides began to change around the twentieth minute when some good work between Christian Gomez and ex-CD Olimpia striker Luciano Emilio created an opportunity that, like Olimpia’s earlier two, failed to find anyone crashing on the far post.

The first goal looked to give Olimpia hope as it put them only two goals down on aggregate. Still a task, but not nearly one as difficult as clawing back three. D.C. took possession of the ball and rallied forward for a bit of an attack. As play began to slow the possession quickly turned over to Olimpia and they hurriedly went on the counter attack. As they dribbled into the box Ben Olsen committed a foul that led to a penalty kick and a yellow card. While the penalty kick was in due course, the yellow card looked to be a bit harsh. The penalty was converted professionally by Hendry Thomas and Olimpia were up one nil.

In the thirty-eighth minute it was the ex-Olimpia striker Emilio who converted for D.C. to bring the score back to a draw. Jaime Moreno controlled the ball near the end line and pulled it back for Emilio who showed his awareness of the game by holding off on his shot and beating three defenders before slotting home on the near post from just outside the six yard box.

Neither team really looked to dominate and it looked much like the first game between these two teams. Half-time didn’t do much to work up the Olimpians and it was D.C. who came out of halftime with a goal in less than two minutes. This time it was a foul on Ben Olsen in the box and it was D.C.’s turn for a penalty kick that was easily converted by Gomez for his third of the tie.

Despite the score line Olimpia didn’t give up and pulled one back in the seventy-fourth minute. It looked much like Luciano’s first goal as Juan Cárcamo played it back to Jose Pacini who easily beat Jay Nolly, who had come on for Perkins minutes earlier.

D.C. wasn’t done though as Emilio put in his second of the night and third of the tie in the eighty-fourth minute. A long ball in found Emilio who settled with his left and shrugged off a sloppy tackle. He then struck it past the goalie and into the far side netting from just outside the left hand side of the six-yard box.

Overall it was an evenly played match much like the first game of the tie. D.C. advance to play Chivas in the semi-finals. The first leg of the semi-final match up will come on March fifteenth at RFK Stadium. If D.C. hope to advance past a skilled Chivas team they will need to tighten their defense as tonight they looked a bit sloppy allowing themselves to be caught out of position a fair amount of times.

D.C. United: 6.5/10 | CD Olimpia 6/10

Final Score: D.C. United 3 – 2 CD Olimpia
Aggregate Score: D.C. United 7 – 3 CD Olimpia