Columbus Crew SC claimed its second straight home victory with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in front of 17,705 supporters at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night.
A Kei Kamara goal from the penalty spot and a red card issued to Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric made the difference for the Black & Gold, who earned their second win of the season following last week’s 3-2 victory over New York City FC.
The first half in Columbus began with high pressure from Houston in the attacking third and was full of drama and physical play from both sides.
The best opportunity for the Dynamo came in the ninth minute, when midfielder Ricardo Clark fired a shot that deflected off Justin Meram’s foot and hit the crossbar.
Crew SC warded off the early Dynamo attack and was able to string a number of passes together in the attacking half. The Black & Gold were caught offside numerous times in the first half, but in the 18th minute, with the help of a deflection on a through-ball, Federico Higuaín found himself one-on-one with Deric.
Pipa sidestepped past Deric and was tripped up in the penalty area. For the second straight match a penalty kick and red card were awarded at MAPFRE Stadium, but this time in the favor of Crew SC. Deric was sent off and Joe Willis came on to face Kamara on the penalty. The striker kept his cool and slotted home his third goal of the season in the 21st minute.
After the break, Crew SC took advantage of the extra man and ramped up the pressure offensively. Meram led the attack with five shots and had numerous opportunities to double the Crew SC lead.
In the 60th minute a low cross deflected off Kamara’s leg and fell to the feet of the midfielder, who slammed it into the back of the net. However, Kamara was called offside and the goal was quickly waved off. In the 84th, Meram curled a freekick over the Dynamo wall and forced Willis to make a diving save.
Ten-man Houston, meanwhile, wasn’t able to put Crew SC under pressure in the second half. The Black & Gold ended up with 73% possession and outshot the Dynamo 11-4.
With the victory Crew SC improved to 2-3-2. The Black & Gold travel to CenturyLink Field next Saturday to face the Seattle Sounders. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET. Columbus will return to MAPFRE Stadium on May 7 for a match-up with the Montreal Impact.
