DYNAMO DRAW AGAINST TIMBERS 1-1

Apr 27, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis (11) prepares for a corner kick during the first half against the Portland Timbers at BBVA Compass Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

The Dynamo drew against the Portland Timbers 1-1 on Sunday afternoon. Will Bruin scored for Houston at the 16th minute, while Gaston Fernandez scored for Portland during the 33rd minute.

The first 10 minutes or so of the match was a feeling-out process for both teams. Each side was trying different players in different spots of their lineups than normal, trying to see if they could shake their winless streaks. It was also incredibly warm in the Houston area during the game, and it started to show early on as both teams were getting into the habit of sitting back deep in their defensive halves. However, it didn’t take long for returning Houston captain Brad Davis to start playmaking, putting a cross over to Will Bruin who headed it into the net for the opening score. Davis didn’t stop there, continuing to make fantastic passes and create scoring chances for his side as the half went on. Keeper Domonic Ricketts was busy throughout the first half, as Houston had a majority of the scoring chances. But Portland was somehow able to generate an out-of-nowhere offensive chance when Kalif Alhassan put the ball into a small open space for Fernandez, who just barely beat out a defender to score a scorcher of a goal.

Only one team showed up to play during the second half, and it was the side in orange. The heat seemed to be getting to the Timbers, as they sat back and waited for the play to come to them, and didn’t create much movement up front when they finally got possession of the ball. Ricketts once again had his hands full, as his team seemed content to just stand around and wait for the game to be over. Bruin took full advantage of the sluggish Timbers, as he had multiple chances in the middle of the half to put his team up by a goal, but just didn’t have the accuracy to finish. Even though the Dynamo hounded the Timbers throughout the half and played as the superior side, the game still ended in a 1-1 draw.

The UGH Award this week goes to Brad Davis, who proved why he wears the armband for the Dynamo. He created a majority of the scoring chances for Houston, but he was also quickly back on the defensive side of the ball. He didn’t play the full match to protect his recovering ankle, but he was the center of Houston’s offensive effort throughout the match.