ERIK SAW RED AS DYNAMO FELL 3-1 IN NASHVILLE 

By Sam Mbonu 

It was a tough night for Houston Dynamo in the Music City as they were stunned 3-1 by Nashville Football Club on MLS match day 36.   

A result which dented their playoff quest this season but mathematically still in the race despite the defeat. Nashville bedazzled their opponent in the 120 seconds (about 2 minutes) when Hanny Mukhtar blasted in the opening goal to unsettle them.   

Things worsened for Dynamo when Erik Sviatchenko was shown a straight red card in the 9th minute of the first half. The center referee judged him to have fouled Hanny Mukhtar who was clear on goal, a red card which I think was harsh and should have been a yellow card and a freekick, the visitors from that moment started chasing shadows.   

Nashville SC took full advantage, Houston Dynamo could not tame Hanny Mukhtar, they could not contain him, his skills and sharpness overwhelmed Houston Dynamo, he was all over the place, he could have gotten a hattrick had his two efforts gone in, but they went agonizingly close. Dynamo goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made crucial saves to keep the scoreline decent and Dynamo in the game.   

Nashville pounced on their numerical advantage to pummel Houston Dynamo with shots and long balls, the slow reactionary time of Dynamo defenders did not alleviate the situation, sloppy plays and cheap give away of ball possessions compounded their woes as building from the back is not their strength either. Nashville pressed and won possessions in Houston Dynamo vital goal areas. Their pressure on the ball made things more uncomfortable for Houston Dynamo defenders. Even Sam Surridge, who is in the race for the golden boot came close in the 34th minute but his effort sailed over the bar into the cheering crowd.   

Despite their numerical shortfall, Houston showed some flashes of brilliance in the game, Junior Urso gave them a glimpse of hope when he blasted home the equalizer, an attacking movement started by Ezequiel Pounce who won the first tackle on Patrick Yazbek, the ball fell on Jack McGlynn who dashed forward, Lawrence Enali got involved as Jack passed to him, the youngster set up Junior Urso who blasted home from over 20 yards to restore parity at the Nissan stadium, his first goal for Houston Dynamo as the 36 year old celebrates.   

As the game progressed, Nashville strength in numbers became evident as Sam Surridge got his 22nd goal of the season with a stylish back heel. A goal that will make you question if the defenders have the right to earn a paycheck on that match day with such shambolic performance.    

By the 50th minute of the game, Honduras defender, Andy Nájar smashed into the corner from close range from Jonathan Bonds saves off Sam Surridge header. At that time, it was obvious that the game was beyond Houston Dynamo, players performance in this game can send loyal fans into tailspin of rage. 

A frustrating result, but plenty to learn from as the squad regroups for the next challenge as they host San Diego FC on October 4th at the Shell Energy Stadium which will be their final home game of the season.