Colorado Rapids are out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after a frustrating night at Houston Dynamo on Tuesday.
This Round of 16 game was delayed for almost three hours due to the effects of torrential rain in the afternoon. Once it kicked off at 10.18pm local time, Rapids held their own in the first half but trailed to a header from Mauro Manotas just before the interval.
However, in the second half, the visitors dominated. They hit the woodwork for a second time and peppered the Houston goal with shots.
Vicente Sanchez put a couple of headers wide, Kevin Doyle dragged a shot past the post and keeper Joe Willis saved sharply from Marcelo Sarvas.
But Houston managed to hang on to reach the quarter-finals.
TEAM NEWS
Head coach Pablo Mastroeni rang the changes on the eighth day of this three-game road trip. The most eye-catching alterations were positional. Jared Watts was in central midfield alongside Sam Cronin while Doyle was the lone front man. Marlon Hairston started his first game of the season at right back. Joseph Greenspan and Shane O’Neill were paired together at center back while, as the last round of the Open Cup, Zac MacMath was in goal.
FIRST HALF
After a delay of precisely two hours 48 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch, the game got underway in surprisingly playable conditions.
Houston made the better start. Manotas was the biggest threat and, after just five minutes, he drove at MacMath. The keeper also saved well from Chandler Hoffman midway through the half. In between Doyle drove wide from distance and, on the half-hour, Cronin prodded wide from a fast, flat cross by Marc Burch.
Two minutes from the whistle, Houston made the breakthough when Manotas found space at the near post to nod home a left-wing delivery from Nathan Sturgis.
Rapids might have equalized immediately when Hairston’s one-two with Powers saw the full back fire a deflected shot against the post.
SECOND HALF
Rapids were much brighter after the interval and should have leveled in the opening stages. Six minutes in, Sanchez floated over a free-kick and Watts headed against the bar.
On the hour, Charles Eloundou sent a cross to the far post and the unmarked Sanchez diverted a header wide. Seconds later, Doyle dragged an effort beyond the same post.
After 70 minutes, neat interplay on the edge of the box ended with substitute Marcelo Sarvas seeing a low shot saved by Joe Willis.
It was all Rapids at this stage.
Houston knew they had to respond and they did. Corey Ashe crossed from the left and Hoffman flicked a header just wide.
In the dying minutes, with the visitors gambling, Doyle unleashed a powerful volley from distance. Unfortunately it was straight at Willis.
It was that sort of night for the Rapids.
BOX SCORE
Houston Dynamo 1-0 Colorado Rapids
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
Scoring Summary:
HOU - Mauro Manotas 1 (Nathan Sturgis 1) 43
Houston Dynamo: Joe Willis; Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst © (Taylor Hunter77), AJ Cochran, Corey Ashe; Leonel Miranda, Nathan Sturgis, Zach Steinberger, Alex Monteiro (Alex Lopez 79); Chandler Hoffman, Mauro Munotas (Ricardo Clark 77).
Subs not used: Michael Lisch, Will Bruin, Luis Garrido, DaMarcus Beasley
Colorado Rapids: Zac MacMath; Marc Burch, Shane O’Neill, Joseph Greenspan, Marlon Hairston; Jared Watts (Marcelo Sarvas 55), Sam Cronin ©, Charles Eloundou (Dominique Badji 80), Dillon Powers, Vicente Sánchez; Kevin Doyle.
Subs not used: Clint Irwin, Drew Moor, Lucas Pittinari, James Riley, Dillon Serna.
Disciplinary Summary
HOU: Nathan Sturgis (caution) 11
COL: Marlon Hairston (caution) 26
COL: Shane O’Neill (caution) 55
Referee: Nima Saghafi
Assistant Referees: Francisco Bermudez, Jennifer Garner
Fourth Official: Kyle Phillips
Attendance:2,479
