Michael Barrios made up for an earlier misstep, and Braian Galvan got the Colorado Rapids goal that sealed Houston Dynamo’s first home loss this season Saturday at BBVA Stadium.
Lalas Abubakar started the scoring in Colorado’s 3-1 win five minutes in when he headed a Jack Price corner kick into the goal.
“To score one that early is certainly the dream start,” Rapids coach Robin Fraser said. “Then, after that, I thought we were fairly comfortable for … about half of the half. I think we just got a little bit loose, a little bit careless. We had a few turnovers that really eroded our momentum.”
The match was tied after the first half, following Fafa Picault’s penalty kick. Barrios nudged Maynor Figueroa to the ground inside the penalty area, and Picault sent Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough the wrong way on the ensuing penalty kick.
Yarbrough preserved the lead with a big save less than 10 minutes after Barrios’ goal, an easy tap-in off an assist from Mark-Anthony Kaye.
“They’re starting to get really confident and have real self-belief,” Fraser said. “It was a moment where we smelled blood a bit, and the precision of the last couple of passes and then the final cross, I thought, was excellent.”
Galvan capped the scoring when he curled a left-footed shot into the side netting in the 80th minute to prevent any late drama.
“I knew that I would get my opportunities, so it was up to me to take advantage of the chance,” the 20-year-old Argentinian said through an interpreter.
The Rapids, now 9-4-4 with 31 points to their name, are off to Los Angeles to play the second-place Galaxy on Tuesday before returning home to play Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
“We fought hard. We fought for each other, and we got a win. It wasn’t easy,” Abubakar said.
“It was a test for us to go back in the second half and see what we are capable of. I think all the guys came up big tonight.”
This content was originally published here.
