In an exciting match on Saturday night, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City played to a 2-2 draw. The game featured late goals from Ibrahim Aliyu and Iván Franco for the Dynamo, offsetting a two-goal performance by Sporting KC’s Alan Pulido.
The scoring started in the 25th minute when Pulido found the net with assists from Gadi Kinda and Andreu Fontàs, giving Sporting KC a 1-0 lead. Pulido has been in excellent form, scoring 10 goals this season, with nine of them coming in his last seven appearances.
However, the Dynamo fought back just before halftime when Aliyu scored his first goal of the season in the second minute of stoppage time. Héctor Herrera and Corey Baird provided the assists, allowing Houston to equalize at 1-1 going into the break.
Sporting KC regained the lead in the 62nd minute with Pulido converting a penalty kick. But the Dynamo didn’t give up, and in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, Franco scored the equalizer. Thorleifur Úlfarsson and Herrera contributed the assists for Houston.
The draw extended Sporting KC’s solid record against the Dynamo, as they are now 8-3-3 in their last 14 matches against Houston. The result also maintained the Dynamo’s undefeated streak at home, as they had won their previous four home matches in all competitions.
In terms of upcoming matches, Sporting KC will return home to face Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, while the Houston Dynamo will host Minnesota United on the same day. Both teams will be looking to continue their positive momentum and secure valuable points in the standings.
On Saturday night, St. Louis City secured a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC in a tightly contested match in Toronto. Aziel Jackson, a 21-year-old rookie, scored his first career goal in the 50th minute to give St. Louis City the lead. Akil Watts provided the assist for Jackson’s goal. It was Watts’ second career assist, and he played a crucial role in the victory.
St. Louis City’s goalkeeper, Roman Bürki, made three saves to earn a clean sheet and help his team secure the win. This victory marked St. Louis City’s third consecutive win, following a previous four-match winless streak.
Toronto FC’s goalkeeper, Tomás Romero, had an impressive performance in his first career start, making five saves to keep his team in the game. However, Toronto’s struggles continued as they suffered their fifth consecutive loss and extended their winless streak to eight matches. Despite their recent struggles, Toronto had previously enjoyed a five-match win streak against expansion teams, which came to an end with this defeat.
St. Louis City’s victory solidified their position at the top of the Western Conference standings. With 35 points from their first 20 matches, they matched the second-best start by a first-year club in MLS history, alongside Los Angeles FC in 2018. Only the 1998 Chicago Fire had a better start with 37 points.
In the upcoming fixtures, St. Louis City will travel to face Los Angeles FC on Wednesday, aiming to continue their impressive form. Toronto FC, on the other hand, will face the Chicago Fire on Saturday as they look to end their winless streak and get back on track.
The MLS scoreboard from Saturday, July 8, 2023:
Cincinnati 2, Charlotte 2
NYCFC 1, Columbus 1
Miami 2, DC United 2
Atlanta 1, Montreal 0
NY Red Bulls 2, New England 1
St. Louis 1, Toronto 0
Chicago 1, Nashville 0
Houston 2, Kansas City 2
Austin 4, Minnesota 1
Colorado 2, Dallas 1
Salt Lake 4, Orlando 0
LA Galaxy 3, Philadelphia 1
LAFC 1, San Jose 1
Seattle 3, Vancouver 2
