Dynamo ties Sporting KC, stays unbeaten at home

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:22 am

Sporting Kansas City and the host Houston Dynamo each scored in the second half to play to a 1-1 draw Saturday night.

Sporting KC (3-5-6, 15 points) remained winless (0-3-3) away from Children's Mercy Park. Houston kept its unbeaten mark (6-0-3) at home.

Yohan Croizet scored in the 63rd minute for Sporting KC. Ilie Sanchez fed Croizet with a long pass from deep within his own zone. Croizet eluded Adam Lundqvist to gain control of the ball, then chipped it over keeper Joe Willis for his first goal of the year.

Houston (7-3-3, 24 points) equalized the match just six minutes later. Alberth Elis found a bouncing ball to his right inside the box and fired it past keeper Tim Melia. The goal was assisted by A.J. DeLaGarza with a header from the right side.

Houston, which missed the playoffs in 2018, sits comfortably above the red line in the Western Conference. The Dynamo sit in fourth place with at least one game in-hand against all three clubs ahead of them and the four clubs behind them.

Sporting KC, which is on an eight-year stretch of making the MLS playoffs, is in 10th place, three points below the final playoff spot. Sporting is tied for the fewest number of clean sheets (one) in MLS this season.

Sporting KC owned a significant advantage in possession, but Houston got a strong majority of the chances. At the two-thirds mark of the game, Houston owned a 9-2 advantage in shots, including a 3-0 edge in shots on goal.

But Croizet proved that it only takes one chance.

Sporting, which was playing its third game in seven days, had five lineup changes from Wednesday's 2-0 loss at home to the LA Galaxy. Captain Matt Besler was held out after aggravating a tight hamstring against the Galaxy.

This was the 31st meeting between the two sides across all competitions since 2011, and things couldn't be more even. They share a 10-10-11 record.