Minnesota made the trip down to Space City tonight on the heels of last weekend’s epic victory over St. Louis CITY, with momentum in their favor and a hunger fueling their late push for a postseason berth. The Houston Dynamo were forced to contend with a scrappy underdog side while on the hunt for a top four seed themselves, and the result was a frustrating back-and-forth tilt that remained 0-0 until the final whistle.

The Dynamo started out dominating possession, though Mauricio González broke through in a clever fifth-minute run to take a shot that went unfortunately wide. A few minutes later, Nectarios Triantis drew a foul from Antǒnio Carlos for the home team’s first of several yellows, earning a free kick that yielded no fruit but gave way to a stretch of higher possession for the Loons as they got gritty in the attacking third. 

Though none of the Loons’ nine first-half shots yielded fruit, a constant barrage of attempts kept Houston on edge. Kelvin Yeboah’s header off an AZ Jackson corner rebounded into an acrobatic Cherrion Valerius bicycle attempt in the box. Houston keeper Jonathan Bond was on lock early and often, proving himself a stalwart defender between the posts and shutting down a pair of late Yeboah shots and a near-lethal Anthony Markanich set piece header to keep the scoreline clean.

Captain Morris Duggan, along with Diaz, were in fine form in back, handling one-on-one duels with speedsters Lawrence Ennali and Lyle Foster on numerous occasions to maintain the nil-nil score. Duggan in particular navigated Houston’s growing physicality with ease — out-maneuvering Ennali in the box and avoiding a penalty despite a video review — and reliably clearing the ball for the likes of Owen Gene, Triantis, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane to progress. 

By the end of the first half, three Dynamo players had picked up yellow cards, and Houston Head Coach Ben Olsen earned himself a pair that turned into a red, seeing him sent off early. Coming off three consecutive draws, Houston came out of the locker room determined to pick up the pace.

A well-placed long pass up to Hlongwane in the 50th minute saw a near-perfect run up the right side of the pitch, but a touch left to an approaching Yeboah came with just a hair too much momentum to be settled in a single touch. Bond came in hot, putting to bed the squad’s best scoring opportunity yet. Four minutes later, a killer shot by AZ Jackson saw Bond leap for a phenomenal deflection. Jackson put in a Man of the Match-worthy performance, once again proving himself a great asset to Minnesota’s front line and providing a creative playmaking presence when Pereyra’s not on the pitch.

The following corner kick turned into a heart-stopping counter from Houston, with Mateusz Bogusz speeding up the field to pass to striker Guilherme for a clear run until pressure from Gene and Bongi forced him to send the ball low and slow, an easy save for Drake Callender.

About an hour into play, the scoreline remained empty and both sides were getting antsy. Minnesota’s attack had been on the brink of success all evening but simply could not find the final touch to convert. Cameron Knowles sent striker Marcus Caldeira onto the pitch, bringing a breath of fresh air to the front line. 

In the 65’, Ennali sent a dangerous cross into the box for a Duncan McGuire header that went just wide. Minutes later, a dicey Bogusz run was cleared by Duggan. Houston’s attack was growing bolder, with longer and longer stretches being played in Minnesota’s defensive third. Something needed to change for the visitors to get themselves on the board. 

Joaquín Pereyra and Michael Boxall replaced Jackson and an injured Diaz in the 73rd minute. Pereyra’s entrance, as always, created a little bit of magic, and with him in the mix, the chances started coming one after another — a Markanich free kick, a Pereyra corner, a Yeboah shot — but still Minnesota couldn’t find that spark. Neither could Houston, as Guilherme’s 83rd-minute corner ended in yet another too-wide header. 

Bond executed yet another gutsy save in the 84th, shutting down Pereyra’s close-quarters shot at a critical juncture. Bogusz wove between Boxall and Duggan in the 86th to send another shot just wide. Ninety minutes of constant back and forth saw both sides walk away with a point. Minnesota showed some promising attacking creativity tonight despite coming up against such a brilliant opposing keeper, carrying some of their momentum from their past few solid showings into the night’s match. But having fallen so far behind on the table, a hard-fought road win doesn’t feel quite as rewarding this time around. It’ll likely take three big wins and a little bit of luck for the Loons to have a shot at a late clinching scenario.