The San Jose Earthquakes head east to take on the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday in a Western Conference showdown between two teams in the thick of the playoff mix.
San Jose (7-5-6, 27 points) sits in fourth in the Western Conference after a scoreless draw at home against the Portland Timbers on Saturday night. Goalkeeper Daniel put in a Man of the Match performance for San Jose with four saves, perhaps none bigger than on a close-range header less than two minutes into the second half.
“It’s great to have Daniel in a rhythm of staying healthy and having another positive performance,” Earthquakes coach Luchi Gonzalez said postgame. “He is showing that he can be consistent in games as well, so credit to him.”
Daniel has played and started in seven games this season and posted a shutout in three of them. He has saved 30 shots while only allowing five goals across those seven games.
The Dynamo (7-7-3, 24 points) are in sixth place in the Western Conference and only three points back of San Jose after last Wednesday’s 1-0 away win over Los Angeles FC. Defender Micael pounced on a rebound in the 23rd minute for the game-winner, his first in his MLS career. From there, Houston’s defense led the way, locking down a team that has scored 25 goals on the season.
“Our defensive shape was just fantastic,” Dynamo coach Ben Olsen said. “The willingness to cover the next guy, the way we shifted, just the overall effort and selflessness that the players gave tonight to keep a shutout in one of the toughest places to keep a shutout in the country. It was a lot of brave performances, a lot of selfless performances.”
Goalkeeper Steve Clark continues to be a brick wall in goal for Houston. He has played in all 17 matches this season and has stopped 46 shots en route to seven shutouts.
–Field Level Media
