Ezequiel Ponce scored a pair of late goals, including the go-ahead score in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time, as the visiting Houston Dynamo rallied to earn a 4-3 victory over San Diego FC on Saturday.
Ethan Bartlow sent a pass to Ponce, who delivered the game-winning strike with his left foot from the top of the penalty area to put the Dynamo (7-9-5, 26 points) up for good.
Ponce had just earned a chance from the penalty spot late in the second half and scored on a penalty kick in the 87th minute to tie the score 3-3. That goal came after he was fouled by San Diego FC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos, who came away with a bloody nose.
The injury delay for dos Santos created 17 minutes of second-half stoppage time.
Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made four saves to help push the club above the playoff line in the Western Conference.
Milan Iloski, Luca Bombino and Onni Valakari scored goals for San Diego FC, who saw a four-match winning streak come to an end, while still extending their run of at least three goals to four consecutive matches.
San Diego FC (12-6-3, 39 points) received one save from dos Santos. The expansion club remained in first place in the West while losing at home for just the second time.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when Iloski scored from near the penalty spot.
The Dynamo got even in the 36th minute when Ennali scored in his first career MLS start. Houston jumped in front 2-1 in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when Escobar scored on a blast from outside of the penalty area.
San Diego tied it 2-2 in the 54th minute when Bombino scored on a left-footed swinging strike through Bond’s arms. In the 67th minute, San Diego regained the lead 3-2 when Anders Dreyer’s shot toward goal rebounded off the leg of Valakari and into the goal.
–Field Level Media
