Franco Negri’s 34th-minute blast gave Houston a 1-0 road win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday as the Dynamo extended their streak of shutting out opponents to a record-tying level.
The Dynamo (12-6-2, 38 points) jumped past the Whitecaps (11-4-4, 37 points) into first place in the Western Conference and extended Houston’s shutout streak to 462 minutes.
Houston is on a five-match winning streak without allowing a goal. The Dynamo are the third club in MLS history to record five consecutive shutout victories in a single season.
Beyond just the shutout streak, the Dynamo are 6-0-2 in their past eight regular-season matches. The unbeaten run includes two wins over Vancouver, as the Dynamo also collected a 1-0 home victory over the Whitecaps on May 16.
The Dynamo’s surge has coincided with a cold stretch for the Whitecaps. Vancouver is 1-3-3 in its past seven matches in MLS and Leagues Cup play.
Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made one save to secure his eighth shutout of the season.
Bond’s relatively easy night highlighted a frustrating performance for the Whitecaps’ attack. Vancouver held 61.9% of the possession and outshot Houston by a 16-8 margin, yet the Dynamo held a 5-1 edge in shots on target.
Rayan Elloumi seemingly had the equalizer for the Whitecaps in the 64th minute, but the goal was overturned after a video review. Replays indicated a foul committed by Andres Cubas during the lead-up of the play.
A quiet first half was suddenly broken open by an unlikely source, as Negri converted a rocket of a shot in the 34th minute. Mateusz Bogusz took the ball to the edge of the box before defender Mathias Laborda touched it away, but Negri was in position to launch the loose ball into the upper corner.
The long-range blast was Negri’s first goal of the season and just the defender’s third goal in four MLS seasons.
Vancouver recorded five shots in the first half but none were on target. Houston defender Agustin Resch made a good sliding block to deny Elloumi in the 20th minute, and Cheikh Sabaly misfired on a close-range shot that deflected off the post in first-half stoppage time.
Emmanuel Sabbi had the Whitecaps’ only on-target shot in the 56th minute, when Bond easily handled the innocuous attempt.
The Whitecaps lost for only the second time in 10 regular-season home matches this season (7-2-1).
–Field Level Media
