Jose Artur scored in second-half stoppage time, giving the Houston Dynamo a 1-1 draw with the host Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night and tempering the MLS debut of Thomas Muller.
Brian White scored on a penalty kick in the sixth minute for the Whitecaps (13-6-7, 46 points).
The Dynamo (7-11-8, 29 points), who lost 3-0 at home to Vancouver on July 16, tied it in the opening seconds of stoppage time. Lawrence Ennali dribbled the ball down the left wing and sent a pass back to Amine Bassi at the top corner of the 18-yard box. Bassi spotted Artur joining the play and dropped a pass for him to unleash a shot from 25 yards that made its way through a maze of players and just out of the reach of diving goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka and inside the left post.
Muller, the 35-year-old German superstar who scored 250 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich over 17 seasons, received a standing ovation from Vancouver’s fans when he came on as a substitute in the 61st minute.
Muller sent the crowd into a frenzy less than two minutes later when he appeared to score on a half-volley from 20 yards, but White was ruled to be offside on the initial pass into the penalty area and the goal was disallowed.
White’s goal came after Jayden Nelson was tripped by Houston’s Griffin Dorsey while driving the end line on the left wing. White put the ensuing penalty into the middle of the net as Dynamo goalie Jonathan Bond dove to his right.
Houston nearly got the equalizer in the 15th minute. Jack McGlynn played a short corner kick from the right wing, got the ball back and whipped a cross to the far post. The ball deflected off defender Mathias Laborda and Takaoka had to make a kick save to avoid an own goal.
The Whitecaps nearly doubled their advantage in the closing minutes of the first half. First, Nelson hit the left post in the 45th minute on a sliding attempt after Edier Ocampo’s low cross from the right wing on a counterattack.
In stoppage time, Bond made a diving save on a 12-yard shot by White and Emmanuel Sabbi’s rebound attempt from 15 yards grazed the top of the crossbar on its way into the stands.
–Field Level Media
