Houston claims away point

August 28, 2009

LA CHORRERA – After 11 yellow cards, five ejections and a floodlight failure seconds before the final whistle, host Arabe Unido tied the Houston Dynamo 1-1 in a bizarre CONCACAF Champions League match at the Estadio Agustin Sanchez.

The result left both teams even atop the Group A table on four points, with Arabe ahead slightly on goal difference.

Trinidadian referee Neal Brizan issued red cards early and often as Arabe and Houston had two and three players sent off, respectively.

Kei Kamara had given the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute, when the Panmanian side was already down two players. The 24-year-old gathered in a long ball from the back and took it to the top of the area before firing a shot past goalkeeper Carlos Bejarano.

In the lead up to the goal, Arabe players made claims for a foul near the Houston penalty box. Brizan let play proceed and Houston wasted no time in advancing the ball swiftly forward.

In the 81st minute, the Dynamo’s Andrew Hainault was issued his second yellow card. Five minutes later, US international Stuart Holden received two cautions for dissent in a matter of seconds and was given his marching orders. Corey Ashe was shown a straight red 10 minutes into the second half.

Arabe took advantage of its extra man and space to the level the game in the first minute of stoppage time.
From the right side of the box, Jose Justavino sent a cross to the far post for Orlando Rodriguez to head past Dynamo goalkeeper Talmon Hall for his third goal of the competition.

Arabe’s David Daniels was expelled in the 11 minutes into the game, while teammate Omar Camarago, despite lengthy pleas to the contrary, was dismissed in the 67th minute.

Houston, which defeated El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan 1-0 last week, returns to Champions League play on September 16 at Pachuca. Arabe Unido, a 4-1 winner over Pachuca in its group stage opener last Wednesday, will play away for the first time on September 15 against Isidro Metapan.

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