LAFC vs Houston Dynamo Highlights
In a tight race for the Supporters Shield, the 3-1 LAFC vs Houston Dynamo victory put the Black and Gold one step closer to becoming the best club in Major League Soccer for the 2022 season. Carlos Vela scored a brace off penalty kicks and Ryan Holilngshead topped it off with a dagger early in the second half.
Dénis Bouanga drew a penalty from Dynamo midfielder Griffin Dorsey who grabbed Bouanga’s jersey at the waist in the opening minutes of the match. Vela then cruised his penalty kick past goalkeeper Steve Clark to the left corner of the goal to put LAFC on the board.
With a huge pin-point accurate cross from Houston’s Adalberto Carrasquilla just in front of the center line to former LAFC midfielder Corey Baird right inside the box, the Dynamo were able to equalize the match following Baird’s simple tap-in score. Vela then found himself another opportunity for a PK during the first half stoppage.
Video Review showed a handball penalty called on Fabrice-Jean Picault after a corner kick by LAFC in the fourth minute of the first half stoppage time. This gave Vela another chance to kick a PK, and the shot looked almost déjà vu to his first as it hit the net. With the brace, Vela now has 11 goals this season.
Just minutes into the start of the second half, Hollingshead, the top scoring defender in the MLS, secured his sixth goal in 2022 and tied his career record.
Austin FC’s 1-1 tie with Nashville on Saturday gave LAFC the top spot in the Western Conference. LAFC will enter the postseason as the top seed in the West for the second time in franchise history. Neck and neck with the Philadelphia Union in points, both LAFC and Philly have two games left for the 2022 MLS season.
LAFC now has 20 wins for the season and will play against the Timbers on Sunday, October 2 at Providence Park.