Gameday: Dynamo earn 1-1 tie at New York in playoff opener

-Gameday, Post-game, Quick hits, Team news, by Dynamo Downtown

What an exhilarating finish for Dynamo fans! Kei Kamara’s goal in the 85th minute, assisted by Stuart Holden and set up by Wade Barrett and Brian Ching, lifted Houston into a 1-1 road tie with New York Saturday afternoon at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In a physical contest, neither team had a lot of clear-cut opportunities, but Juan Pablo Angel’s opportunistic snap header in the 48th minute had New York in front until Kamara’s strike.

The Dynamo now return home for the second leg one week from Sunday at Robertson Stadium knowing a win by any score will see them progress to the Western Conference championship game for the third consecutive year. Tickets for that game are still available but going quickly, so get yours online now.

Here’s what Kamara had to say to Houston’s 55 after the game-tying goal:

“It was a good ball in. Stuart got a touch on it, and I just got my toe on it and tried to hit it as quick as I could. … It’s very good to be going home. It’s not like we’re a goal down. Everybody’s going to be pumped up and ready for that game, and our home crowd is going to be there to support us 100 percent, and the players are going to be ready.”

Here are a couple of notes from the game:

The tie extended the Dynamo’s unbeaten streak against MLS foes to 10 games (4-0-6), dating back to August 31. After beginning the year 3-5-5 in road contests in all competitions, Houston finishes the season with an eight-game unbeaten streak (1-0-7) on the road.

Stuart Holden and Kei Kamara were both second-half substitutes; each played the full match in Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions League tie against Luis Angel Firpo in El Salvador. Kamara has now scored six goals in 17 total games (10 starts) for the Dynamo since being acquired in July. Holden has six assists in all competitions this year, fourth on the team behind Brad Davis, Brian Mullan, and Brian Ching.