Hell Week: Sporting KC 1-3 Houston Dynamo

An uncharacteristically bad defensive performance against DC United carried over as Sporting KC fell 3-1 to the Houston Dynamo.

Garcia, Bruin and Clark provided the goals for Houston, while Dwyer scored the lone goal for the home side.

For the first seventeen minutes of the match, Houston was in control, pushing the ball down the field and creating several opportunities both through the run of play and on corners. However, the sky opened up and the game was temporarily suspended due to the heavy rain and lighting that had enveloped the stadium. The delay would last nearly 80 minutes before the teams returned to the pitch.

Coming out of the rain delay break Sporting KC turned the tables on the Dynamo, creating several opportunities and just missing a couple of balls that went across the face of goal.

The Dynamo would be the ones to break through first, however. A ball coming across the top of the box was misplayed by Collin and it bounced to Will Bruin, who had the open shot and finished for the goal. He would end up injuring his foot on the reflex shot, having to be subbed off a couple of minutes later. His tenth goal of the season, however, would stand as it put the Dynamo ahead 1-0 in the 34th minute.

The rest of the first half would be filled with tension as the two teams nearly came to a full on brawl in the 43rd minute, involving several players being shoved in the box and a mass confrontation between the sides. It appeared Feilhaber shoved Sarkodie first, then Sarkodie shoved him back and knocked him to the ground, leading to the mass confrontation. Yellow cards would be given to Dom Dwyer, Boniek Garcia, Kofie Sarkodie and Benny Feilhaber. Dwyer and Feilhaber will both miss next Wednesday's game at New England due to yellow card accumulation.

The two frustrated teams would endure the rest of the first half without any more severe incidents, going into the locker room with the Dynamo up 1-0.

Sporting would find an equalizer ten minutes into the second half, setting up the rest of the match to be even more intense. Benny Feilhaber slotted a nice ball across the top of the box to Dom Dwyer, who deflected his shot off a Houston defender and into the net for the score. His 17th goal of the year brought him to one goal away from tying Preki's single-season franchise goal record and it brought Sporting KC level with the Dynamo, 1-1 in the 55th minute.

Houston would go back on top only five minutes later, however. The Dynamo were given a set piece on the left side of the box, which is always a dangerous zone for a team that has Brad Davis. Davis' left-footed free kick was perfectly placed for David Horst, who headed it in for the goal.

The Dynamo would double their lead just a few minutes later. Brad Davis sent in another left-footed free kick, this time from the right side. His kicked would be deflected into the goal by Ricardo Clark to put the Dynamo up 3-1 on the home side.

Tally Hall would have to leave the game or the Houston Dynamo on account of a knee injury in the 81st minute, forcing the Dynamo to use one of their subs to bring in Tyler Dedric, the backup keeper.

Despite six minutes of added time, Sporting KC would not be able to put any substantial chances on goal, ending the match with a defeat to the Dynamo 3-1.

Sporting return to action next Wednesday in New England, where they will be without both Benny Feilhaber and Dom Dwyer.