All three goals arrived in the opening 17 minutes as Valencia are crowned champions of the BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup.
Man of the match: Adritz Aduriz was the difference maker. The 31 year-old striker filled in for Roberto Soldado -who was away on international duty – and acquitted himself quite well. His finely-taken brace sealed the victory for Valencia in the early going.
Packaged for takeaway:
- The visitors found success attacking from the flanks and kept at it. It took a mere 71 seconds for Aduriz to get on the scoreboard as a sneaky through ball courtesy of Pablo breached the Dynamo’s defense. The early strike hinted at an imminent blowout, but that wasn’t to be.
- Calen Carr’s goal is worth seeking out. The right midfielder completed a mazy run around Valencia’s defense and unleashed a furious shot destined for the upper 90. It was his first goal of the calendar year. Yes, the golazo came in an exhibition match, but it was still a nice moment for the Houston Dynamo’s Mr. Utility.
- The score line would not remain knotted at 1-1 for long as Valencia immediately answered with a quick attacking sequence. The go-ahead goal resulted from yet another turnover in midfield and subsequent breakaway. Aduriz was again on the receiving end of a finely threaded pass (this time from Pablo Piatti). His goal restored Valencia’s lead. The Dynamo’s midfield held their own against their opponents’ (you guessed it) slick passing game. Deep-lying midfielder Adam Moffat put in a 90-minute shift and was instrumental in keeping possession balanced in midfield.
- Save for goalkeeper Tyler Deric and defender Warren Creavalle, Dom Kinnear’s starting XI was almost entirely comprised of first-teamers. The Dynamo are coming off a demanding set of fixtures that included seven games in 23 days. It was unsurprising to see some regulars (i.e. Brian Ching and Bobby Boswell) get the hook at halftime. Kinnear took full advantage of the lax substitution rules and gave a number of young players the run-out. A total of nineteen Dynamo players saw action on the night. 21 year-old forward Brian Ownby made his debut appearance for the first team and stretched Valencia’s backline on a couple occasions.
- It was another announced sellout at BBVA Compass Stadium. The crowd became particularly vociferous in the dying stages of the match as the Dynamo launched a final offensive assault. The equalizer remained elusive, however, and most filed out before the trophy presentation.
