Houston Dynamo Vs LA Galaxy: 3 things we learned – Chicharito debut spoiled
By Daniel Garza
The Houston Dynamo drew 1-1 with the LA Galaxy in the season opener to spoil Chicharito’s debut on Saturday. Here are three things we learned.
The moment finally arrived for Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez to make his debut in Major League Soccer. A trip to Texas was the first test at hand for the Los Angeles Galaxy’s high-profile signing. Visiting the Lone Star state was going to be no easy task as the new-look Houston Dynamo under Tab Ramos were looking to spoil the party.
An entertaining 90 minutes saw both clubs go back and forth in search of the winning goal. In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw with Cristian Pavon scoring a fantastic goal and Mauro Manotas equalizing. Perhaps the biggest moment of the match was a goal-line clearance from Aljaz Struna that saved the day for the home side.
Related Story. LA Galaxy: Cristian Pavon, not Chicharito, the key. light
With the first match of 2020 in the books for the Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy, here are three things we learned.
3. Mauro Manotas steals the show
It was not Javier Hernandez who was the leading goalscorer on Saturday afternoon, but the Houston Dynamo’s own prolific center-forward who stole the show. Mauro Manotas proved to be the more effective striker on the pitch, scoring a lovely equalizer in the second half.
The goal from the Colombian striker was the perfect start to his season, drifting in behind an absent-minded LA Galaxy defense and then hitting a vicious strike first time on the turn.
Manotas does not always get the credit he deserves — that tends to come with the territory of playing in Houston. But there was a lot to like from his performance here and it appears as though there are going to be lots more goals to come from the 24-year-old. With a potential European transfer still in the cards, on consistent goalscoring record may matter more now than ever, for both himself and the Dynamo.