Goal in 77th minute sends Houston Dynamo to victory over Minnesota United

If Minnesota United could have counted the close ones on Saturday night, they might have pulled off a different result than their 2-1 home loss to the Houston Dynamo.

Wil Trapp’s first-half shot partially crossed the line before it was cleared. Jordan Adebayo-Smith’s last-ditch header in second-half stoppage time might have been even closer to being over the line.

All the Loons know for sure, though, is that close counts for zero points.

Houston got on the board in the first half thanks to a MNUFC own goal, and while Minnesota tied the game in the second half, Sebastian Kowalczyk’s long-range strike in the 77th minute ended up being the game-winner for the Dynamo.

Trapp’s 34th-minute chance will probably be the one the Loons rue the most. Houston botched an attempt to play a series of short passes from a goal kick, leaving Trapp one-on-one with goalkeeper Steve Clark. The keeper got a small piece of the shot, but the ball looped over him to the Houston goal line.

Trapp, still moving, missed a chance to poke the ball home, and lunging Dynamo defender Ethan Bartlow managed to clear the ball off the line.

“For me, it’s just finishing the play and running all the way through it, instead of thinking it’s going to cross the line,” a regretful Trapp said.

Four minutes later, a Loon did get the ball into the back of the net — unfortunately, his own. A corner kick rebounded off the thigh of Minnesota midfielder Alejandro Bran, and the carom flew past Dayne St. Clair for an own goal.

The Loons tied the score in the 70th minute, through Franco Fragapane. After an incisive through-ball from Trapp, Robin Lod played an intelligent pass to pick out Fragapane’s late run into the penalty area, and all Fragapane had to do was pass the ball into the back of an open net.