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Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo Open Preseason with 3-2 Win over San Jose

February 4, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


TUCSON, Arizona (Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015) - Rob Lovejoy, Giles Barnes and David Horst scored as the Houston Dynamo opened the 2015 preseason with a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday morning at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.

In the preseason debut of new head coach Owen Coyle, the Dynamo met an Earthquakes team led by head coach Dominic Kinnear, who guided the Dynamo for the last nine years.

Coyle deployed a mixed lineup in each half, featuring a combination of returning players and newcomers, including midfielder Leonel Miranda and defender Raul Rodriguez. Honduras international midfielders Boniek Garcia and Luis Garrido were unavailable for selection, as they will face Venezuela in a friendly in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday night.

Coyle's starting lineup included Lovejoy, a second-round selection of the Dynamo in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. The North Carolina product opened the scoring in the 13th minute, collecting a pinpoint through ball from Barnes and racing into the box alone against Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham before calmly slotting to his left for the opening goal.

The Quakes equalized 15 minutes later as Shea Salinas burst up the left flank before feeding Adam Jahn, who finished from a tight angle at the near post past Tyler Deric for the tying goal.

Houston regained the lead from a set piece in the 40th minute. From the top of the box, Will Bruin used a short lay off in front of Barnes, who bent a low shot beneath the wall for a 2-1 advantage.

Coyle made eight changes at halftime, with Barnes, Bruin and rookie Zach Steinberger the lone holdovers from the first half.

The Dynamo extended the lead eight minutes after halftime as Brad Davis curled a corner kick toward the edge of the six-yard box and David Horst rose above his marker to smash a powerful header that struck the ground before the net for a 3-1 cushion.

San Jose cut the deficit within four minutes as Jahn scored his second of he day, collecting a pass from Tommy Thompson and beating goalkeeper Joe Willis.

Memo Rodriguez, Alex Lopez and Jason Johnson entered the game in the 58th minute, completing the day's changes as the Dynamo used 22 players in the first game of the preseason.

The Dynamo will train in Tucson the next two days before continuing the Desert Friendlies with their second of three preseason scrimmages in Tucson on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT, when they meet the Portland Timbers at Kino Sports Complex. The match will be streamed live at www.HoustonDynamo.com .

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