Blessing’s late goal helps Dynamo tie Atlanta 2-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Latif Blessing scored in the 89th minute to help the Houston Dynamo to 2-2 tie with Atlanta United on Saturday night.

Coco Carrasquilla chipped an entry — while Amine Bassi occupied a defender — to Blessing at the left corner of the 6-yard box for the finish to cap the scoring.

Griffin Dorsey played a volley, off a corner kick by Héctor Herrera, that ricocheted off the crossbar to Franco Escobar at the right corner of the 6-yard box for a header that gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Escobar, a 29-year-old defender who spent his first four MLS seasons with Atlanta, has a career-high tying two goals this season and seven in his seven-plus year career.

Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan played a long pass and Daniel Ríos won the ball in the attacking third and back-heeled a pass to Luke Brennan on the right side of the area. Brennan slipped an low entry pass behind a defender to Thiago Almada, whose shot from point-blank range was parried by Clark but Ríos was there for the putback into an empty net to make it 1-1 in the 25th minute.

Xande Silva, from just inside the left end line, blasted a shot that slipped under the crossbar and inside the back post to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute.

Guzan stopped seven shots for Atlanta.

Steve Clark had three saves for Houston (6-6-5).

Atlanta (4-8-5) has just one win (a 3-1 defeat of Inter Miami on May 29) since a 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire on March 31.

The Dynamo outshot Atlanta 19-11, 9-5 on target.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up