San Jose Earthquakes defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 in Houston, with Cristian Arango and Ian Harkes scoring either side of halftime and Antonio Carlos pulling one back. The match took place in hot, humid conditions that left both teams fatigued late. Head coach Bruce Arena highlighted smart defending and good numbers behind the ball as key to closing out the result despite an imperfect performance. The victory moved San Jose to eighth in the Western Conference with 35 points from 28 matches, level on points with Austin FC but separated on goal difference. Owen Wolff has four goals in his last five matches for Austin.
Reflecting on his side's performance, Arena was pleased with the smarts they displayed to close out the result. "We were a little bit smart at the end," Arena said. "We were fatigued, as was their team I think with the heat and humidity. But a little bit smart. "At least we had good numbers behind the ball and trying to close out the game. We did that. "It was far from perfect, but I think they learned a little something from last week."
The Earthquakes held firm on a hot and humid Houston evening, with Cristian Arango and Ian Harkes scoring either side of half-time, while Antonio Carlos netted a second-half consolation for the Dynamo. Arango broke the deadlock 28 minutes in after combining with midfielder DeJuan Jones, while Harkes doubled their advantage in the 64th minute. Carlos pulled one back in the 72nd minute as Houston pressed for a late equaliser, but San Jose managed to see the game out.
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