Nederland grad Davy Arnaud earns first coaching victory
Published 1:52 pm Thursday, September 12, 2019
The win wasn’t so much for Davy Arnaud as it was for the Houston Dynamo players, the interim coach suggested.
“They put a lot into the last three weeks,” said Arnaud, a 1999 Nederland High School graduate. “They’ve been putting a lot in for a long time now, but particularly in the last three weeks, they’ve put a lot into it and I am extremely happy for them, that we’ve gotten three points. That’s the most important thing I am happy for those guys.”
Arnaud led Houston to a 2-0 victory over Minnesota United late Wednesday at BBVA Stadium, his first since taking over as interim head coach Aug. 13 following the firing of Wilmer Cabrera. It was also the first win for Houston (10-15-4) since beating Toronto FC 3-1 on July 20, ending a 0-6-2 string.
Arnaud’s first match at the helm ended in a 2-2 tie with the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 17. Houston then lost 5-1 to FC Dallas and 1-0 to Sporting KC before Wednesday’s victory.
Mauro Manotas and Christian Ramirez netted both goals.
“Thank God we achieved the victory and three points,” defender Alejandro Fuenmayor said. “We played a good first half where we could get the two goals and well, we had another half where we did not do so well with the ball. But — we could get the result that has escaped us for so long.”
Houston stands 11th in the 12-team MLS Western Conference with 34 points, nine shy of a tie for sixth between FC Dallas and Portland. Three points are awarded for each victory and one for each tie, and Houston has five games left to try and catch both teams for the seventh and final playoff spot.
“I think all of my teammates played a great game,” Fuenmayor said. “If we all work as a team, I think we will get the results we want and continue to work for everyone.”
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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews