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| Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved |
By Lou Roesch
Special Correspondent
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved
HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 23, 2017) Forward Will Bruin (No. 17, shown left) sealed Seattle’s opening leg win
over his former team minutes before halftime on Tuesday night in Houston.
Traded following the 2016 season after recording his worst scoring output in
his six years as a Dynamo, the veteran rebounded with an 11 goal season in
2017. Bruin has become the perfect complement to Clint Dempsey, national team
scoring legend.
Seattle, who seeking its second MLS Cup title in as many
seasons, opened the scoring behind a Gustav Svennson header in the eleventh
minute. The Swede’s unlikely goal was just in second in 32 appearances with
Seattle.
Eighteen minutes later, Houston keeper Joe Willis’
stop of a Seattle penalty conversion only delayed the inevitable giving the
record crowd of more than 22,000 Dynamo faithful faint hope that Houston would
rebound with a win.
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| Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved |
Joevin Jones, pulled down in the box that led to
Dynamo defender Jalil Anibaba’s red card departure from the game, delivered a
perfect header to the far post. Bruin perfectly position sent a soaring header
into the back of the net for his second 2017 playoff goal of the season. It was also the second goal of the season for
the former Dynamo star against his old team this season. His twelfth goal of
the season put Houston in a two goal bind from which only five teams in MLS
playoff history had ever rebounded to win the match.
“I heard a nice ‘F-U
Bruin’ chant, so that was good,” Bruin said with a laugh. “It didn’t surprise
me though. I was happy to score and get the win.”
To make matters worse
for Houston, Bruin who has scored more goals than any other player at BBVA
Compass Stadium raced towards the corner where he would usually greet his
Dynamo teammates only this time, no one was there to celebrate the wide-eyed
smiling Bruin.
Seattle needs but a 0-0
draw in the leg 2 game on Thursday at home. Bruin, who helped lead Houston to
MLS Cup title games in 2011 and 2012 would like nothing more than to eliminate
his old team and return the Sounders Major League Soccer’s championship game in
2017. “It would be great to
be in Seattle and knock Houston out to go to MLS Cup,” Bruin said with a smile.
Five times in MLS playoffs history has a team come back from 0-2
down to win a game (not series). Never has it been done playing shorthanded.
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