Tyrone Mears lifts Sounders past D.C. United; Fire draw with Dynamo
SEATTLE (AP) — Tyrone Mears scored in the 88th minute for his first MLS goal, leading the Seattle Sounders to a 1–0 victory over the short-handed D.C. United on Friday night.
Mears, a defender in his first season in the league, was outside the top right corner of the penalty area when a ball was headed away from the net toward that spot. Mears took it just inside the box and fired into the left side of the next past goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra.
The Sounders (10-7-2) snapped a three-game losing streak and climbed into a tie with Vancouver atop the Western Conference.
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League-leading D.C. (10-6-5) played the majority of the game with just 10 men after forward Fabian Espindola was sent off with a straight red card in the 27th minute for a retaliation foul against Seattle's Zach Scott.
Scott received a yellow card for leveling Espindola in the 13th minute.
Fire 1, Dynamo 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Patrick Nyarko scored his first goal in more than a year, knocking in his own rebound in the 72nd minute, as the Chicago Fire earned a 1–1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Friday night.
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Greg Cochrane reached a loose ball in the box to the left of Houston goalie Joe Willis and put it out front as Nyarko, a halftime sub, and Willis arrived simultaneously. Both players hit the deck as the ball bounced free but Nyarko hopped up and knocked the ball into a wide open net for his first goal since May 10th of last year.
Alex had given Houston the lead in the 56th minute, three minutes after subbing into the game, when he tapped in a cross from Brad Davis. Alex started the season with Chicago and made one appearance before being traded to Houston on April 13. He didn't play for the Dynamo until June 20 and was appearing in just his third game.
Chicago (4-9-3) is still last in the Eastern Conference with 15 points while Houston (5-7-6) is ninth in the West with 21 points.
