NYCFC Goal/s: Villa 15mins
Houston Goal/s: Quioto 2mins, Alex 49mins, Rodriguez 88mins
Recap
Ten-man NYCFC fell 3-1 to a physical Houston Dynamo side in their opening Desert Diamond Cup encounter on a windy night in Tucson, Arizona.
In an eventful opening 45 minutes of soccer which saw both Patrick Vieira and David Villa controversially sent-off, NYCFC fell behind inside 60 seconds to a Romell Quioto goal before Villa replied with a strike from the tightest of angles 15 minutes later.
Alex restored Houston’s advantage five minutes into the second period and it stayed 2-1 until the final minute when Dynamo scored a third through Memo Rodriguez.