FC Dallas 2 Houston Dynamo 0: Castillo inspires hosts after lightning delay

FC Dallas rose to fourth in the Western Conference after Fabian Castillo inspired their 2-0 win in the Texas derby in MLS.

Castillo struck twice in the first half against Houston Dynamo on Friday – although the first goal was judged an own goal from Jermaine Taylor – as Dallas extended their unbeaten run at home to five games in all competitions.

The victory took Dallas to 26 points and up to fourth from sixth in the West’s standings ahead of Portland Timbers (25) and Sporting Kansas City (24), while Houston (20) remained second-bottom.

After a delay lasting over an hour due to lightning around Toyota Stadium in Frisco, the home side started strongly with Castillo eventually breaking down Dynamo’s defence in the 33rd minute.

The Colombian forward drove into the left side of the box with his defender retreating, and his centring pass took a severe deflection off Taylor’s boot and rolled inside the far post.

It was 2-0 three minutes before half-time, with Castillo again dribbling in from the left flank, playing a one-two with Mauro Diaz and finishing coolly past Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric.