A second-half strike from Giles Barnes handed the Houston Dynamo a winning start to their 2015 MLS season as they beat Columbus Crew 1-0 at the BBVA Compass Stadium.
Both teams started the game in a sluggish fashion as neither were able to carve out any clear-cut opportunities in the opening 20 minutes of the contest.
The Dynamo opened up the match as Will Bruin raided forward, but lacked support from his teammates, and his ambitious strike from distance sailed past the post.
Ricardo Clark almost produced a moment of magic for the home side when he ran the length of the pitch and into the penalty area, but he dragged his shot wide of the target.
In the second half, the Crew came out strongly and tested the Houston backline as they forced Tyler Deric into good saves from Tony Tchani's strike and a header from Kei Kamara.
Deric kept his side from falling behind as he produced a diving stop to prevent Kristinn Steindorsson's shot from finding the bottom corner.
The save proved to be even more important when Barnes put the Dynamo ahead minutes later, collecting Kofi Sarkodie's cross to fire the ball past Steve Clark.
Columbus upped the ante as they pressed to get back into the match, but Deric was in fine form as he leaped to punch away a loose ball in the six-yard box as Kamara was set to pounce, securing his side the points.
Simon Sinclair
