The 2011 Jack McInerney has been passive and tentative, clearly frustrated at himself.

In front of a packed house at PPL Park on Saturday night, McInerney looked frustrated for a different reason. He wanted the ball. More, more, more. In the fifteenth minute: a goal. Moments later: A brilliant finish called back for offsides.

In the end, McInerney’s first strike of the season was not enough. Geoff Cameron equalized in the 85th and the Union dropped points for the second straight home match, tying the Houston Dynamo 1-1.

Mac up top

While the Union continued their recent run of messy play, McInerney was a dynamic force. Often isolated against the giants of the Houston back line, Mac dragged the slower defenders across the pitch with angled runs that can only be the product of a brilliant soccer mind functioning near it’s peak.

The opening minutes could have been a continuation of Wednesday’s match in Chicago. The Union midfield was disorganized and only Brian Carroll’s work rate kept Houston from peppering the Union box with crosses.

When the home team pressed forward, they tended to move too slowly against a big back line that required craft to unlock.

But through it all, Jack McInerney was a vitalizing force. Fronting the line, he created space and forced Bobby Boswell to climb him like a stepladder on headers.

In the fifteenth minute, McInerney was rewarded for his efforts. A turnover in the Houston third resulted in Mac getting space outside the eighteen. He drove at the defense and flicked the ball wide to Le Toux. The Frenchman hit a return pass through the center as he fell backwards. McInerney rounded the Houston giants and nudged the ball past a prone Tally Hall. It was relief for McInerney and pride for the Union coaching staff, who have used Mac as a sub and a starter this season, trying desperately to help him find his groove.

Three minutes later, McInerney thought he had a second. A swift counterattack pushed the ball wide to Sheanon Williams and he took a touch before sliding the ball behind the defense to McInerney. The young striker casually slotted home from sixteen out, but the offsides flag was correctly raised.

Garfan handles Brad Davis

Houston sought to find Brad Davis on the right, but Gabriel Farfan wouldn’t let Davis come out and play until he’d eaten all his tackles. And there were a lot of them to swallow.

In the 22nd, Garfan forced Davis to slide the ball wide when he wanted a shot, then followed the play and bodied Colin Clark off the ball.

Houston responded by moving Davis to the left flank, where he pulled jinky moves at Sheanon for the rest of the evening.

Houston possess against disorganized Union

In the final fifteen minutes of the first half, the Union’s offensive playmakers barely had a sniff of the ball. Houston managed to create offensive sets through Geoff Cameron’s quick passing, and the home team’s defensive shape collapsed. Williams, Paunovic, Mapp and Torres all offered up cheap giveaways in the center of the park and the pressure from Houston was appropriately unrelenting.

Weaver cheap shot

Danny Califf was in the midst of another strong performance when Cam Weaver took out his frustration on the center back. After being stoned again on an attempted turn, Weaver managed to slam his arm into Califf’s eyebrow without the linesman or referee catching him.

Fans will be unsurprised to hear that referee Terry Vaughn missed something: His performance lacked in confidence and the Dynamo took full advantage with a brutally physical second half.

A chance for Clark at the close

As the first half drew to a close, both teams would have the opportunity to break through. When Williams screwed his clearance into the middle of the park, Le Toux collected it and tried to spring McInerney, but Bobby Boswell took a good angle to cut off Mac’s run.

Then, Brad Davis whipped a fine ball into the box and Colin Clark got behind Gabe Farfan. Alone on Mondragon, he tried to touch the ball around the big goalie, but lost control and ended up lifting his shot well over.

Two halftime changes, early chance for Mwanga

Roger Torres and Justin Mapp hit the showers at halftime, with Danny Mwanga and Michael Farfan brought on to extend the lead.

Mwanga had his first chance in the 47th minute. Marfan intercepted a poor pass and carried it through the center. Mwanga’s diagonal run brought him the ball in the right channel, but his first touch was wide and he fired limply at goal.

But it wasn’t all shots on goal and roses for the Union in the second frame. The substitutions meant Veljko Paunovic had to drop into a midfield role, and Houston thought that was a fine idea indeed. Finding space in the middle of the pitch, the Dynamo attack looked sharper and more focused. Off a Brad Davis free kick, Geoff Cameron’s header of the bar was a clear warning shot.

McInerney bicycle kick

McInerney had one last shot to extend the lead. Michael Farfan—looking his usual confident self back in a midfield role—curled a breathtaking pass behind the defense as Mac stepped in front of Boswell near the six. McInerney tried to lift the ball over Tally Hall and into the far corner, but a deflection left the orb spinning in place above the striker’s head. Without hesitation, he embarked on an ambitious overhead kick that inched over the bar.

McInerney left the match soon after, making way for Stefani Miglioranzi.

Mwanga taken down in the box

Danny Mwanga was determined to double the score, but on this night he wasn’t going to do it without the help of Terry Vaughn’s whistle. Receiving a Mondragon kick near the mid-line, Mwanga beat what looked like the entire Houston team, a barbarian army, and Ken Jennings before arriving at the edge of the box and using a hesitation spin move to cut inside. He was immediately hauled down by the frustrated Dynamo defense, but there was no whistle and an incredulous Mwanga slammed the turf with his fist.

It was the start of a disturbing pattern. Mwanga, Michael Farfan, and Sheanon Williams all seemed to have no trouble turning the Houston defenders they met. But when the Dynamo cynically pulled them down, in a literal fistful of shirt sense, only play-ons and cardless fouls were given. Mwanga, in particular, received a number of extended-arm shoves from Boswell without official intervention.

Valdes yellow card suspension

And then, late in the match, Carlos Valdes received a strange yellow card that will see him suspended for Saturday’s match against Dallas. Play was blown dead with a cross in the air. Valdes fired the ball over the net as a Houston defender dove in to head it. Hilariously, the reason listed for Valdes’ card on the MLS website is, “Argument.” The caution was issued much too swiftly for any arguing to have taken place.

Le Toux off the post

In the 84th minute, Miglioranzi hit a gorgeous pass with the outside of his foot that spun between defenders and released Le Toux on goal. The Frenchman cut inside and lashed a fine shot past Tally Hall that hit off the inside of the post and bounced out. Le Toux could still be seen with his head in his hands moments later as he surely wondered what manner of sacrifice he needs to force a ball into the net.

Cameron equalizer

A minute later, Geoff Cameron would have no such bad luck. The Union’s clearances had been poor all night, and it came back to haunt them when Danny Califf couldn’t clear a long ball. His header was collected by Cameron, who touched the ball around Miglioranzi and fired a bullet into the corner from the top of the circle.

Although Sheanon Williams would have one last chance in the 88th (spun well wide of Hall’s net), the match was over and the Union deflated.

They head into a big match with Dallas desperately in need of a win to keep them ahead of the pack in the Eastern Conference.