Blessing's late goal helps Dynamo tie Atlanta 2-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Latif Blessing scored in the 89th minute to help the Houston Dynamo to 2-2 tie with Atlanta United on Saturday night.

Coco Carrasquilla chipped an entry — while Amine Bassi occupied a defender — to Blessing at the left corner of the 6-yard box for the finish to cap the scoring.

Griffin Dorsey played a volley, off a corner kick by Héctor Herrera, that ricocheted off the crossbar to Franco Escobar at the right corner of the 6-yard box for a header that gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Escobar, a 29-year-old defender who spent his first four MLS seasons with Atlanta, has a career-high tying two goals this season and seven in his seven-plus year career.

Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan played a long pass and Daniel Ríos won the ball in the attacking third and back-heeled a pass to Luke Brennan on the right side of the area. Brennan slipped an low entry pass behind a defender to Thiago Almada, whose shot from point-blank range was parried by Clark but Ríos was there for the putback into an empty net to make it 1-1 in the 25th minute.

Xande Silva, from just inside the left end line, blasted a shot that slipped under the crossbar and inside the back post to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute.

Guzan stopped seven shots for Atlanta.

Steve Clark had three saves for Houston (6-6-5).

Atlanta (4-8-5) has just one win (a 3-1 defeat of Inter Miami on May 29) since a 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire on March 31.

The Dynamo outshot Atlanta 19-11, 9-5 on target.

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