LAFC storm back to share spoils with Houston in 6-goal thriller

Los Angeles FC overturned a two-goal second-half deficit in an enthralling 3-3 draw with the Houston Dynamo to open Group F play in the MLS is Back Tournament.

Monday night’s frenetic affair was a tale of two halves defined by the contributions of Houston's Memo Rodriguez and LAFC star Diego Rossi.

Dynamo homegrown product Rodriguez opened the scoring in the ninth minute when the 24-year-old duped Latif Blessing before firing a low shot on the edge of the area that darted past Kenneth Vermeer at the near post.

Rossi, meanwhile, was an irrepressible threat down the left side early on for Bob Bradley's charges. The Uruguayan played a decisive role in creating the equalizer 10 minutes after the opener, flashing an incisive pass across the face of goal that Bradley Wright-Phillips tapped home.

The goal was Wright-Phillips' first with LAFC following a move from New York Red Bulls and the 109th of his MLS career, moving the Englishman past Jason Kreis for seventh on the league's all-time list.

Wright-Phillips, 35, was starting in place of reigning league MVP Carlos Vela, who opted to stay home with his pregnant wife rather than participate in the tournament in coronavirus-ravaged Florida.

Rodriguez re-established Houston's lead at the half-hour mark when the 24-year-old escorted the rebound on his volleyed effort into the back of LAFC's net.

Alberth Elis made it 3-1 in the fifth minute of first-half added time with a thumping header from a free-kick that was ruled good following a VAR check.

The tides drastically turned after the break as LAFC grew into the match at Houston’s expense, continuing an early trend of comeback efforts at the tournament.

Rossi sliced the Dynamo's lead in half 18 minutes following the interval with a thunderous strike from an acute angle. Brian Rodriguez then scored his long-awaited first goal for LAFC minutes later amid a period of relentless pressure from the Supporters' Shield holders.

The result marked the highest-scoring match of the tournament and the second time that a team clawed back from a two-goal hole Monday after D.C. United scored twice in the final six minutes of a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC.