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A late Robbie Findley goal gave Real Salt Lake a 1-0 win over the defending champion Crew at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Possible upset in the making? The return leg is this Thursday on Espn2 at Crew Stadium in Columbus.
So everything is going according to plan in the first leg matches of the playoffs with teams playing it close to the vest although the 0-0 Dynamo/Seattle match had far more chances than this one . Findley converted at the near post after a Yura Movsisyan cross. Like I have mentioned before it will be interesting to see if Findley makes a run at making the World Cup squad.
What was really disappointing was that only 11,000 fans turned out to the playoffs Utah. RSL, what is with that?

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AM CRUSH TEXAS

Texas AM are heading into the Big 12 Conference Championship on a high after a 4-0 win over Texas last night at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
Four different goal scorers Kim Castleberry, Bri Young, Nora Skelton and Rachel Shipley produced in front of 4,385 fans at the Aggie Soccer Stadium.
The Aggie Soccer Stadium will host the NCAA Womens College Cup in December and one wonders if the Aggies will be there?

RICE defeats UH….The Owls defeated UH in their rivalry game 2-1 at the Rice Track and Field Stadium. Erin Scott and Shelly Wong scoring for the Owls and Laurie Byrne for UH.

I love the passion that is flying between the fan bases of the Dynamo and Sounders. It will be interesting to see how many Sounders fans get to Houston and if there is any sprinkling of green and blue in the sea of orange on November 8th. The Dynamo might not have liked the short turn around to having to play on Thursday night but from a marketing and promotion standpoint how nice is it to have 9 days to promote the game……. Consider the two fields in this series and it’s effect. The artificial surface at Qwest Field makes the ball run obviously but also because of the way the ball bounces allows more time for defenders to close people down.
Freddy Ljunberg has been critical of the fouling and it will not get any easier at Robertson Stadium where the field is tight and it is always a challenge to find space.
The nature of the two fields in some ways has put more emphasis on the physical and less on soccer.

WHO WAS YOUR MVP………..Who was your MVP from the Dynamo/Seattle game this past Thursday. Tough to pick but I am going with Ricardo Clark and his energetic effort in midfield. Clark will need to keep this energy up in midfield if the Dynamo are to go far. Andrew Hainault also considered for the marking job he did on Steve Zakuahani.

KING SENTENCED

Wigan striker Marlon King was sentenced to 18 months in jail for groping a woman and then breaking her nose after she spurned his advances at a bar. Wigan will fire the Jamaican striker who was making $58,000 a week. He was convicted unanimously of sexual assault and causing bodily harm. Now this is disgusting because King was a career criminal who had 13 yes count them 13 prior convictions including one for violence against women.
The victim left the nightclub with blood streaming down here face and says he has ruined her looks. King apparently grabbed the bottom of the 20 year old and she told him to stop.
King then smashed to the floor smashing her lip and nose.
So here is the kicker, teams kept signing this guy despite his criminal record and he is married with three children. His now pregnant wife must be so proud.

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Advantage Dynamo that is what I believe after an excellent collective performance at Seattle which ended in the 0-0 draw and was a real step up from the Chivas USA match. The Dynamo showed great resiliency and effort in front of 36,000 fans in Seattle and even took the crowd out of it at certain times.
Lots of set piece chances but a few things of note on this night:

*The Dynamo midfield was average against Chivas USA but tonite excellent in a workmanlike, concentrated effort in the playoffs putting together a complete 90 minutes. In some ways I believe this was the perfect environment and game to push the Dynamo back towards their game.
The midfield effort was a springboard to better protection for the back four and a solid road performance that turns the advantage back to the Dynamo in my humble opinion. Ricardo Clark had a solid game and helped to be the axis from a defensive standpoint in midfield as the Dynamo did well to conted with the trio of attackers in Freddy Ljunberg, Fredy Montero and Steve Zakuahani. Because of this good midfield performance the Dynamo were able to keep center backs Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell in the middle for the most part. Other than one good turn from Montero he was effectively taken out of the game by the Dynamo. The four set of Clark, Mullan, Davis and Holden matched Seattle and then some in midfield.

*Early chances..the Dynamo had two GOLDEN ones on headers from Andrew Hainault (3rd minute) and Brad Davis (9th minute)……….the squad also pieced together some nice build-up play in this match and Brad Davis would get denied by Keller after a great hit in the 58th minute. The Dynamo also did well with their first pass out of pressure in this game aided by their midfield demanding the ball. Much of the danger came off corner kicks which totaled 16 between the two teams. The Dynamo whistled for 18 fouls while Seattle whistled for 6.

*Great choice…Dominic Kinnear made a great move starting Dominic Oduro. With his pace Oduro kept Seattle honest and remained in their heads a bit . In the end Kinnear would use all four of his forwards…..

*The return leg Sunday November 8th will be carried on Fox Sports Houston and KHOU 11.2 at 2pm. The Dynamo and Seattle met on August 23rd at Robertson Stadium in front of 17,063 with the team drawing 1-1. Geoff Cameron scoring for the Dynamo and Nate Jacqua for Seattle.
* Pat Onstad made the saves he needed but in bizarre fashion pushed Fredy Montero in the first half and could easily have been ejected which could have changed the complexion of this home and home series. The official word on pushing came from Joe Machnik of MLS which stated a push to the face or head and you are ejected. Takes me back to the LA game where Rico Clark pushed David Beckham in the face and was not sent off then Brian Ching was sent off for apparently the same reason…go figure. It is that unpredictability from referees that made the choice from Onstad strange.

* Most chances Thursday in this game came off set pieces and the game was competitive and hard due to the artificial surface at Qwest Field. The artificial surface robbed this game of even more greatness. How many balls just ran from players in this match? Too many. How many balls bounced off the surface and took forever to come down allowing defenders to get tight and put pressure on people. Still despite the surface there was some good possession from the Dynamo and in fact I would give them a slight edge here. Although Seattle made a valiant push at the end only to be matched by the Dynamo will.

* Both goalkeepers made the plays they needed to make while the woodwork saved the Dynamo once on a header from Pat Ianni getting a start for Tyrone Marshall.

*Second MVP…TEXIAN ARMY fans who made their way to Seattle!

*The LOCAL SPORTS MEDIA in my opinion has once again passed on promoting or knowing about the importance of last night’s game in Seattle.
Little to NO talk about the Dynamo and Seattle. The Dynamo have re-captured moment with this win and now have a wonderful week to build up the energy and interest outside of the soccer culture. Lets greet the rave green with a sea or orange when they come to town on the 8th.
Also, don’t stand idly by while radio stations and local tv stations ingnore the Dynamo and the sport you love. Hold local announcers to the fire and talking heads to the fire!!!
I will be broadcasting live from the House of Blues on Tuesday so come downtown and join me this Tuesday!!!

So if you had lost a bit of faith in the Dynamo to make a big push in the playoffs…has your mind changed? Are you more optimistic now or have you always been?
What are your thoughts on the opening game from Seattle and the second leg coming up on November 8th?

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis today on Fox Sports Houston airs at 5pm presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute…….Richard Mulrooney on the difficulty of playing at Qwest Field, top ten goals from around the world, rumors , rants and raves plus more on Clint Dempsey.

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DYNAMO VS. SEATTLE tonite on espn2 at 9pm

How great is it to be an MLS fan today!
This match-up is hugely intriguing and one wonders if this will trend like many of the first games in two game MLS playoff series with cautious and calculated play? The x factor here could be how the sell- out crowd of over 30,000 fans will effect the focus and mentality of both teams.
This is an atmosphere unlike any in MLS and can prove motivational or intimidating for teams coming in. I have seen it work both ways. I also called a game earlier in the year between DC United and Seattle on Espn2 that had DC dead and buried and Seattle managed the game less than impressively and United came back to claim an amazing 3-3 draw that seemed at one point out of reach. Get ready for an upset or two in these opening round playoffs. Columbus are you listening?

Prior game:
The Dynamo got a huge result 3-2 at Chivas USA buoyed by an outstanding goalkeeping effort from Pat Onstad. Onstad made three key saves early as the Dynamo started less than impressive and prevented Chivas from a two goal lead. The Dynamo would find their game, get a goal off a corner, one during the run of play with Brad Davis putting in Dominic Oduro who scored through the legs of Zach Thornton and then getting a third goal from Abe Thompson.
Despite the 3-0 lead the Dynamo who conceded two goals to Chivas had to hang on at the end to get the full three points.
Seattle won for the first time since July 2-1 over FC Dallas to head into the playoffs on a winning result as well.

Goalkeeping:

Along with Donovan Ricketts of LA, Kasey Keller of Seattle and Pat Onstad are the top goalkeepers in the league in my opinion with all due respect to others. Both can win a game on their own and could be the difference tonite. Onstad seems in the zone with amazing positional play recently that has gotten into the head of the shooter. Just ask Justin Braun of Chivas USA.
Keller is a big game goalkeeper and historic for U.S. Soccer. Both goalkeepers in this environment will have to organize what is in front of them effectively.
You have heard of dueling pianos…..tonite it just may be dueling goalkeepers the one who makes the critical saves might just be the difference. You will need to score GOOD goals to beat these two.

Defenders:

Geoff Cameron will have to move back in the middle with for the Dynamo you would imagine to deal with Fredy Montero and company.
His athleticism is needed to balance Bobby Boswell and others . Cameron must remain in the middle as much as possible in a controlled manner and make the right choices when to leave and break up plays. Andrew Hainault and Mike Chabala should hold down the outside back positions and I would imagine be very selective going forward in game one.
Seattle counter with Jhon Kennedy Hurtado a Colombian who has been solid along with the veteran Tyrone Marshall who has had his battles in the past with Brian Ching. Ching uncharacteristically has been sent off twice in recent times and Marshall knows it and will likely kick him if to test his mental state. Emotional control will be a key here.
Outside backs Leo Gonzalez from Costa Rica and James Riley will have the green light to go forward but must venture forward wisely.

Midfield:

The Dynamo have a question mark around the health of Ricardo Clark and what he can contribute tonite. Stuart Holden will need to rise to the occasion with his midfield partner to battle Osvaldo Alonso and presumably Brad Evans. Alonso has been an outstanding pick up and the Cuban is an underated passer of the ball. Evans like Holden joins in attacks late. A great match-up for the fan in this area.
Out wide look for the Dynamo to use Brad Davis who comes into the interior of midfield alot and could leave his left back exposed at times against Freddy Ljunberg who essentially has a free role so look for Nate Jacqua to slip to the right side on occasion. Steve Zakuahani and Brian Mullan will look to control that area of the field out wide and their outside backs will need to support them ably in this one to get the job done.
Ljunberg’s movement’s are countered by the other three midfielders for Seattle and to an extent Jacqua in order to give him his freedom to create.

Forwards:

Fredy Montero leads the pack here and can score goals in a variety of ways. Long range, combination play and the ability to do it on his own all a part of his contributions. He will test the Dynamo backs by checking back into midfield and hopefully bringing them out of the middle which then allows late runs into vacated space by Evans, Ljunberg and company.
The big body of Nate Jacqua is always a challenge if he spends alot of time in the penalty area. The former Dynamo is not a liability on the ball.
For the Dynamo this area of the team has been a real question mark due to international call-ups, injury and suspension.
Brian Ching should return for the big game and is a former USL Sounder. He must play to his strengths of simplicity and emotional control. Hold the ball , find someone and get into the box should be the mission. If Luis Landin starts he will be expected to produce a solid 45 minutes as his fitness has been in question. He is skilled and no better game for him to hold the ball and relieve pressure in this environment. Cam Weaver is from the area and is a banger in the box and needs service to get the best out of his game.
The pace of Dominic Oduro could be unsettling for Seattle and the question remains as if Kinnear will use him off the bench. I say yes as a later option but starting him also could alleviate pressure with Seattle pushing forward.

Bench: Seattle has gotten key goals from Roger Levequese including one in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup which they won. Sebastian LeToux is also a great off the bench option in midfield or up front. THe Dynamo lost a key play here in Cory Ashe and of course are without Richard Mulrooney.

Coaches: Don’t forget the quality of these two coaches who have combined for the last three MLS Cups. Both Kinnear and Schmid are already tops in this category in the history of the league.

Tactics: Both will go from the starting point of a 4-4-2 and the mental games of game one come in to play. For Seattle to win the series they need to win at home tonite and with that knowledge I don’t believe can be overly cautious….a draw and they are in trouble going back to Robertson Stadium in Houston. Conversely with that knowledge the Dynamo could catch them on the break or over-committed.
When the ball turns over the Dynamo can’t hesitate to go from offense to defense mentally. Slow or hesitant thinking on this night will be exposed.
It is this time period that Seattle can up the tempo and catch teams positionally out of balance.
The orange need a good night of possession, control of tempo through throw in’s and set pieces but most importantly the lines of their team (defenders, midfield and forwards) need a sense of compactness limiting space especially between the back four and midfield.
The Dynamo are a pressing team but will have to be selective when they do this and will have to defend for extended periods of time. Seattle must be careful not to get hurt by Brad Davis or Stuart Holden if they over-commit.

What are your thoughts about tonite?

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MIDFIELD PLAY

Thursday night when the Dynamo take on Seattle one area of the field to keep an eye on will be midfield. Think of first the match-up in the middle which could be between RICARDO CLARK (coming off injury) and STUART HOLDEN against presumably OSVALDO ALONSO and BRAD EVANS. Evans and Holden are the two that try to join attacks late while Alonso and Clark generally balance off their partners. Four players that will be very determined in the trenches.
Out wide for Seattle you will find Freddy Ljunberg although don’t expect him to stay there as he has a free reign and is an interchangeable with Nate Jacqua. Ljunberg will also come central. Steve Zakuahani out of Akron is a former Arsenal youth player and when he is involved can be dangerous.
The Dynamo counter with Brad Davis who also can be problematic as he comes inside and scored a fantastic goal in the Dynamo 2-1 loss at Seattle earlier in the year.
Brian Mullan will also need to control the wide area of his side of the field as Seattle like to get their outside backs Leo Gonzalez and James Riley into the attack.
Keep an eye on the Dynamo four set in midfield in a classic match-up against Seattle.

ARE WE SPOILED? Two MLS Cups set the standard when the Dynamo came to town and I know we have tons of loyal fans but are fans too pessimistic going into tomorrow’s playoff match at Seattle. The second season is alive and in a home and home series anything can happen. I don’t have a problem with fans airing it out and being critical as long as they have a reason for their criticism and are buying tickets, this in essence is professional sports where expectations can be askew……Teams in every market go in cycles and one day maybe the team will not be as successful will you be a loyal fan?

PODCAST IS UP…I loved the passion from Dominic Kinnear on last night’s radio show plus Seattle coach Sigi Schmid and team president Oliver Luck on the program.
Head over to 790thesportsanimal.com, click podcasts, click Glenn Davis.
More talk on mayoral candidates and how the Sports Authority issue can influence the court of public opinion when it comes to the Dynamo stadium.

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Game one is critical in MLS playoffs and generally they are games that are more cautious and lack risk so that team are in it in game 2.
As much as the Dynamo may want to be the aggressors on Thursday night at Qwest Field in Seattle they are going to have to be selective I think with the current squad on how much and how high they press. Get pulled apart at Qwest Field and Seattle has all kinds of individuals that can hurt you like Freddy Ljunberg, Steve Zakhauni, Brad Evans , Fredy Montero and Nate Jacqua…….The Dynamo were pulled apart at times at Chivas USA which put huge pressure on their back four. The overall midfield effort is going to need to improve on Thursday night in front of a crowd that could top 40,000 based on the Sounders opening up more seating. If it the midfield game is not on par it could be a dangerous opening game with the crowd urging the Sounders forward.
One pre-requisite for Thursday night is to go in to this game with a controlled, cavalier type attitude…………….Soccer fans, your thoughts?

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I am a big fan of what Seattle had done this year in MLS. It has been a needed shot in the arm and lets face it …it has exposed some ownership groups as to their investment in GROWING the sport and it has put to rest lots of excuses like fans can’t be drawn during a weekday game, fans can’t be drawn on Saturday or Sunday afternoon etc.
Secretly even you hardcore fans know that Seattle is helping to take the league higher and set higher standards .
So they will sell out again this Thursday and I wonder what will be the response of the Dynamo fans in the return leg on a Sunday afternoon at Robertson Stadium on the 8th.
Will Robertson be sold out?

It is time for the local soccer community to get “all hands on deck” to help sell out Robertson and get games re-scheduled on the afternoon of Sunday the 8th.
It is time to go to your local associations and have your wants heard about re-scheduling games..this is not July 15th and a sweatbox at Robertson .
This is the playoffs and to help young players get a grasp of the bigger picture and to dream a little bit they need to be aware of this game and that awareness occurs with re-scheduling. So HYSA, TYSA, STYSA, BAYSA leaders…you will be watching the game I am sure……..so lets make sure our youth players and parents have the same option as you do and lets grow this beautiful sport together!!!!!!! By the way should youth soccer leaders just be concerned about their league or should they set an example of leadership setting an example to our youth and parents that soccer is bigger and global!!!

By the way Drew Carey was on the field celebrating with the Sounders after their win over FC Dallas and it’s time we put Oscar De La Hoya on his trail……I am tired of seeing Drew celebrate…….

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The Dynamo will get it started quickly taking on Seattle this Thursday on Espn 2 and then the return match November 8th at 2pm at Robertson Stadium.
Get your playoff tickets….!!!! Houstondynamo.com

Here are the playoff pairings:

Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA
Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake
Chicago Fire vs. NE Revolution

Thoughts?

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The Dynamo got outstanding goalkeeping from Pat Onstad who positioned the Dynamo to get a 3-2 win over Chivas USA and take second place in the Western Conference…By winning this match the Dynamo will open up their Western Conference Semi-final at Seattle next weekend in front of over 30,000 fans at Qwest Field.
Five minutes in Onstad would make a huge save on Justin Braun in a one on one that kept the game scoreless. Two minutes later he would clear another dangerous situation with his feet as the Dynamo started slowly.
In the 25th minute Andrew Hainault would score off a corner and then four minutes later Dominic Oduro would get behind the Chivas USA defense to make it 2-0.
IN the 51st minute the Dynamo would make it 3-0 getting a goal from Abe Thompson.
It would not be managed out easily as Chivas USA would make a push getting a goal in the 59th from Michael Lahoud and then a suspect penalty call would put Eduardo Lillingston to the penalty spot who would convert to make it 3-2.
Chivas USA would pressure in the final minutes but the Dynamo would hold on.

Notes”
*Pat Onstad is the clear MVP of this team based on consistency this year. His early saves critical.
*Brad Davis had two assists
* Dominic Kinnear used all four strikers and got goals from two of them. Does Brian Ching start vs. Seattle when he comes back from suspension?
Is this the game that puts the Dynamo in the right frame of mind for the playoffs? Are you now excited about the playoffs and a match-up with the Seattle Sounders FC!

LIVERPOOL got a needed victory over Manchester United at Anfield that saw the game winning goal produced by Francisco Torres.
The reds get this win over the devils without Steven Gerrard and after four straight losses……..

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Western Conference currently:
LA GALAXY 48 points
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 47 points
HOUSTON DYNAMO 45 points
CHIVAS USA 45 points

The LA Galaxy have won the Western Conference title by virtue of a 2-0 win against San Jose last night. The Dynamo with a win would secure 2nd in the west and then take on the Seattle Sounders in the playoffs gaining home field advantage. With a tie the Dynamo would end up third based on tie-breaker advantage over Chivas USA and again play Seattle but without home field advantage. With a loss the Dynamo would take on the LA Galaxy .
Real Salt Lake have also secured a playoff spot and will cross-over to the Eastern Conference as the fifth place team in the west. NE with a win today at Columbus can get into the playoffs.

Great “classics” take place today with Manchester United taking on Liverpool in England, Boca Jrs. vs. River Plate in Argentina and Chivas against America in Mexico.

What games interest you and who would you rather see the Dynamo play? Seattle or LA ?