Group Stage - GROUP B - Match 11
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - 7 p.m. CT
Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas
HOUSTON DYNAMO v D.C. UNITED
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo (USA)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: George Gansner (USA); Kermit Quisenberry (USA)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Jair Marrufo (USA)
MATCH BACKGROUND
Houston Dynamo and D.C. United finish off play in Group B knowing that a victory for either MLS team will secure a place in the semifinals - though with some help by Club América, it won't matter, as Monarcas Morelia must win in the other match to have any hope. This is the third time the teams have met this season, the first two coming in league play as each won at home. United won 2-1 on May 26 in Washington, while Houston won 1-0 on July 8 in Texas.
Houston Dynamo
After a busy stretch of games coming into the start of SuperLiga, it finally caught up with Houston Dynamo as they conceded the late equalizer to Monarcas Morelia. "The goal we gave up was very preventable," said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. "You could say it was soft. We defended pretty well up to that point. We were defending a little bit too much. I think we had a hard time clearing the lines because the guys were a bit tired." A win would have guaranteed Dynamo's advancement to the semifinals; while still on the verge, they could need a result against D.C. United. "Obviously, this was a tough one for us because we came in a little bit tired I think from the last game," goalscorer Joseph Ngwenya said. "But we still got the tie so that is good. "It was just one of those games. We couldn't convert any of our other chances in the first half. I think we were a little tired too, and I know we are all looking forward to the next one and putting this past us."
D.C. United
D.C. United was in almost exactly the same situation for a second successive SuperLiga game. Up a goal and up a man, against Morelia, they eventually settled for a 1-1 draw. Against América, they made the lone goal stand up. "It's an important game to get the result at home, because we let that last one slip," said United head coach Soehn. "The situation was very similar, [but] you use every experience you can to make yourself better, and I thought the guys responded really well. We adjusted our formation better and the energy level was high, and we closed them off, we did a good job with the ball." United came into the game intending to use high-pressure tactics from the outset and it paid off. "We got an early goal and we were able to establish control of the ball, and I think that's the way D.C. United plays," said Christian Gomez. "It was important, because they have very dangerous players up top and we were able to keep our concentration throughout the match, unlike Wednesday against Morelia when we couldn't hold on to the result even though we had a man advantage."
State of Play: Group B
Houston Dynamo and D.C. United have the advantage coming into the final matchday in Group B. If Morelia fails to defeat Club América, the two MLS clubs will advance, regardless of their result. A Morelia victory, and a draw between the two MLS teams, and it will come down to tie-breakers. If either Houston or D.C. win, they will be guaranteed a spot in the final four, with the other waiting to see on Morelia's result in the later game.
