Houston Dynamo haven't necessarily been beating the living daylights out of their opponents. But after Saturday's 2-0 win against the Kansas City Wizards, they do have a nine-game undefeated streak dating back to May 27.
"We're not exactly tearing up the victory columns, but I appreciate how competitive we are," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said.
Two emblems of that fighting spirit Saturday night were forwards Brian Ching and Alejandro Moreno. They were key parts of the offense.
"They did a good job holding the ball tonight," Kinnear said.
Ching provided the match clincher in the 66th minute, but it was a pair of set pieces that provided the rest of the goals. Eddie Robinson knocked home a corner kick in the 21st minute, and Brad Davis scored on a direct free kick in the 56th.
"We were strong enough to get three points tonight," Kinnear said.
Set pieces continue to plague the Wizards defense. The Wizards struggled against D.C. United on the very same thing.
"We're a good team on set pieces," Davis said. "We've got a lot of guys who can attack and score."
Davis hammered home a free kick from some 28 yards for his second goal of the season. It sailed into the upper corner past virtually helpless goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi.
"I knew I was going to hit it without anybody else touching it," Davis said. "That's a part of my game that I work on a lot. I cherish it."
Kinnear said, "On the set piece, Brad Davis was clinical."
Davis was playing in front of his hometown fans. He hails from St. Charles, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. His family and friends made the trip to Arrowhead Stadium.
He has fought back from a variety of injuries, including a hernia, and a pulled quadriceps muscle has plagued him this season as well. Apparently, Davis is now in a good place with his health.
Saturday, it was his addition with his first goal of the season -- and his sixth assist, on Robinson's corner kick goal -- that helped Dynamo keep pace with FC Dallas in the battle for Western Conference supremacy.
"It proves that we have a team that doesn't have just one guy who scores every night," Davis said.
Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
