It was like old times again on Saturday night. A group of around 200 San Jose Earthquakes fans filled a section of the stands at The Home Depot Center. Brian Ching was creating mayhem and the host Los Angeles Galaxy was making it difficult for the visitors.
It might have been the Houston Dynamo's first visit to Carson, but the club's players and coaches certainly remembered the California Clasico.
"It sounds a bit corny but in these games you throw the records out the window," Dynamo striker Alejandro Moreno said. "There is still a rivalry there and there is still some not-so-friendly feelings among the members of the team. These games are going to be tough games, hard-fought games."
Houston and the Galaxy finished in a scoreless draw Saturday. The Galaxy recorded their first shutout of the season, but against Houston, anything less than a spirited match was not expected.
"These games bring out the competitive edge in all the players involved," Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said.
Ching made a presence in his first game back from the U.S. World Cup team. Ching, who did not play in any of the USA's three World Cup games, arrived in California on Friday afternoon. Kinnear said he told Ching to rest up and the two would evaluate Ching on Saturday. At 11 a.m. Saturday morning, Kinnear said he decided to start Ching.
During the first half, Ching was active and a threat inside the penalty area. Galaxy keeper Kevin Hartman kept Ching off the scoreboard with an excellent save off a Ching header that was targeted for the back of the net.
"He was a handful," Kinnear said. "You could tell he was probably a little bit tired at the end of the game but he was a good addition to the team for us."
Despite taking an 11-hour flight from Germany to California, Ching said he felt good in his return to MLS.
"I was a little tired but I was excited to get back out there on the field. I felt pretty good once I started running around. I actually felt great considering I just flew in (Friday)," Ching said. "I was a little rusty but hopefully it will come back to me. It was my first game in a month since Venezuela (on May 26)."
His presence was important but Dynamo failed to score a goal for just the third time this season.
"We had a lot of good chances but it was just a step off or shot a foot wide," Ching said. "I'm a little disappointed to walk away with the draw but having said that it's always good to get points on the road."
Still, with Ching aboard the team should only improve.
"He's a big presence in the box and a big presence in the air for us," Moreno said. "We haven't seen him in the last six weeks or so but he's going to get back into a rhythm with the team and we're going to get back into a rhythm with him and things are going to get better from here."
The club also received a boost from the Earthquakes fans in the stands. Clad in Quakes blue, the nearly 200 fans chanted loudly throughout the match and supported the club that moved from San Jose to Houston in the offseason.
"They were great," Kinnear said. "I have a couple of good friends up there and I knew they were going to bring down 150-200 people. Every time you look up there you get a little chill."
Kinnear said he was touched by the support.
"It makes you realize that some people don't have soccer in their lives every weekend but they still care enough to drive five and a half hours to see the team that they love," Kinnear said.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
