Houston Dynamo have fallen out of first place in the Western Conference and MLS, but the Orange will have a chance to recapture first in the West when they face intrastate rival and Western Conference leader FC Dallas on Sunday at Robertson Stadium.
Houston has lost the last two MLS games against Real Salt Lake and Colorado by identical 1-0 scores, and Dynamo are coming off a heartbreaking defeat to Pachuca, 4-3 in penalty kicks after battling back to tie the score at 2-2 while playing a man down most of the game.
With all that the Orange have faced as of late, they are ready to get back on the field and know the importance of Sunday's game.
"It's an extremely important game for us, especially considering the ways things have been going," said Dynamo forward Brian Ching. "We think we're a first-place team. We're at home against a good team. We are going to come out and hopefully, we won't have any red cards and play with 11 men and give us a good chance to win it."
After Tuesday's loss to Pachuca in the SuperLiga semifinals, the team got some much needed and deserved days off. Houston had a hectic schedule over July and beginning of August, playing nine games. The minutes finally caught up to Dynamo.
Playing 120 minutes and then having penalty kicks took a lot out of the team Tuesday night, but the Orange say they are physically ready for the Hoops.
"Physically, we're all right. There had been a stretch where there was a lot of games, and maybe that caught up with us a little," said Dynamo defender Wade Barrett. "You can also say we are two-thirds of the way through the season, and we should be fit enough to handle that. Physically, we're all right going into this game. It's not difficult getting up for these types of games -- particularly against Dallas at home on Sunday."
In the two meetings between FC Dallas and Houston this season, the Orange are 1-0-1. In June, Houston took a 2-1 win over the Hoops that started its 11-game MLS unbeaten streak. Dynamo continued that streak with a scoreless draw in Frisco a month later.
Now, with first place on the line, Dynamo want to get their winning ways going again. In order to do that, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear thinks it's going to take the team creating some breaks and playing smart.
"We really haven't either caught a break or made our breaks," Kinnear said. "We started off really well last game (against Pachuca), but we got a red card to put us down. Then, we even it up and get another red card, so that's little mental mistakes we're making. The way we started the game first 11 or 12 minutes we looked like we were going to run away with it.
"I think we just need to come out with the right attitude and right approach, and we know it's an important game, and we are at home. I think we'll be fine. These guys are the way that one game goes away, we are looking forward to the next one. We are never looking back, always looking forward."
While Houston has suffered through a bit of a slide over the past couple weeks, FCD has gotten hot, winning their last two MLS games and defeating the Charleston Battery in the U.S. Open Cup.
Houston, who has suffered a number of injuries, will get the services of midfielder Ricardo Clark back for Sunday night's contest. Clark has been hobbled due to a sprained right ankle injured at the All-Star Game, and he was listed as a substitute Tuesday night against Pachuca but did not see playing time.
"Any time you get a body back (it helps)," Kinnear said. "We're down numbers right now. Everybody knows that. Get someone back, who's name is Ricardo Clark, it's a big plus."
The importance of Sunday's game is well-known to Dynamo. Being at home with the fans behind them, they hope will be enough to carry them through to victory.
"There's going to be a lot on the line for us. We realize that," Ching said. "We're at home, and the support we've been getting, especially Tuesday night, was amazing. Hopefully, our fans will help lift us through this game as well."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
