Needing a win to assure itself of a spot in the semifinals of SuperLiga, Houston Dynamo did just that -- win.
After a first half where both Dynamo and D.C. United were a bit sluggish, the Orange turned things up in the second half, and after Brian Ching scored in the 50th minute, Houston rode their defense to a 1-0 win against United to claim first place in Group B.
Both teams admitted to being tired from playing four games in 11 days, including the three SuperLiga contests in the span of eight days, but Houston came out in the second half with more intensity.
"I think you saw two teams that were a little bit ... talking to Tommy (Soehn), their coach before the game, I mean it was like their fifth game in 13 days too, so there were some heavy legs out there," said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear.
"Both teams came out there with a team they thought was fresh and competitive to win, but it did take a little while to get going. I thought we were dangerous with Stuart (Holden) hitting the post. I give credit to them for some of their last-ditch defending," Kinnear continued. "There were a couple times they were able to get their head in and knock it away. It was a tight game, and you knew it was going to be."
Ching's goal in the 50th minute came off a Zach Wells goal kick. Nate Jaqua headed the punt to Ching, who got past the D.C. defense and fired a bullet from just inside the area on the left into the back of the net.
"I was fortunate enough to read Nate's flick. I know he positioned a lot of his headers up there. I positioned myself well, got a good flick, and it was a good finish," Ching said.
Added Jaqua: "The ball came through, I got a head on it and I got it through and Brian put a great touch on it."
After a frustrating tie with Monarcas Morelia on Sunday in which a miscommunication between Houston goalkeeper Zach Wells and the Dynamo back four led to Morelia's tying goal in the 74th minute, the Houston defense didn't allow D.C. many good chances. Wells was solid in goal with five saves.
Defender Ryan Cochrane said the team put the miscue against Morelia behind them quickly.
"You think that something like that could sit in the back of a teams mind going into the next game, but not this team. We bounce back," Cochrane said. "We didn't give up a lot of chances, especially in the first half. If our defense is playing well, and they aren't scoring goals, we just have to keep plugging away."
Defense has always been a strength for the defending MLS Cup champions, and during the group stage games, Dynamo showed how good their defense is by allowing just one goal in three games.
Kinnear was very happy with his defensive play, but he gave a lot of credit to D.C.
"Give credit to D.C. because it was like we were playing with 21 guys in one half of the field," Kinnear said. "They were throwing everyone except for their 'keeper. The guys are tired but pretty good resolve. We could have a couple breaks or been a little bit sharper and added to our lead. That would have been nicer. To get a shutout and give up one goal in three games against some good competition is pretty impressive."
With the win, they will face a familiar foe in Pachuca in the SuperLiga semifinals on Aug. 14. The defending Mexican champions eliminated the Orange in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup earlier this year.
To get there, however, Houston had to go through a tough opponent in D.C. The second half proved to be the difference for Dynamo as they got the win they wanted to have.
"We were at home, and we took a little bit of pride in coming out and wanting to win this game," Ching said. "Our mentality from the kickoff was to attack them. You saw we put the ball in their end of the field. We were fortunate enough to come out with a victory. It was a hard-fought game by both teams, and we were fortunate to come out on top."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
