It should have been a night to rediscover past heroics. But good memories are a long way away right now for the Houston Dynamo who, on a night where they received their championship rings in a spirited pre-game ceremony, are still searching for their first MLS victory in 2008.
Chivas USA came to the Bayou City on Saturday night looking to accomplish three things -- stall, try not to get caught stalling and get out of Houston with at least a tie.
Check. Check. And checkmate.
"You have to give Chivas an extreme amount of credit," said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. "They came here with a plan and they got some help by not being punished for wasting a considerable amount of time."
But the tactics only made the night that much more frustrating for the Dynamo, who had every opportunity and then some to get out of Western Conference basement.
Franco Caraccio had a great look in the opening minute. Brian Ching had probably the team's best chance in the first half go all for naught.
In the second half, especially the last 15 minutes of the game, the Dynamo put on a full blitz only to see their offensively display quashed by Chivas USA 'keeper Brad Guzan.
Dwayne De Rosario? Denied. Corey Ashe? Denied. Brian Mullan? Denied. The list goes on and on.
"We are just on the unlucky side of the draw right now," Mullan said. "We are playing well and beating teams, but we're not doing it on the scoreboard. What do we need to do? Get a goal? Getting ahead? We've got to do something. It can't keep going like this all season.
"I think we are definitely getting enough chances to win. I think we had four of five good ones tonight and I think we just have to finish one of those. They got lucky on a few of those, the save they made on (Brian) Ching and then the one Guzan made on Corey (Ashe) in the second."
During practice all week, the team commented on how they felt after a 1-0 loss at Columbus a week ago. Several members of the team said the team played its best game by far, only to have one breakdown cost them at least one point in the standings. And it could have, should have, been three.
If the frustration factor was high then, it went well above and beyond Saturday night in front of a good crowd at Robertson Stadium.
"Things just aren't going our way right now," said goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who recorded his first shutout of the season. "We are fighting hard and I think the guys are committed to the cause, it's not like anyone is quitting on anybody.
"Right now we are just not getting that lucky bounce. We're not getting that deflection on a free kick. Things just aren't going our way right now."
There were some complaints about the officiating, but to the team's credit no one placed the sole blame for the tie on referee Jozef Batko.
Batko called a 2008 MLS season high-tying nine cards in the match, four yellow cards a side and one red card against Chivas USA's Claudio Suarez.
Mullan said there was no flow to the game and it was difficult to get a feel for how to play. That was especially troubling for a regular season match that the Dynamo needed to win arguably more than any other in club history.
"I think the game just got out of hand from the beginning," Mullan said. "I think some cards got called that did not need to be cards and things just spiraled out of control from there.
"You just didn't know what the next call was going to be. A call at midfield is not the same call in the box. You just don't know what to expect."
The Dynamo will take a day off Sunday and then it's right back to the training ground to prepare for the Colorado Rapids, who will come to Houston for the first time in 2008.
Kinnear said the goal this week will be the same as the one before: get a win.
"It's was a frustrating night," said Kinnear. "We played well, had our chances, but we need a goal. We need to break out of our slump."
Last year, Houston opened the season with just two wins in its first eight games. Things looked bad then, but the team got on a roll, made the playoffs and won a second consecutive title against New England in the MLS Cup Final.
This year, zero wins in six games seems a whole lot worse. Ashe said it best when asked to sum up the game. He pretty much described the whole year without meaning to.
"We're getting a half inch away from scoring, but we are a strong team mentally and physically," Ashe said. "We are going to get back out there this week, train and get it going again next week."
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
