Some Houston Dynamo fans lost hope when their beloved team failed to win the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal against Deportivo Saprissa last week at Robertson Stadium.
A 0-0 draw is all Houston could muster April 2 in their home match at Robertson Stadium. But the Dynamo played well against the Costa Rican force and was just a finish or two away from getting that elusive advantage to take with them on the road.
But Wednesday in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Dynamo can get to the final of the continental club championship with a win. The game plan is to play smart, keep it close and convert the opportunities that will undoubtedly present themselves.
The Orange believe they can beat Saprissa in front of what will surely be one of the rowdiest crowds they've played in front of. And to do it, they will have to press on without several key players due to injury or suspension.
Eddie Robinson is nursing a right knee injury that was re-aggravated in Sunday's 3-3 tie against FC Dallas and did not make the trip. And perhaps more importantly, the team will be without goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who injured his right shoulder in the first half of the Dallas match. It is not certain when Onstad will be ready to play again.
Backup Tony Caig will be between the posts against Saprissa and will have to rebound from his Dynamo debut Sunday, when he allowed goals on the first three shots he faced, though he did make several key stops down the stretch as Houston roared back for the tie.
Defender Bobby Boswell is suspended, after picking up cautions in each of the last two Champions' Cup matches.
Every team will be forced to work through its share of injuries. The Dynamo, however, will have to do it in the middle of a very busy and important part of their MLS regular season schedule.
Head coach Dominic Kinnear said his team will have to overcome a tough stretch to get by a very good Saprissa club.
"It's a tough schedule and whoever made this schedule did not do us any favors," Kinnear said. "(Wednesday) will be a difficult matchup against a really good team. It is a team that plays very well at home, but this is going to be a really good experience for us. It will be a challenge for us and we need to go in there with the attitude that we are going to win."
Attitude might be the key to getting past Saprissa, and several members of the team mentioned that when asked what it would take to steal the road portion of the series.
Midfielder Richard Mulrooney said the team is aware of what the unfriendly crowd could do to the team's psyche.
"I think we are going to have to weather the storm at times, but if we just stick together and play smart, we'll be OK," Mulrooney said. "Yeah, their crowd is going to be huge, 30,000 or whatever, but the game is played on the field. If the game were played against their crowd, we'd definitely lose, but it's not. It's played on the field and I like my team's chances in what we are going to try to do."
Craig Waibel was more succinct when asked what this match meant to the team, its fans and Major League Soccer. There is no question what it would mean to the league to have its two remaining teams (D.C. United is the other) advance to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup final -- and potentially a place in the FIFA Club World Cup next December.
"This is a big one," Waibel said. "This is a big match."
Forward Brian Ching, who earned an assist on Geoff Cameron's game-tying goal against FC Dallas Sunday, said the team has to be prepared mentally for what they will endure in Central America.
The U.S. international is no stranger to the big stage. He knows what is at stake tonight and is looking forward to the test that Saprissa will deliver at game time.
"It is something that we have been really looking forward too and we know it is going to be a difficult atmosphere down there," Ching said. "The good thing is a lot of the guys on this team have played in this tournament before and we know what to expect and the level of competition that awaits us.
"We have experience playing difficult games like this."
Andrew J. Ferraro is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
