Riding high on a nine-game unbeaten streak and having been unscored upon in six games, Houston Dynamo will put both streaks on the line Sunday at Robertson Stadium against Toronto FC.
The Orange will also be looking to avenge a 1-0 loss earlier in the season to Toronto.
"We weren't pleased we lost in Toronto. Overall, I think the performance we were pretty pleased with how we played up there," said Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad. "Not that we didn't deserve to lose, but I thought we could have come out of there with something. But I'm sure Toronto feels the same way as well that they were deserving winners."
Sunday's game will be the fourth in 10 days for the majority of the team, but for some of the players, they will have played five games in 10 days once Sunday's game is over.
Houston defeated New York 4-0 on July 5, and followed that up with a 1-0 win against D.C. on Sunday. Dynamo then stepped out of league play and lost to the Charleston Battery in a U.S. Open Cup match before defeating Chicago 4-0 on Thursday. Even though Dynamo rested much of their starting 11 against Charleston, Houston comes in a tired team.
"We've been on a bit of a long run with a lot of games," said midfielder Stuart Holden. "It's starting to wear on us a little bit, but everyone wants to make sure that we don't start looking toward the All-Star break. We have an important game against Toronto on Sunday. They've been playing well. They've been a little up and down. Our main focus is to win on Sunday, then kind of look to the All-Star break to get our rest.
"The travel and everything has kind of worn on everyone a little bit. Once we step onto the field, we want to go out there and win. That's the mentality of everyone in this locker room. [Head coach Dominic Kinnear] has done a good job of resting everyone -- making sure that everyone has fresh legs coming into the games. I think everyone is feeling a little tired, but I think we still have a lot in us to make sure we get this last win before the break and make sure we are on top of the table."
Toronto enters the game well-rested, having only played three games thus far this month. The club is undefeated in those three games and will be looking to continue their climb up the Eastern Conference standings.
"(We will be) trying to get a full three points if we can again," said Kinnear. "It's going to be difficult. Toronto is coming in. They're difficult to play against. I'm sure they will be looking forward to playing us. They beat us in Toronto. They'll be confident playing here, so we have to be ready."
Houston will probably be playing Sunday without defender Ryan Cochrane, who is doubtful after suffering a concussion on Thursday. Patrick Ianni should get the start in his place. With a tired team, there might be more moves made in the starting lineup.
Against Chicago, Kinnear inserted newly acquired Nate Jaqua into the lineup and gave All-Stars Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching a rest. The move paid off as Jaqua scored one of Dynamo's four goals.
Dynamo will be looking to tie their win total from last season and possibly set the league shutout record, needing just 77 minutes of goalless soccer.
"I think we've done well before. I'm not sure if it's been this long. Certainly teams have had streaks as long as this, but not at this level obviously," Onstad said of the shutout streak. "It's a good streak, but by the same token, I think the thing we're most proud of is the last nine games we haven't lost. Eight wins and a draw is something to be proud of, and hopefully, we continue that on Sunday."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
