Of the four teams left in the MLS playoffs, one could make a case for both Western Conference finalists as a sentimental favorite.
The Colorado Rapids are the plucky underdogs with an eclectic roster that knocked off top-seeded FC Dallas, yet they remain the club that Glenn "Mooch" Myernick had ties with as their former head coach and Colorado resident. Wouldn't it be something if Fernando Clavijo's team got to MLS Cup in the same unlikely fashion that Mooch's team did in 1997?
As for Houston Dynamo, how can you not feel for a group of players who had to pick up and move from San Jose, Calif., to south Texas last winter, endure a name change before they ever set foot on Robertson Stadium, and figure out just how to use that stifling heat to their advantage?
The two teams have a few things in common. Both sides are led by former U.S. national team players and teammates in Colorado's Clavijo and Houston's Dominic Kinnear. Houston's assistant coach John Spencer was one of the top strikers in MLS when he played for the Rapids and was teammates with several of their current players. They both have absolute rocks in the back manning the goal, as Colorado's Joe Cannon and Houston's Pat Onstad have spent the better part of the decade passing the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year trophy back and forth.
When you get to the Xs and Os of the matchup, the similarities stop.
Houston likes to move the ball around and build an attack before getting it out wide to either Brian Mullan on the right side or Brad Davis on the left. Both players always seem to know which post powerful striker Brian Ching is running to, and they look to feed him in the air as much as possible. It is a very organized team, and one that has always played for each other and seems to have a new hero in every game.
The Rapids aren't nearly as attack-minded as their counterparts, especially on the road. As has been the case for the last several years, they rely heavily on two veterans in Cannon and holding midfielder Pablo Mastroeni. Both players have fiery personalities, which the others seem to feed off of. While Kinnear has a core of veterans that you can write down in Sharpie when filling out a lineup card, Clavijo has more of a revolving door and has several different options to consider before each match.
When looking at this match, it is impossible to ignore the history between the two teams this season. Houston held a 2-1-1 advantage, which included an opening day 5-2 trouncing down at Robertson Stadium. On that evening, Ching erupted for four goals, which not only got the ball rolling for the Houston club but it also just might have helped him earn a spot on Bruce Arena's 23-man U.S. World Cup team this past summer.
Since the Rapids had a sub-.500 mark during the regular season, most every head-to-head matchup doesn't come up their way. But, of course, what matters now is that they have found their stride and find themselves back in the Conference Championship for the second year running.
And unlike last weekend when Clavijo was forced to make adjustments to play as offensive as possible since they trailed FC Dallas by a goal coming in to the away match, this is simply a one-off. In addition, the side gets Thiago Martins back after he sat out the last match due to a suspension from a red card in the first leg against FC Dallas. He gives Clavijo another weapon to go along with the veteran duo of Clint Mathis and Jovan Kirovski, not to mention Niko Hernandez.
If you're looking for matchups, look no further than the one that'll exist in the midfield between Mastroeni and Houston's Dwayne De Rosario. The U.S. international is not shy about making a hard tackle and is tireless in his defending. How he is able to mark De Rosario, one of the best overall players in MLS, could very well determine this match. Mastroeni is excellent at closing down passing lanes. If he is able to limit De Rosario's touches, it makes Houston a bit more predictable in the attack.
One of the big decisions for Clavijo to make is what he'll do on the flanks. Last weekend, he was forced to play rookie Jacob Peterson on the left side of the midfield and Hernandez on the right. In essence, it allowed the side to play with four different strikers when you include Kirovski and Mathis.
In this match, he'll need players that are better defensively to counter Houston's weapons out wide. Not having Terry Cooke to use on the right side certainly limits things, but they are not out of options. One has to think that Clavijo will want either Kirovski or Mathis on the field from the start in such an important match. If that's the case, expect to see Hernandez wide on the right. On the left side, he could move Chris Wingert up from his outside back position and reinstate Hunter Freeman into the back four. Rookie Daniel Wasson is also an option.
When you come right down to it, Houston has not played very well in two postseason matches. And Colorado has looked like a different team. Even in the 2-1 loss in the first leg to FC Dallas, they got off 17 shots and looked like the better side. Overall, though, the Rapids' performance in road matches (2-10-4 with a league-high 31 goals against) throughout the season has been less than stellar. Houston, on the other hand, is 8-3-5 at Robertson and has not lost a game there since a 1-0 defeat to Los Angeles back on Aug. 9.
No matter what transpires on Sunday, expect to see this year's Western Conference Champion to be the sentimental choice going into several days of festivities in Frisco, Texas, for MLS Cup.
Marc Connolly is the managing editor of ussoccerplayers.com and regularly writes for MLSnet.com. Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs
