Houston Dynamo (USA) vs. Luis Angel Firpo (ELS)
CONCACAF Champions League Group B match
Wednesday, November 26, 7:00 p.m.
Robertson Stadium
AT STAKE: The Dynamo can be among the top eight teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean for a third straight year with a win. Firpo needs only a tie to advance to the quarterfinals.
NOTES: The Dynamo will be without midfielders Stuart Holden and Geoff Cameron due to yellow card accumulation.
TICKETS:Available online or by calling (713) 276-7500. Group ticket rates have been reduced for the Thanksgiving holiday, and fans are encouraged to come out and enjoy a Dynamo game to kick off the holiday weekend.
When most teams are eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs, redemption is hard to find. Preseason practices and next season's games remain months away, and players and fans are left to spend the offseason with a bitter taste in their mouths.
For this year's Houston Dynamo, however, there is one last hurrah to the season. Due to Hurricane Ike's September visit, the Dynamo host a rescheduled CONCACAF Champions League match on November 26, the night before Thanksgiving, and the game is a welcome chance to focus on what lies ahead.
Due to its timing, the Champions League served as more of a distraction than a focus throughout September and October, a contrast to the importance the Dynamo placed on the CONCACAF Champions' Cup last spring and SuperLiga over the summer. While every game was competitive, Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear never ran out his first-choice lineup, logically prioritizing the team's run to first place in the Western Conference. Despite the Dynamo's split focus, their five Champions League games have already produced memorable moments.
Their tournament opener, a 0-0 tie at Panama's San Francisco F.C. on September 23, featured Pat Onstad making seven saves to earn the Dynamo a valuable road point.
Their second match became one of the most entertaining games of the year and ended in a landmark result. Playing on the road in Mexico City with an experienced lineup, but one that featured only six starters, the Dynamo took a 2-0 lead in just 16 minutes, thanks to a Craig Waibel header and a terrific Kei Kamara half volley. But the Dynamo's celebration - in this case, a series of kick-jumps imitating Guy-Roland Kpene - was short-lived, as Pumas tied the game in 10 minutes with a pair of goals, including one scored while Stuart Holden was injured.
Houston took the lead again, however, through a Kamara penalty kick, only to see Pumas score twice more before halftime for a stunning 4-3 lead. Never ones to go quietly, the Dynamo struck back early in the second half thanks to another Waibel header and eventually managed to earn a 4-4 tie, the first road point ever by an American team on Mexican soil.
The next Champions League match, the Dynamo's first at home, was supposed to be the easiest of the group stage. Playing only five starters this time, Houston took an early lead but let San Francisco back into the match after halftime. A 1-1 tie, which would have seriously hurt the Dynamo's chances of advancing, looked likely until substitute Dwayne De Rosario stepped up with a steal and dramatic game-winning bullet in the 88th minute.
At home again two weeks later, the Dynamo had a chance to take control of the group against Pumas. But after a late start on a rainy night, the Dynamo fell behind 2-0 early and never recovered, eventually losing 3-1.
That loss left the Dynamo and Firpo battling for second place, with Houston needing a win and a tie against the Salvadoran club in their final two games to advance. In essence, the Dynamo had entered the knockout stage a round early, but faced the opening game shortly before the MLS Cup playoffs.
So the Dynamo Reserves were sent to El Salvador to preserve the team's chances, and they did just that, leading 1-0 most of the match before surrendering a late equalizer. Although the players were disappointed with the result given their dominance of the game, it kept Houston alive to advance.
Now the Dynamo have only the Champions League to focus on, and they carry American hopes in the tournament with them. New England and Chivas USA were eliminated in qualifying, and D.C. United exited without a victory, so Houston is Major League Soccer's last hope at an international representative in next spring's quarterfinals.
It may not be the third consecutive MLS Cup title the Dynamo were looking for, but the November 26 match against Firpo could be a springboard for landmark international success and, if nothing else, gives the Dynamo a chance to end the season on a high note yet again.
