The rivalry between Houston and FC Dallas has been a bit one-sided over this season and last season.
The Hoops have yet to beat Dynamo, but Houston isn't taking the fourth matchup between the two squads Sunday in Frisco lightly knowing that Dallas is a team they could face in the first round of the playoffs and with everything else that's at stake.
"We respect Dallas," said Dynamo midfielder Richard Mulrooney. "If we win tomorrow, we will win with dignity. If we lose, we will shake their hands after because they are a team we very well could play in the playoffs. We have to pay attention to them, but the good thing is that we played them so many times this year, it won't be a surprise if we were to meet them in the first round. [Sunday] we're looking to win to shoot ourselves up, so we don't have to play them in the first round."
Houston is second in the Western Conference standings, leading Dallas by five points. But with the Hoops still within striking distance, a win will go a long way in helping Dynamo leap forward in both the west and in the chase for the Supporters' Shield.
"Dallas is still right behind us. They have a lot of attacking options, so we have to make sure we come with the right mindset," said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. "We've clinched. We always say it, but it's true - we want to finish as high as we can. There's still a mathematical chance to get the Supporters' Shield, and that's a goal of ours as well."
But Dynamo will be facing Dallas down a man, as midfielder Brian Mullan will miss the game with an abdominal injury. Midfielders Brad Davis and Stuart Holden will be looking to return Sunday, so that will help alleviate the hole left by Mullan's loss.
But the loss of one player shouldn't play a major factor in the game for the Orange, who say they will go into the game with the same mindset as always.
"Our goal going into every game is to try to get three points out of it," said Houston defender Wade Barrett. "We've reached our first objective, which was to make the playoffs, but there's still a lot to play for these last couple [of] games. All of that aside, this is a game against Dallas. We had some exciting games against them last year, and we've had a good, competitive rivalry against them. All things aside, this is a game against Dallas that we want to win."
A Dallas-Houston first-round playoff series is a possibility at this point, so Sunday's game could very well be a preview for the postseason.
"We very well could be facing [Dallas] a month from now in the playoffs," Kinnear said. "There's nothing about testing it out. I think it's a good rivalry. Actually, now that we are in our second year, I don't mind talking about it because I think it is. When you face a team so many times, it tends to become little individual matchups that people tend to watch, and there's also a team matchup that's been very intense, even to last year ... we could see this team again in late October or November. We're not going up there just for an exercise. We're going to win this game."
For the Dynamo, second place is not what they are looking for. The Orange's hunt for first will continue on Sunday, but their hunt for the MLS Cup title will go on until their season ends. For their part, the Houston players say they won't settle for anything less than a repeat.
"[If] you set your standards just to make the playoffs, we're too good of a team to do that," Mulrooney said. "There are some teams in the league that miss the playoffs for a couple years, so their next step is to make the playoffs.
"This team won it last year, so anything less than winning it this year isn't good enough. To repeat, I think everybody thinks we can do that. We know we can do that. Anything less we'll be extremely disappointed."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
