To say that the Houston Dynamo has been anything less than impressive in the last few months of MLS play would be unreasonable. To have expected the team to dip below its proven potential when it trekked to Kansas City for the Eastern Conference Final would have been equally as absurd.
Gone are any affiliations between mediocrity and the Houston crew. The Dynamo sent Sporting KC and the sellout crowd of over 20,000 supporters home in disappointment as Houston collected two second-half goals to complete the 2-0 shutout victory.
The match certainly didn’t pan out as most would have predicted, especially after Sporting KC attacker Kei Kamara forced Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall into a manageable save in just the game’s second minute. However, while Kansas City pressured the visitors with a steady offensive tempo, the Dynamo opted to forgo cruise control for what better represented a blitzkrieg.
Swift, effective, and downright overwhelming, the Dynamo punched its ticket to the 2011 MLS Cup using surprising counterattacks that penetrated and disassembled Kansas City’s defensive posture. Brian Ching was the first to glide past the Sporting KC backline when Luiz Camargo threaded a fine through ball into space in the eighth minute; however, Aurélien Collin’s slight contact with Ching was enough to force the striker’s chip to land just high of the goal frame. Calen Carr followed Ching’s effort ten minutes later, but his attempt fell short too as he darted a bullet right at Kanas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen. Ching and Carr combined for the third legit effort, yet Ching’s header across the six-yard box was just out of Carr’s reach as he lunged at the far post.
Houston’s optimism soon hiccupped when go-to player Brad Davis left the game in the 35th minute after the MLS MVP candidate knotted with Sporting KC’s Graham Zusi in the midfield. Davis tore his right quadriceps and will likely be sidelined for the MLS Cup.
The injury would be a problem for the Dynamo to ponder at a later date because the second half of play was nothing shy of a highlight reel for Houston. Adam Moffat stepped up to fill Davis’s shoes and delivered a free kick service to the back post in the 53rd minute, which found a streaking Jermaine Taylor. Although Taylor’s header was batted away by Nielsen, the rebound fell to a lurking Andre Hainault who knocked in the chance for the 1-0 Houston advantage.
Had it not been for the defensive heroism of Sporting KC’s Matt Besler, Houston would have doubled its lead just two minutes later. Corey Ashe attempted to link with a charging Camargo at the back post, but Besler’s last-ditch sliding effort was enough to tip the ball safely to Nielsen. Still, the Dynamo wasn’t content to sit pretty with its one-goal lead. Sporting KC players and fans cried foul when Roger Espinoza hit the ground just inside the Dynamo penalty area only to have the penalty plea waved off by the referee. Soon after, Houston gave the home side a true reason to moan when it jumped to an irreversible 2-0 lead in the 87th minute. Camargo’s through ball gave Carlo Costly a golden opportunity on goal, and the Honduran made no mistake in beating a stranded Nielsen.
Houston’s season will come to a climax in the MLS Cup on Nov. 20. The two-time champions will meet a formidable Los Angeles Galaxy squad at the opponent’s unfriendly Home Depot Stadium. The Galaxy earned its rights to the final with a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. Los Angeles has also collected two championship crowns, meaning that the 2011 MLS Cup victor will climb to second place in all-time MLS Cup titles behind four-time winner D.C. United.
