Sounders v Houston Play-off Preview

Sounders FC v Houston Dynamo

October 29th Kick off 7pm

Referee:TBA Assistants: TBA
4th: TBA

Respect the Overriding Feature of a New Rivalry

Sounders v Houston Photo Montage (Opens in New Window)

Houston Dynamo have big local rivals in FC Dallas. This rivalry between the two cities extends to culture, politics, economics, nightlife, NFL and baseball. Seattle of course await their local rivals’ arrival in MLS, but in this inaugural season, they have been struggling to find that extra spark that makes a match special.

One opponent where there is a little bit of an extra edge is the Houston Dynamo. But this is not the result of controversies, other than those occurring on the pitch, and seems to be based on a mutual respect for each other’s side. The clubs have met three times, twice in MLS and once in the Cup. All three games, especially the two in Seattle, gave rise to talking points that invigorated the fan base for days after the final whistle.

If there is a sense of injustice, it comes from the south. Houston were without their then two ever present players, Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell, when they arrived in Seattle for the MLS game. Three stars, Brian Ching, Stuart Holden and Andrew Hainault, were away at the Gold Cup. Despite that, Houston dominated the early stages of the first meeting and deservedly took the lead, with Brad Davis dominating the play. Sounders were revived by a Fredy Montero effort that Houston clearly felt defender Mike Chabala had managed to clear from under the cross bar.

With their tails now up, Seattle rubbed salt in the Houston wounds shortly after half time when former Dynamo player and back up centre-back Pat Ianni scored with an overhead kick. Pat’s body language suggested he wasn’t even trying to score but merely put the ball back in the Houston danger area. As he said after the game, “I’ve never scored with an overhead kick. Not since I was six.”

The day was also emotionally charged for other reasons. Sig Schmid was away at his son’s wedding and Brian Schmetzer was in charge of the side. Brian, as well as being assistant manager, was the coach of the USL side prior to their ascent to MLS, and is very popular both with fans, and we have to say with this site. This match was Brian’s day in the MLS spotlight and many wanted the club to win for Brian. The post match scenes suggested that feeling was universal throughout the club.

It has to be said that in the post match interviews, Houston Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear exhibited considerable class and restraint over the Chabala incident given his disappointment. He could teach his compatriot Alex Ferguson a lesson about being a good ambassador for the game.

Sounders 2 : 1 Houston Dynamo (MLS)

Ten days later, Houston were back in town. Well not quite in town due to Sounders FC’s policy of playing Open Cup matches at Starfire in Tukwila. This second fixture, far from exhibiting some of the usual signs of familiarity, was a barnstormer. The Sounders were on fire that night and despite going behind again, due to an Ade Akinbiyi goal on 32, continued to pulverise the Houston rearguard. They found back-up keeper Tally Hall in incredible form.

Nate Jaqua took a head cut against his former team mates and donned a head bandage dripping in blood for much of the match, prompting more than one Basil Fawlty reference. Brian Mullan took a terrible injury after Houston had used all three substitutes and heroically played the last 10 minutes and the entirety of extra time on one leg to add to night’s theme of professional players giving their all through the pain barrier.

Yet although Sounders peppered the Dynamo goal with chance after chance, the Texas side held out until the dying minutes of normal time when the now departed Kei Kamara deflected Nate Jaqua’s shot into the net. Stephen King scored the winner in extra time as Houston, playing with Mullan up front, to keep him out of harm’s way, tired. Seattle went on to the Cup Final and to win the trophy. To many, that night was the best match of football of the Sounders season. Our match report could have extended to a small novella, so much was happening.

Sounders 2 : 1 Houston Dynamo after extra time (US Open Cup)

By the time Sounders headed down to Robertson Stadium at the U of H for the first time in their history, the race for the play-offs was well underway and much had changed in the Sounder Nation. Houston were challenging the Columbus Crew for the Supporters Shield and were considered the best side in the Western Conference, if not the best in the country.

August in Houston is probably among the least hospitable climates to play in MLS, and many Sounders fans were sceptical of bringing anything home from ‘deep in the heat of Texas.’ The Orangemen had revenge in their eyes. Sounders had just lost 1-0 at home to New England in an abject and dismal display, and had only won one game from the five played in MLS since they had beaten the Dynamo. That run included a 4-0 hammering in San Jose, and even their win was against ten men after David Beckham’s early red card in Los Angeles.

Sounders had slumped to fourth in the Western Conference and Colorado Rapids were on form, two points behind and had two games in hand. Freddie Ljungberg had missed the last four MLS games with a mysterious injury and the side looked distinctly unimpressive without him. Nobody at the club was prepared to diagnose far less predict a return date. Morale was low, and looking back, Sounders fans were probably as pessimistic before that fixture as they have been before any this year.

The prospect of an adequate but mediocre expansion season faced Seattle. Sigi Schmid was ringing the changes trying to shake things up and gave Roger Levesque his first start in MLS. To many, it seemed to be a change because change was necessary.

But Sounders battled reasonably well in the heat and humidity in the first half, but suffered a body blow just before half time when that man Brad Davis pumped in a free kick from 40 yards out and Geoff Cameron wasn’t challenged for a header which looped over Keller.

Whatever Sigi Schmid said at half time worked miracles as Sounders’ season hung by its fingernails on a cliff edge. Sounders thought they had equalised after just two minutes of the second half, but the goal was ruled out correctly for offside, although a defender played Nate Jaqua onside. Sadly, Pat Onstad’s wanderings saved Houston.

Between minutes 62 and 67, Seattle combined to miss three of the easiest chances each of the culprits would miss this season. Seb Le Toux found himself clean through and chipped straight at Onstad. Nate Jaqua finished weakly a minute later but worse was to come when Zakuani tapped the ball over an empty net in the 67th minute from feet rather than yards out. It seemed it wasn’t to be Seattle’s day no matter what they did.

But their season changing moment was to come when James Riley provided one of his trademark crosses from the right which Zakuani accurately headed into Jaqua’s path. No-one should underestimate the importance of that goal in the story of Sounders season. Their hard work and application had thoroughly merited it, and Houston were once again very generous in their praise of the Sounders.

Interview with Houston’s Jonathan Yardley

Houston Dynamo 1 : 1 Sounders – with some great match commentary on the Sounders goal from the Dynamo Network

So Houston have still never beaten this club but their determination to do so remains stronger than ever.

Houston Dynamo – Controversy Ends and Success Arrives

A while ago, the Editor of this site suggested to Adrian Hanauer that they could brand and market this fixture as “The Not Really Expansion Clubs, Sorta but Not Quite, Derby.” It wasn’t a ball he chose to pick up and run with! But whereas Sounders early life has had the advantages of history, tradition, an existing fan base, some players, and a continuity in staff, Houston Dynamo began life with even more.

They began with an entire club, players, coaching staff, incorporation, the works. In short, they began with the San Jose Earthquakes. On December 15, 2005, having failed to procure a soccer specific stadium (SSS) in San Jose, the club was wholesale relocated to Houston, Texas. The team’s name, logo, history and statistics were not transferred and those remained inactive in San Jose until a new unconnected franchise began in San Jose shortly after in 2007. All of San Jose’s players and coach Dominic Kinnear moved to Houston.

To add to the strangeness of the whole story, they started playing their games at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium in the south-east of the Bayou City. It is the home of the Houston Cougar’s American Football side and was once home to the Houston Oilers.

What’s in a Name?

But the real controversy was to come. On January 25, 2006, the new franchise unveiled its new name after an online survey for the fans had offered Apollos, Bulls, Eagles, Gatos, Lonestars, Stallions, Toros, Americans, Buffaloes, Generals, Houston 1836, Mustangs, Stars and Houston 1836. They chose 1836 and chose themselves right into a Texas size political controversy.

According to MLS & AEG, who chose the name, the 1836 name referred to the year that the city of Houston was founded by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen. However, it was also the year that Texas obtained its independence from Mexico. This event is seen as pivotal in the development of Texas as a state, and is a matter of some pride for many Texans, but the role the date plays in the hearts and minds of the Mexican population of the city is somewhat different. In addition, Houston 1836′s logo featured a silhouette of General Sam Houston, one of Houston’s and Texas’ most famous historical figures.

So before a ball was even kicked, the new franchise had managed to alienate and offend a large part of its target audience, Houston’s large Mexican population. Eventually, the team was renamed the Dynamo and that is what it has been known as since.

Incidentally, the episode wasn’t Houston’s first brush with an embarrassing name. A shiny new, and extremely pleasant, baseball stadium was built to replace the decaying Houston Astrodome. After selling the naming rights, the stadium was called Enron Field. Needless to say, it isn’t called that anymore. Orange juice anyone?

And y’all thought Seattle Alliance was embarrassing?

To the Football, Both Sides in Cracking Form

When Sounders FC entertained Houston last at Qwest Field, they had won their last three matches. Houston return to Pioneer Square to find the same form, as Sounders have finished the MLS season on a roll. They beat a Columbus side who played well on the day, a Kansas side who were frankly sub-standard, and a Dallas side who were the hottest ticket in town.

Houston are unbeaten in four MLS games but interspersed with that was a disappointing loss to Isidro Metapan in the CONCACAF Cup which saw them eliminated against a side who had lost their other five group games.

In the end, Columbus Crew ran away from them in their challenge for the Shield but Houston were always a safe bet for the play-offs. They are a solid side who know each other well, and are famous for playing as a compact unit.

Houston Dangermen

The previous match at Qwest has been the only match Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell have missed in MLS this year. In fact, Cameron has played every minute of every game this season, except that. That was especially sad for Cameron who was celebrating his 24th birthday that day.  He has two goals and six assists and the Houston site thinks of him as a player who ‘went from an unheralded third-round draft pick to a U.S. national team prospect in his rookie season in 2008.’ If Milan’s Onyewu can’t make the US squad for South Africa, Cameron’s name may come into the frame. Geoff is right-footed but left-handed. Useful for the Sounders to know in a scrap! Why do we think Nate Jaqua may already know this?

Geoff’s partner in crime is the hugely underrated Bobby Boswell. He joined the Dynamo from DC in 2008 and hasn’t looked back. He was named their Defender of the Year in his first year. He has three USA caps and was named a three-time D.C. United Humanitarian of the Year honoree at his old club, and is active in community work in Houston.

Midfielder Brad Davis will need no introduction to Sounders fans. At 2207 minutes, he and Stuart Holden are Houston’s next busiest outfielders. Brad has scored five goals this season and constructed twelve assists. Naturally left-footed, Brad is known for his crossing ability. He has three international caps. Brad is probably best remembered for scoring the game winning penalty kick in the shootout win over Panama in the 2005 Gold Cup Final.

Also in midfield will be Confederations Cup hero Ricardo Clark. Ricardo has started 22 games for the Dynamo. He is Houston’s biggest doubt for Thursday’s game.

Call him a legend, call him a veteran, everyone in the game has amazing respect for Pat Onstad. Pat is 41 and comes from Vancouver BC. Together with Kasey, they will set a record for the oldest combined ages for goalies in an MLS game. (Prove me wrong!) Pat has made 641 saves in MLS. Before joining MLS, Pat had spells at Dundee United and many Canadian clubs starting with the Vancouver 86ers in 1987, but he has played much of his football on Canada’s east coast. He has 56 Canadian caps and his final international game was an August 2008 World Cup qualification match against Jamaica. You might even recognise him as the goalkeeper on the tarpaulin covering the seats in the upper deck. Now that’s being a legend!

USA international Stuart Holden was born in Aberdeen, and should have been playing for Scotland. Forgiving him has been hard for the editor of this site, especially after his outstanding display earlier at Qwest Field for the USA against Granada. Stuart has started and finished 26 MLS games and looks a good bet to go to South Africa with Bob Bradley’s side. Stuart grew up in Scotland and according to the Houston website, he talks with a Texas accent in Houston, but his Scottish accent comes back when he returns to his birthland. We will find out how he talks when he comes to Seattle!

To continue the Caledonian theme running through the club, coach Dominic Kinnear was born in Glasgow and his deputy John Spencer has been capped 14 times for Scotland, and made 103 appearances for Chelsea.

Houston Injuries

According to Houston Dynamo Communications Director Jonathan Yardley, US international Ricardo Clark is a slight worry, but other than that, they hope to field their first choice eleven.

Stadium

Houston Dynamo’s home is the 32,000 capacity Robertson Stadium, located on the University of Houston campus in southeast Houston, where they have played since their creation. A three-year lease was signed to play at the stadium while plans for a soccer-specific stadium are finalised.

Joe Armand’s account of his trip to watch the Dynamo in their own backyard.

For another match preview, please visit Sounder at Heart.