After 45 minutes of play in the Eastern Conference Final, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City were scoreless but the Dynamo lost their MVP Brad Davis to injury. Things looked bleak as the Dynamo had to man up for the second half and try to find a goal somehow, from somewhere to put themselves in their 3rd MLS Cup Final. They did just that as Dom Kinnear’s team never quit and booked their place in the final on November 20th against the LA Galaxy.
Before Davis injured his quad the Dynamo had their chances. Brian Ching went close in the first ten minutes as he tried to chip SKC keeper Jimmy Nielsen but his shot landed on top of the net. Later in the half Calen Carr raced forward on a breakaway and let a shot go that Nielsen made a great reaction save on to keep the game scoreless.
When Davis went into a challenge with Graham Zusi in the 35th minute both players collided awkwardly. Zusi got up and yelled at Davis, thinking the Houston midfielder was embellishing the foul, but Davis stayed on the ground writhing in pain. Dynamo fans everywhere, including me, had their hearts in their throats. Davis was hurt badly and he would have to be substituted. How would the Dynamo find a way to score with the best playmaker in Major League Soccer now forced to watch from the sidelines? Jermaine Taylor came in for Davis and took over at left back while Corey Ashe pushed forward into Davis’ position.
It was Taylor who would play a vital role in the first goal as he made a great far post run on a free kick from Adam Moffat (taking over a role Davis does better than anyone in the league). Taylor got a head on the free kick and put it on goal. Nielsen made a great reaction save but the rebound fell to fellow defender Andre Hainault who cleaned up the mess and gave the Dynamo an unlikely 1-0 lead on the road.
Moments later the Dynamo had a golden chance for a 2-0 lead as Corey Ashe had loads of space on the left side. Ashe drove forward and played a perfectly waited pass into the area to Luiz Camargo but Camargo took too long to get his shot off and SKC defender Matt Besler’s last ditch slide tackle kept the game at 1-0.
Sporting Kansas City pushed forward looking for the equalizer as they used all three of their subs on attack minded players. The Dynamo defense led by keeper Tally Hall remained strong and the Dynamo put the nail in the coffin in the 87th minute. Camargo had the ball on the Houston side of the field and spotted substitute Carlo Costly making a run through the middle of the field. Costly beat SKC defender Aurelien Collin to the ball and made no mistake as he slammed his shot past Nielsen off the far post and in. Costly gleefully ripped off his jersey to celebrate and the Dynamo were on their way to LA.
Los Angeles has long been selected as the host for the final and the Dynamo will now play there in a road game as the Los Angeles Galaxy beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 in the Western Conference Final. Both the Dynamo and Galaxy will try to win their 3rd MLS Cup as they take the field on November 20th. I’ll have plenty to say about that game as it approaches but for now let’s savor a great win for the Dynamo. They never gave up even with their best player hurt. That’s just not the way Kinnear coaches these guys. They all believe in their coach and each other and they showed it Sunday evening. With Davis on crutches, the team lifted the Eastern Conference Championship trophy. They couldn’t have been here without Davis but they did it without him. It’s crushing to see Davis hurt and almost certainly out for the final but you couldn’t see the disappointment in his face on the trophy podium. He deserved to be there for their celebration and they danced and lifted the trophy together as a team, just as they’ve done everything all season.
(image courtesy of Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
