DC advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Houston Dynamo for the first leg on November 11th at BBVA Stadium. The home match for DC United is the following Sunday November 18th at RFK Stadium. If DC United are able to win the two legged affair, DC will see the MLS Cup Final at RFK Stadium, therefore DC has a whole lot to play for going forward.
The Houston Dynamo surely will not go down without a fight with their striking force firing on all cylinders lately, especially Will Bruin. BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston is also not a easy place to play just as RFK Stadium is not, so DC must come out of the gates firing in hopes of taking an early lead in the series. DC have remained resilient over the past few months. The successes of DC United have been a collective effort as Ben Olsen has rallied together his troops to get the most out of each player. Chris Pontius has really taken a leadership role proving he not only is worthy of the captaincy going forward, but also of a call up to the USA Men’s National Team. Although Pontius did not have the best of games Thursday night, he continued to make runs, and continued to urge rookie Nick DeLeon and company on, which resulted in the game winning goal.
One of the heroes from Thursday night, Nick DeLeon spoke about the recent success of his team as they entered the playoffs. DeLeon stated “It’s been a great journey […] It’s not over yet.” DeLeon is absolutely correct in that their journey is not over yet, and if he wants to continue saying that, he must continue working as hard as he has been. Nick DeLeon has seven goals credited to his name in his rookie campaign, the most of any rookie for DC United, and looks to score more. A key to DC’s success against Houston is that DeLeon: he continued runs along the flank, his efforts in front of goal, and his knack for making “killer” runs. Another key to the match for DC is their defense. DC are anticipating an extended suspension for Najar’s red card where he threw the ball at the referee in the first leg of the NY series, therefore Lewis Neal and Robbie Russell will look to continue their own successes at the back. Do not forget that Bill Hamid will not be available because of his red card against Kenny Cooper, therefore Joe Willis will be in goal for DC. Willis is perfectly capable of doing a fine job in net as he proved to be reliable in DC’s last match. Andy Najar is also suspended another two games so will return if and when DC advance to the MLS Cup Final.
Brandon McDonald believes DC have silenced “all of the doubters” with their win over the New York Red Bulls. In the absence of De Rosario DC have improved to 6-0-3, and look to continue their success in Houston. Yet, the Houston Dynamo are on the verge of repeating as Eastern Conference Champions with their stellar post season performances to date; however DC have other motives and look to create a little magic of their own. Will Bruin of the Dynamo is absolutely on fire this post-season scoring 3 of the 4 goals for Houston. DC must be aware of his scoring prowess as he also scored three goals earlier in the season against DC, as Houston triumphed to a 4-0 win in BBVA Stadium. The Houston Dynamo are now 6-1-1 in the last eight meeting against United, while DC have not ben to the MLS Cup final since 2004.
Will Bruin will be on the hunt for goals with his 12 goals and 4 assists, followed by Brad Davis in the midfield with 8 goals, and 12 assists. This may very well be Brian Ching’s last run to get an MLS Cup as he is aging and retirement has been in the talks over the past few months. A key battle in the midfield will be between Saragosa and Calen Carr both with their distributions to the forwards and their hard-nose defending. Pajoy will also have his hands full with Andre Hainault and Bobby Boswell who have played exceptionally well, and gotten better as the season has progressed. Both Houston and DC United have many attacking options and are capable of scoring goals at any moment. This series should most definitely be interesting and a high scoring affair with both battle tested teams ready to fight for 180+ minutes.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
