In the final game at Robertson Stadium for the Houston Dynamo, Brian Ching headed home a Brad Davis free kick to lift the Dynamo to the Eastern Conference Final. In front of a crowd of 24,749 the Houston captain sent the fans in orange home happy with a 3-1 aggregate win in their Conference Semifinal match up with the Philadelphia Union. The Dynamo will now travel to Livestrong Sporting Park to take on Sporting Kansas City Sunday at 4:30 PM central time in the East Final.
With a 2-1 lead from the first lead the Dynamo could have come out and played defensively but they played a well balanced game that remained scoreless into stoppage time of the first half. After Philadelphia defender Carlos Valdes fouled Ching about 35 yards from goal, Houston’s MVP candidate Brad Davis stood over the free kick. Davis delivered one of his trademark set pieces into the box where the big Hawaiian captain rose and powered his header past Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon. This gave the Dynamo a two goal aggregate lead and they were hardly challenged in the second half.
The Union threw everything they had at the Dynamo in the second half but the Houston defense held strong. Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell controlled the middle of the field and stymied the Union attack all night. The best chance of the night for the Union came in the 60th minute when Veljko Paunovic unleashed a powerful shot from the top of the box that Dynamo keeper Tally Hall dove to snatch out of the air. When the final whistle blew their was joy around the stadium and for the men in orange down on the field.
Brian Ching scored the first goal at Robertson Stadium in a memorable four goal game in the Dynamo’s first ever MLS match. He put his stamp on the stadium as he scored the final Dynamo goal at the Rob as Houston will open it’s new downtown stadium in 2012. The Union started their season back in March in Houston with a big 1-0 road win but they wouldn’t be so lucky as their season came full circle and ended where it began.
The Dynamo now turn their attention to Sporting Kansas City on Sunday after just two days of rest. SKC is a tough attack minded team who will put constant pressure on Houston. The Dynamo lost earlier this season in KC 3-0 after a red card to Carlo Costly forced them to play on the back foot all night. Besides a spot in the MLS Cup being on the line Sunday, a win would also put the Dynamo in the 2013 CONCACAF Champions League. A lot is riding on Sunday’s game and hopefully the Dynamo can continue their hot streak and ride the wave all the way to their third MLS Cup.
(image courtesy of Anthony Vasser/Houston Dynamo)
