HOUSTON - With new players, new soccer-specific stadiums sprouting up and with new teams entering the fray, Major League Soccer is constantly changing, constantly evolving.
But when it comes to the Houston Dynamo, the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
After a thrilling 1-0 win against the Seattle Sounders FC in the Western Conference Semifinal Series, Houston is a mere 90 minutes away from competing for a third MLS Cup title in four years.
While some of the team’s familiar faces from back-to-back MLS Cup championships, especially midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, have left Houston, there are plenty of players who have been in big games and veteran Brian Ching believes that’s an advantage the Dynamo have heading into Friday’s Western Conference Championship against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
“I think the team has a lot of confidence,” Ching said. “I think we’ve been playing some of our best stuff as we were going in the playoffs. We feel pretty confident. We have a team that is very experienced and has been there before. I think that’s what you saw in the first round against Seattle.”
Ching struck for the dramatic winner at Robertson Stadium on Sunday, the lone goal that separated the Dynamo from the Sounders FC in what Houston coach Dominic Kinnear called “one of the tougher first-round matchups I’ve seen in Major League Soccer playoff history.”
For Ching, the MLS Cup Playoffs are a second wind of sort after a long regular season, which included games in the CONCACAF Champions League for a second consecutive year.
“August and September were difficult months for me physically,” he said. “I’ve been going since Jan. 4 of this year and I think the travel does wear on you. I think over the last month I’ve been fortunate enough to get a little bit more rest and I feel like I’ve played some of my best stuff in that last game.”
Ching called his 96th-minute goal one of the nicest he’s ever scored, one that gives him confidence heading into the Western Conference final.
“I felt like I was playing pretty good my last few games, but I just didn’t score,” Ching said. “I was holding the ball up well, making good runs and putting myself in good positions. ... Hopefully that goal allows me to go on a streak, which would be nice, but for me it’s just about playing well and helping the team win.”
The Dynamo have the experience and they have the confidence heading into the Western Conference final.
But the Galaxy have Landon Donovan and Ching, his teammate on the United States national team, knows that makes Los Angeles a dangerous team. The Galaxy won the first regular season meeting on June 28, snapping Houston’s 11-game unbeaten streak, and the two teams played to a scoreless draw on Oct. 18 at Robertson Stadium in what proved to be a playoff preview.
“Anytime you have Landon Donovan in the playoffs, whatever team he’s on is going to be a danger,” Ching said. “They seem to be playing well now and it was a great matchup a couple of weeks ago, a feisty affair, a good playoff atmosphere and we’re expecting the same matchup, the same intensity coming into Friday’s game.”
