In the first part of our 2009 MLS Cup Final preview, the Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy players were assessed and compared, with a slight advantage being measured for the Galaxy. In this continuation of our analysis, attention is paid to the coaches and intangibles for both clubs.

The Coaching:

The Los Angeles Galaxy was a mess during the summer of 2008. They had just lost a 3-2 decision to the San Jose Earthquakes on a late goal by Ryan Cochrane, and a very disturbed David Beckham groused to the press after the game about the team’s lack of confidence. We would later learn in Grant Wahl’s The Beckham Experiment that this was the low point for the club. The players were not communicating, and head coach Ruud Gullit was already eyeing his exit from MLS. Just weeks later, after a sweep of the dysfunctional front office, Bruce Arena was handed the reigns to the Galaxy. Biding his time following an ignominious term as leader of Red Bull New York, Arena was prepared for the spotlight that came with coaching the world’s most famous player.

While the remainder of that year continued to be a circus at The Home Depot Center, the stage was being set for a return to prominence in 2009. Arena cleaned house of those he could or would not work with, and then brought in the mid-level veterans he knew could be successful in the MLS environment. Savvy draft picks in defenders and ex-Maryland teammates Omar Gonzales and A.J. DeLaGarza contributed immediately to a 10-game stretch to start the season that saw LA lose only once. The team began to gel around their coach, and the confidence to win grew each week. Even the summer return of Beckham couldn’t derail the Galaxy this season — Arena made sure he would integrate back into the squad seamlessly — and they went on to finish atop the Western Conference. Bruce Arena brought the Galaxy from worst to first in just one season. This Sunday marks his fourth trip to the MLS Cup Final — where he won twice at the helm of DC United — and the sixth trip for the Galaxy franchise.

Meanwhile, the scene is much different in the Beehive State, where MLS playing legend Jason Kreis is in his third year in charge of Real Salt Lake. Hired shortly after retiring as a player from the club, Kreis has quickly become a respected manager around the league. When he retired early in the 2007 season, Kreis had scored 108 career goals in MLS — good for best in league history at the time. That attack-minded attitude became his trademark when it came to tactical decisions at RSL. By employing constant pressure on their opponents, Salt Lake continues to create myriad scoring opportunities. His win/lose/tie record is nothing to be excited about, but his teams have done enough to get into the playoffs the past two seasons. A near miss in last years Western Conference Finals was redeemed with passage through the Eastern Conference Championship this post season. He preaches self-belief and hard work to his charges, most exemplified by midfielder Kyle Beckerman, and a never-give-up attitude. Always considered the underdog in these playoffs, especially when it comes to road games, Kreis has employed his attack-first mentality to perfection in toppling two very tough opponents in Columbus and Chicago.

Advantage: Los Angeles Galaxy — Arena has the trophies to prove it.

The Intangibles:

There are few certainties in sports — that’s why they play the games — save for the underdog crying out for respect against a seemingly undefeatable opponent. Since the 2009 playoffs began, Real Salt Lake has worn the underdog label with aplomb. Their surprising success in reaching the MLS Cup would not have been predicted entering their final game of the season against the Colorado Rapids. With just one win in their five prior matches, RSL required a win over their Rocky Mountain rivals just to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed (after winning tiebreakers against those same Rapids and DC United) with 40 points. Their season ending form was just average, but their playoff form has risen to another level. They have all the confidence in the world after two straight road victories, and look forward to their match in Seattle.

The field and weather conditions on Sunday should help Real Salt Lake as well as their attitude. Qwest Field offers up the much maligned artificial playing surface the club may remember from their days playing on a similar field at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Utah. Additionally, the weather will be very cool, with a good chance of rain — much closer to what you’d see in their home state and not sunny Southern California.

Lastly, the inspiring story of midfielder Andy Williams’ wife’s battle against cancer has helped the team rally around the cause. Williams has continued to impress even with the weight of those personal issues, and his teammates will be eager to reward his dedication.

Down in Los Angeles, the three year soap opera of Galaxy soccer that has followed David Beckham’s historic signing reaches a more stable stage with their MLS Cup Final appearance. As mentioned earlier, LA was last in the league at the end of 2008 and looking nothing like the Super-Club that former GM Alexi Lalas imagined them to be. What the guidance of Bruce Arena and the leadership of veteran signings like Gregg Berhalter and Tony Sanneh have been able to do for the club is impressive. Sanneh in particular has been a revelation for the club, without haven’t logged very many meaningful minutes during 2009. Virtually out of the game when Arena signed him earlier this year, the veteran has brought professionalism to the club that many felt was lacking. Add in other veterans like Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis, and there is a swagger to the Galaxy’s play that was missing during three prior years of missing the post season.

And, of course, there is David Beckham. The face of MLS is on the precipice of achieving a remarkable feat in professional soccer — league championships for three different clubs in as many countries. Beckham has been often criticized for his seemingly disinterested approach to playing in the U.S., but nobody watching this post season can fault him for his efforts. His intensity on the field, sometimes viewed as a form of petulance, can lift an entire team to success. Now on the biggest stage for soccer in America, David Beckham will want to add MLS Champion to his resume.

Advantage: Los Angeles Galaxy — The Beckham Experiment will be a success.

That completes the two final categories to consider for this MLS Cup Final preview. The indicators overwhelmingly point to the Los Angeles Galaxy as the team better prepared to beat Real Salt Lake. Thus, the stage is set for the Galaxy to hoist their third MLS Championship trophy this Sunday in Seattle.

The playoff numbers look like this…

Observations

The semifinals began with a near sellout at the HDC. Maybe a bit disappointing, but still a strong 25,000+. Toyota Park however was sold out by midweek. Another great showing for the league’s championship series.

While the league must be disappointed from a marketing standpoint that Chicago failed to join Los Angeles in MLS Cup ’09, they must also be very pleased about the live attendance to the 2009 playoffs. Leading up the the final match, the 2009 playoffs are the highest attended in league history, more than 3,500 per game higher than the previous top mark of 17,762 in 2007.

MLS Cup

Los Angeles v Salt Lake Sun, Nov 22, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN

Unless they change the rules again …

MLS in 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League

The Galaxy are one victory from reaching MLS Cup 2009 thanks to 2009 Coach of the Year Bruce Arena

The Los Angeles Galaxy began the 2009 season at best as a team in transition, at worst as a team in turmoil. Despite initial problems, the Galaxy now stands only one game from winning the Western Conference. After dispatching city rival Chivas USA in what could only be called the “Battle of Los Angeles”, the LA Galaxy turn their attention to the next task at hand on the road to MLS Cup 2009 – the Western Conference Final against the Houston Dynamo (Friday, 8PM PST – ESPN2).  After a three season absence, “The Flagship Club of MLS” is  one match away from playing for the MLS Cup for an unprecedented sixth time. Before this dream can become a reality, the Galaxy must take on an experienced Dynamo side that is playing in their third conference final in four years.

Los Angeles won the season series with Texas based club (1-0-1) winning at Home Depot Center, 1-0 on June 29th, which snapped La Naranja’s team record 11 game unbeaten streak.  Following the victory over then top of the table Houston, the Galaxy began their transformation from also rans – 2-3-9 before the match against the Dynamo – to the top club in the Western Conference with a 10-3-3 tally after the win. This dramatic turn around can be attributed to the influence of newly named Coach of the Year Bruce Arena, who instituted a personnel change such as  the addition of  former US international defender Gregg Berhalter, who brought in a winning mentality into the team as well as a wealth of experience for the Galaxy’s myriad of young defenders.

“The attitude is better (under Arena), you always hear the team buying in to the coaching philosophy and that is exactly what we have done here. I can’t remember a time this year that a player has stepped up to management due to a lack of playing time. We all respect the decisions of Bruce (Arena) and Dave (Strachan) and are ready when called upon,” said forward Landon Donovan in a recent teleconference.

The improved chemistry in the locker room can only serve to help the Galaxy in what is sure to be a contentious 90 minutes.  The last match these two played against one another was a heated affair that saw Brian Ching sent off after a ruckus caused by a challenge on Ricardo Clark by midfielder David Beckham.  Over the two legs of the regular season series between the teams there were a total of 9 yellow cards as well as the one red card issued for violent conduct to the Houston forward.

One of the major impediments to Galaxy’s progress will be Brian Ching, who scored the series winning goal against the Seattle Sounders in the first overtime on Sunday, putting the Dynamo in the West Final. The captain of the Houston Dynamo has enjoyed a very successful season picking up several honors including the Dynamo’s Golden Boot for leading the team in goals scored with eight. Despite the danger that he poses, Ching is a familiar entity for Arena, who coached the Hawaiian forward during much of his career with the United States Men’s National Team.

“He’s a complete goal scorer and requires complete concentration from your back line. Brian is a true goal scorer, he can be hiding for certain segments of games but when he has an opportunity to jump on a chance, he’s there as we saw last game against Seattle. Overall,  He’s a proven goal scorer in big games and we have to be really focused on the challenge of dealing Brian on Friday night,” said the 2009 MLS Coach of the Year.

Ultimately because of their improved chemistry and cohesion on the field, Los Angeles is on the brink of their sixth appearance in the MLS Cup Final.

Soccer is a cruel game, and Chivas USA felt that cruelty tonight.  While the Galaxy may have done enough to win the game, Chivas did not deserve to lose it.  On the pitch, the differences between Chivas and the Galaxy were small and on the margins.  Off the pitch, the difference in huge – the Galaxy will spend their week preparing to face Houston on Friday and Chivas will not.  Some thoughts from Section 232:

Landon Donovan was a leader of men.  Throughout his career, Donovan has been a bit of an enigma to many US fans.  While few could ever doubt his skills as a player, there was always this nagging sense about him that he was soft.  He was soft because he could not adjust to Germany (twice).  He was soft because, as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes, he was the most talented player, but was always comfortable to let others take the lead.  He was soft because in 2006 he looked ordinary for the US team when it mattered most.  Over the past year, something has changed about Donovan, and it is all for the better.  His effort, his desire to be in the forefront rather than the background, and his commitment to compete and challenge in every game has been extraordinary.  Every player’s skills will desert them in some games, but commitment and effort are always a matter of choice.   Sunday night, like he has all season, Donovan chose to never stop running, to put himself in positions to receive the ball, and to always try to do something useful with it.  He did not always succeed, but his pass to Magee to create the penalty and his strike from the spot were movements from a man who oozes desire, and the rest of the team took his lead.

Chivas played with real fight, sometimes too much.  Chivas badly wanted this game, and their desire was evident for all to see.  Clearly, they walked into the HDC with a “give no quarter” attitude, and played a physical game.  They wanted to make the Galaxy feel pressured at every moment and were not shy about putting a little extra into each tackle.  Occasionally, Chivas were so intent on playing the man that they neglected to play the ball.  I could not find the stat anywhere, but it seemed like the Galaxy had 60% of the possession, made Chivas chase, and eventually wore down a frustrated Chivas who took their anger out against the referee who seemed to call a decent game to me.    For Chivas to get three yellow cards for dissent said far more about Chivas’ frustration than it did about the refereeing.

Both back lines did really well.  Last week, both back lines spent the games figuring out original ways to look foolish.  Tonight, both lines were tough as nails.  While the Galaxy had some better looks at goal, they were all from the top of the box at best.   Chivas’ Yamith Cuesta battled Edson Buddle all night and never gave him one good look at goal.  At the other end, Omar Gonzalez put his nightmare playoff debut behind him and stood tall all night.  On the couple of occasions that Maicon Santos turned Gonzalez, Omar chugged back and disrupted his shot.  In the end, Chivas had only two shots on goal the entire night.  Chivas has a remarkable 10 corner kicks, but the Galaxy marked well and none of the corners ended up causing GK Donovan Rickets a bit of trouble.

Beckham was in the background, until his moment of brilliance. For the most part, Beckham was mediocre.  His passing was a little forced and lacked some sharpness.  He had the best scoring chance of the game with an open shot 12 yards from goal and sent it straight over the bar.  Then, in the 69^th minute, the Galaxy broke, and Beckham released Donovan with a 40 yard cross-field pass that beautifully evaded the defenders and landed at Donovan’s feet so softly that you could hear the crowd suck in its breath at the sight of it.  Donovan then sent in a neat chip to Magee, and rather than kick the ball at Magee’s feet, Cuesta made strong contact with a different ball a little higher up.  Penalty.  Game.   Whatever Beckham’s faults as a member of the Galaxy (and those faults are well categorized by many commentators, including myself) it is hard to imagine any other player in the MLS making that kind of pass.

The Galaxy/Dynamo game on Friday should be a classic.

The playoff numbers look like this…

Observations

The 2nd legs of the conference semifinals began with an extremely disappointing crowd of just over 10,000 in Columbus. This showing was so poor as to prompt Jason Davis of Match Fit USA to write that it’s time for the Crew to move. No such issues in Chicago, whose fans didn’t turn out in great numbers during the regular season, but sold out Toyota Park, with 21,528 in attendance. In Houston, 27,400 saw the Dynamo eliminate the Sounders. The round finished off with a sellout at the HDC.

The home offices of MLS must be feeling pretty good. As you can see from the above table, the quarterfinal round of the playoffs drew over 38% higher attendance averages than last year, despite less than stellar turnouts in Columbus, New England and Salt Lake.

MLS Final Four

Los Angeles hosts Houston Fri, Nov 13, 11pm ET – Chicago will host RSL Sat, Nov 14, 7pm ET

It seems as though Bob Bradley will have to eliminate Landon Donovan, Rico Clark, Stuart Holden and Brian Ching for consideration for the upcoming USMNT friendlies against Slovakia(Nov 14) and Denmark(Nov 18). But with Columbus’ loss, expect two-time MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall to get a call.

MLS Throw Ins

The playoff numbers look like this…

Observations

No big surprise that Seattle packed in over 35,000 for their playoff debut. But a bit of a surprise that Salt Lake only drew 11,499 compared to last year’s first leg,14,719. A pathetically small crowd showed up at Gillette Stadium for the Revs/Fire match. The Chivas USA home leg of the HDC Bowl drew a hefty 25,000+.

And just to pre-empt the inevitable comments like ‘well without Seattle’s home game…’, the 3 non-Seattle games averaged 14,711, still a significant increase over the 1st legs in ’08. My comment, get over it. Seattle is a part of the league, and a good part at that. We should only hope that Philadelphia, Vancouver and Portland come close to equally Seattle’s successful entry into MLS.

Fan Revolution Needed in New England

The Revs have played 15 home playoff matches, excluding the 2002 MLS Cup Final. Average attendance: 10,097. Games with under 10,000 in attendance: 8. Now I know the stadium is not readily accessible to many fans, but this is a 4 time MLS Cup finalist.

MLS Throw Ins

Houston visits Seattle in MLS Cup playoffs

Our reward for enduring through 32 weeks of regular season matches is a fascinating final four in the Western Conference playoffs. While the Chivas USA versus Galaxy doubleheader in Los Angeles stacks up to be a tough defensive struggle for both squads, expect fireworks from the Houston Dynamo and the Seattle Sounders FC. The Sounders won twice against Houston in Seattle this season – once in the regular season and once in the US Open Cup playoffs – and will hope to repeat that result when the two teams face off in game one of their MLS Cup playoff matchup tonight at Qwest Field. Houston will have their full squad available this time around, and hope the phrase “third time’s a charm” holds true. Over 33,000 fans are expected to attend the expansion team’s first foray into postseason soccer, creating what will be a formidable home field advantage for the Sounders. Game time is 10pm on the east coast, 7pm out west – this is beyond a doubt Thursday night “Must See TV!”

Does Seattle have what it takes to win tonight? Home and home playoff series have historically been toss-ups for the #2 seed versus #3 seed pairing in MLS. The key in this aggregate goals format is a strong start in game one. After a lull during the middle of the season, Seattle has recaptured their confidence with a string of strong performances both away from home and on the artificial turf of Qwest Field. However, can this team adjust to the pressures of the MLS playoffs? The experience will be new for many of those wearing the Green and Blue, but not for two of their key players – Freddie Ljungberg and Kasey Keller. Ljungberg, from his central midfielder position, has orchestrated the last two Seattle wins, tallying four assists from their 5 goals. The Swede international should relish the chance to prove himself on the big stage that defines the American sports playoffs. On the defensive side of the ball, Keller and his defensive four finished the MLS season allowing a league low 10 goals at home. The veteran goalkeeper provides the confidence and leadership that will make it tough for Houston to break through tonight.

The key for Seattle is the play of their strikers – Freddy Montero and Nate Jaqua. The two combined for 21 goals and 14 assists this season, eye-popping numbers for an expansion team. They face a Houston Dynamo defense that should be at full strength, not the makeshift lineup they faced in their two victories earlier this season. With Ljungberg providing the service, Montero and Jaqua will need to convert on their scoring chances in order to gain the victory tonight. The Seattle defense is ready to do their part, getting a result beyond a draw will be up to the forwards.

Will Houston regain their playoff swagger after last season’s early exit? Seattle says all the right things, but they must be happy just to get to the playoffs in their inaugural season. Houston expects to be in the postseason every year, and believes they will triumph in the MLS Cup Final. The devastating loss to New York Red Bulls in 2008 – the biggest playoffs upset in MLS history – should provide ample motivation this time around. Dom Kinnear’s veteran squad was criticized for playing on cruise control during stretches of the regular season, often displaying a lack in discipline along the way. Still, the Dynamo finished the season with the second best record in the Western Conference. Players like Brian Ching, Ricardo Clark, Pat Onstad, and Brad Davis have extensive playoff experience – they can help lead their team past the overconfidence of last season toward redemption in 2009.

Let’s not forget the emerging stars on the Dynamo, midfielder Stuart Holden and defender Geoff Cameron. Look for both players to make a difference in these playoffs beyond just tonight. Confidence never seems to be missing from Holden’s game, and along with Davis, he will provide plenty of spark and energy to the Dynamo offense. Against a Seattle defense that gives up very little at home, Holden and Davis could prove to be the difference makers in stealing a result ahead of their return match in Houston.

What is the key for Seattle? Simply, Freddie Ljungberg needs to play the role of creator for the offense. Before their come from behind victory against FC Dallas in the closing game of the 2009 season, the Sounders had been held scoreless over four games. The packed house at Qwest Field should be all the motivation Seattle needs to find the back of the net. Ljungberg has the experience and verve to make that happen.

What is Houston looking for in this match? Getting off to a fast start will help immeasurably in this match. Not only will the confidence of their less experienced opponent be damaged, but an early goal would help quiet the huge sellout crowd. If Ricardo Clark can limit Ljungberg’s effectiveness, the Dynamo will be poised to leave Seattle with nothing less than a draw.

What can we expect? Seattle will want to bank as many goals as possible before the second game in Houston – no easy task given their paucity of scoring at home and the resoluteness of the Dynamo defense. Their fan base already dreams of filling up Qwest Field for the Western Conference Championship and the MLS Cup Finals, and will be loud from the opening whistle. The Houston Dynamo, not shackled with the “playoff favorite” label that weighed them down in 2008, look to survive their trip to Seattle with at least a draw, setting up momentum for the return leg in Houston next week. Expect both teams to find their scoring touch tonight, with the game ending in a pulsating 1-1 draw.

Jonathan Bornstein and Chivas USA look to become the top team in Los Angeles

It’s impossible to travel in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening without seeing the beautiful game being played by people of walks of life, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. In this sprawling metropolis, there are two teams that rule the soccer scene, David Beckham and Landon Donovan’s Los Angeles Galaxy and los rojiblancos of Chivas de Guadalajara. One team is conspicuously absent, the red and white of MLS club Chivas USA. Although the MLS Club has been around for five years, the team has been unable to make a big impact in the already crowded Los Angeles sports scene drawing an average of just over 15,ooo at Home Depot Center, a stadium with 27,000 capacity.  They’ve also been unable to generate success on the field against their cross hallway rivals winning the season series against the Galaxy only once (2007) through their half decade existence.  However, the club affectionately known as the Goats has its best chance yet to make an statement in their home town by drawing the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the 2009 MLS Playoffs with the first game on November 1st on ESPN2 at 2pm PST.

“I think the Galaxy get a lot of credit since they were the original LA team and to play against them in a game of this magnitude, it’ll be a big event. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the brand of Chivas to be seen and if we do well and win then it will only help promote Chivas and Chivas USA as a whole,” said defender Jonathan Bornstein.  “It’s always good to have respect from the local fans and the Galaxy have been around a lot longer and we’ve had to bad with that. I think that just in general a victory will help us be known.”

Chivas USA “earned” the right to play their cross hallway rivals after a disappointing performance 3-2 loss to the Dynamo in which Houston took a 3-0 lead before Chivas USA fired back with 2 quick goals by Michael Lahoud (his first goal for the club) and Eduardo Lillingston to bring the score back to respectability. The result meant Chivas USA would finish the season fourth in the Western Conference with 45 points to give them a date with the Western Conference top seeded Galaxy, the first ever playoff meetings between the two clubs. However, the Blue and White were a team that the Goats struggled mightily with this year, posting a 0-2-1 record in three games against LA while failing to score a single goal against their rivals.

Despite the failures of Chivas this year against Los Angeles, Head Coach Preki was defiant about his team’s chances. “The Galaxy had the better of us this year and they’ll be favorites but I think we’ll be ready to play,” said the former US national team star.

Although the team has failed to get through to the second round of the playoffs despite three straight playoff appearances, there is a sense of optimism in the locker room about this particular group of players. “I think we’re prepared, we showed that we can play at a high level for a stretch of the season, that’s all we need to do is to get hot at the right time and we have as good a chance as anyone to make a run to the title,” said Chivas’ standout Goal keeper Zach Thornton.

A win in El Clásico Angelino will not only help the team by putting them one win away from an MLS Cup berth but may also help make people in MacArthur Park, San Fernando, Pasadena and across the Southland more aware of the “other” team in Los Angeles. Perhaps it was Preki who put it best,”Hopefully we’ll see a full stadium and a good atmosphere with good football so at the end of the day I feel that everyone should be excited.”

Indeed with a win, the opportunities are endless for the Rebaño Angelino to finally make their claim to fame in the City of Angels.

The Houston Dynamo’s 2009 regular season came to an end on Sunday as they beat Chivas USA 3-2 at the Home Depot Center. Coming into Sunday’s match, both teams had secured playoff berths, but the outcome would decide the seeding of the teams. By beating the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the L.A. Galaxy had secured the top spot in the west going into the 2009 MLS Playoffs, but both Houston and Chivas had a shot at securing the second spot in the west with a win.

The Dynamo, who hadn’t won an MLS match since September 19th, when they beat Real Salt Lake at Robertson Stadium, came out strong with a two goal first half. Defender Andrew Hainault got the first Dynamo goal in the 26th minute, off of a Stuart Holden corner kick, and Dominic Oduro picked up a goal in the 29th minute. In the second half, Abe Thompson, who came on for a banged up Luis Angel Landin, scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute, his first goal as a Houston Dynamo. Chivas attempted to respond in the second half picking up its first goal thanks to Michael Lahoud in the 59th minute and then in the 88th minute Eduardo Lillingston converted a penalty kick. The score line stayed at 3-2 and the Dynamo closed their regular season with an important away victory.

In some ways, finishing in the second spot in the West was a bit of let down for Dynamo fans who saw their team go on amazing nine match streak where they picked up two draws and 7 wins, and putting them ahead in the Supporters Shield race. This streak started on April 19th when the Dynamo got their first win of the season in a home match against the Colorado Rapids. This streak came to an end on June 28th, the same day that the US lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, when the Dynamo lost to the L.A. Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. After that loss, the Dynamo went on to only pick up five more wins in their remaining MLS matches.

During the second half of the MLS season the two main concerns for the Dynamo have been finishing and discipline. Since losing to the Galaxy in June, the only games where the Dynamo scored more then one goal were limited to games that they won. Of their five losses since the start of July, the Dynamo only managed to score in two of those matches. The need for the Dynamo to score goals is highlighted by the fact that in their past for MLS wins, their opponents scored multiple goals. As to why the Dynamo have had trouble finishing, there’s multiple factors, but it does seem that the Dynamo have a tendency to not take many higher risk shots and look for the pass first. The Dynamo will need to take the momentum of their three goals on Sunday and run with it in the playoffs.

While the lack of finishing is something that Houston Coach Dominic Kinnear and his Assistant Coach John Spencer can work on in practice, the lack of discipline is something each Dynamo player needs to keep in mind when they’re on the pitch. On Sunday October 18th, when the Dynamo hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy, Brian Ching picked up a red card when he put his hand in the face of a Galaxy player in a dust-up that began with a hard tackle by David Beckham on Ricardo Clark. Ching’s red card was the fifth Dynamo red card in as many matches. While losing players to injury is hard to prevent sometimes, smart play and decisions by players can protect them from missing action due to yellow and red cards. This past Sunday, the Dynamo managed to break their red card streak, but Geoff Cameron and Eddie Robinson each picked up a yellow card.

With their victory over Chivas USA on Sunday, the Houston Dynamo secured the second spot in the West, giving them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. On Thursday they play at Seattle Sounders FC, and then will host Seattle on Sunday November 8th. So far, the Dynamo do not have the best record against the expansion side, this summer the Dynamo lost both of their matches in Seattle, one being in the semi-finals in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and Seattle’s only appearance in Houston resulted in a draw. The Dynamo and Dynamo fans are looking to exact a little revenge on the expansion team, and this might be a series where the Dynamo’s veteran playoff experience will give them the edge. No matter the outcome, the Dynamo – Sounders series is shaping up to be one of the more interesting matchups in the round of the 2009 MLS playoffs.