HOUSTON DYNAMO vs CHICAGO FIRE
ROBERTSON STADIUM, Houston, Texas
August 6, 2009 (WEEK 21) / MLS Game #143
7:30 p.m. CT (KHOU/FSN-H)
A meeting of teams at the top of the MLS overall table wraps up Week 21 as the Houston Dynamo take on the Chicago Fire at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo still have the best record in MLS, the Western Conference leaders three points ahead of Chicago, which is a point off the pace in the East. Both teams are coming off difficult midweek defeats, the Fire losing on penalties in the SuperLiga 2009 final while the Dynamo lost 1-0 to in-state rival FC Dallas.
REFEREE: Terry Vaughn. SAR (bench): Jeff Muschik; JAR (opposite): Greg Boles; 4th: Jasen Anno MLS Career: 114 games; FC/gm: 29.0; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 38; pens: 36
INJURY REPORT: HOUSTON DYNAMO - OUT: DF Eddie Robinson (L knee surgery); DF Richard Mulrooney (R knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: MF Brian Mullan (R ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Kei Kamara (R quad strain) ... CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: FW Brian McBride (R shoulder surgery); DF Wilman Conde (L hamstring strain); DOUBTFUL: MF John Thorrington (R groin strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: HOU: Brad Davis (through Aug. 9)
WARNINGS:SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: HOU: Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis ... CHI: Gonzalo Segares, John Thorrington
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: HOU: Bobby Boswell, Mike Chabala, Julius James, Kei Kamara ... CHI: Chris Rolfe, Tim Ward
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 11 goals ... Fire 2 wins, 6 goals ... Ties 1
AT HOUSTON (3 meetings): Dynamo 1 win, 2 goals ... Fire 2 wins, 3 goals ... Ties 0
• The Dynamo have won the last four meetings between the clubs, dating back to a 4-0 triumph on July 12, 2007 at Toyota Park. The Dynamo won the season series a year ago, winning 2-1 at each ground.
• The Dynamo have come away with a result on each of their trips to Bridgeview. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in Houston's first visit to Toyota Park, Aug. 30, 2006, then Houston has won on its last three appearances there, including a 1-0 win in the first meeting this season.
• The Fire had won on both of their trips to the Space City - winning 1-0 both on May 20, 2006 and April 29, 2007, before the Dynamo claimed the 2-1 victory in last year's series finale.
• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. CHI: P12 W6 L4 D3 ... Denis Hamlett v HOU: P3 W0 L3 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS)
6/5: CHI 0, HOU 1 (Holden 4)
•The Dynamo won for the third consecutive season at Chicago, claiming a 1-0 victory on June 5.
• It took just four minutes for the game's only goal. A long Andrew Hainault pass found Kei Kamara in the left corner, and after he ran at Fire defender C.J. Brown, Kamara sent a low pass toward the near post where Stuart Holden raced in and flicked the ball over Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch.
• That was the shot on goal for the game for the Dynamo; Pat Onstad made two saves for Houston, his last just minutes into the second half, as the Dynamo recorded their sixth shutout in eight games.
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Tim Ward, Dasan Robinson, C.J. Brown, Brandon Prideaux (Baggio Husidic 87) - Logan Pause (Justin Mapp 63) - John Thorrington, Chris Rolfe, Marco Pappa (Mike Banner 77) - Patrick Nyarko, Brian McBride. Substitutes Not Used: Stefan Dimitrov, Andrew Dykstra, Austin Washington, Daniel Woolard
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Craig Waibel, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Andrew Hainault - Corey Ashe (Brian Mullan 52), Richard Mulrooney, Brad Davis - Stuart Holden - Ade Akinbiyi (Dominic Oduro 65), Kei Kamara (Chris Wondolowski 75). Substitutes Not Used: Wade Barrett, Mike Chabala, Danny Cruz, Tally Hall
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo returned to the road and lost for the third time in five games, falling 1-0 in a rare loss to FC Dallas on Thursday night at Pizza Hut Park. The Dynamo still lead the Western Conference and MLS overall table with 35 points from 20 matches, now six points ahead of Seattle and still two points ahead of Eastern Conference-leading Columbus.
LAST MATCH
•FC Dallas was coming off a record-setting 6-0 victory against the Kansas City Wizards where Jeff Cunningham scored four goals, one shy of the league's all-time mark. The Dynamo had put an end to a three-game winless run by holding on for a 4-3 victory against D.C. United.
• Off his stellar performance - which came the day after Kenny Cooper's transfer was approved to 1860 Munich in the 2.Bundesliga, Cunningham seemed poised to continue his rich vein of form.
• In the 13th minute, he raced past Dynamo center back Bobby Boswell into the area, and when he went to ground, referee Baldomero Toledo ruled for a penalty kick. But Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad dove to his right to stop Cunningham's effort, the second time in three games Cunningham has had a spot kick saved.
• But Cunningham came through in the 20th minute for the game's only goal. Racing forward out of midfield, he cut to his right and lashed a low drive from outside the area that beat Onstad inside his left post. It was the ninth goal of the season for Cunningham, now one off the league lead, and gave him 113 for his MLS career, one behind Chivas USA striker Ante Razov, who sits second on the all-time list.
• Having come off for a substitute eight minutes earlier, Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis was sent off while on the Dynamo bench in the 73rd minute.
• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that defeated D.C. United 4-3 at home at the weekend. Corey Ashe came in on the right of midfield with Geoff Cameron returning to center back as Julius James returned to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Andrew Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Mike Chabala (Danny Cruz 72) - Corey Ashe, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Julius James 65) - Stuart Holden - Brian Ching (Kei Kamara 46), Dominic Oduro. Substitutes Not Used: Ade Akinbiyi, Wade Barrett, Tally Hall, Craig Waibel
• "I wouldn't say they picked us apart and played great," Kinnear said. "They took advantage of us giving the ball away and being out of shape. There really wasn't much in the game tonight. I think the first 20 minutes, they came out and after that, it was pretty even steven. They got that goal in the first 20 and held onto it."
TEAM NEWS
• The Dynamo were held to a season-low one shot on target, a Davis effort in the 18th minute that caused FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala little trouble. Houston had six attempts on goal for the match.
• "I just don't think we came out to play tonight," Stuart Holden said. "They're a team full of confidence, a team that is playing well. They're coming off a 6-0 victory. They continued that tonight. After the goal, they just kind of bunkered in and did a good job defending."
• Down a goal at the half, Kinnear took off Brian Ching for Kei Kamara. Between injury and national team duty, Ching has featured in just six of the Dynamo's last 14 games.
• "I think he's had a stretch with a lot of travel," Kinnear said. "The Gold Cup was hard on a lot of people. I think when you look at the way he plays, he does take a lot of physical beating during the game."
• It was the third 1-0 loss for the Dynamo in the last seven games. Houston has played in nine games decided by the game's only goal this seaso, winning five.
• "We did not come out with enough intensity and they had the best of play in the first 15-20 minutes. After the goal we put some passes together, had some chances," Holden said. "In the second half, I do not think we were clinical enough and taking opportunities and they passed the ball along and clogged the middle to make it difficult for us. Overall, it was not a good night for us."
• The Dynamo lost to their in-state rival for just the second time, both of which have come in Frisco. On Sept. 2, 2006, FCD beat Houston 1-0 in Frisco on a goal by Arturo Alvarez in a match when the Dynamo finished with only 10 men.
• "(We were a) little casual coming out of the locker room and the start of the game," Kinnear said. "We gave them some confidence. I don't know if it's a penalty. It's up for debate, a good save by Pat (Onstad). We just didn't really create a ton going forward tonight. So you have the drama in front of our bench to finish the game off. That just really puts an exclamation point on a frustrating night."
• Onstad has faced two penalty kicks this season and saved them both. He saved a Conor Casey effort on April 19 at home against Colorado, a 1-0 Dynamo win.
• "I would not say we have the toughest schedule but now the turnaround is going to be a tough one on Sunday going against Chicago. I don't think you should take anything away from Dallas. In the first 30 minutes they came out and they jumped all over us and were the better team in the first 30 minutes," Onstad said.
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago Fire maintained pace in the Eastern Conference, also winning through the game's lone goal, in a victory against Real Salt Lake at Toyota Park last Saturday. The Fire have 32 points from 18 matches, still a point behind the Columbus Crew in the East entering the weekend, but with a game in hand.
LAST MATCH
•The Fire came into the game with two wins and two draws in their last four games, while Real Salt Lake had come back for a huge win against FC Dallas the weekend before, overcoming a two-goal halftime deficit.
• A quiet first half nearly saw a goal come in the 72nd minute when Robbie Findley had a glorious chance, only to see his shot come back off the face of the crossbar.
• The Fire hit for the eventual winner four minutes later. Tim Ward flighted in a high cross from the left touchline and Patrick Nyarko got in behind his marker, volleying home inside the left post for his fourth goal on the season and second in the last three games.
• Fire head coach Denis Hamlett made four changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw against Seattle Sounders FC the weekend before. Brandon Prideaux and Bakary Soumare came back into the back four, Logan Pause returned from international duty and Justin Mapp also came back into the team, with Wilman Conde injured, John Thorrington suspended, Baggio Husidic on the substitutes' bench and Cuauhtemoc Blanco given the night off.
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Brandon Prideaux, C.J. Brown, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares - Logan Pause - Marco Pappa (Baggio Husidic 88), Justin Mapp (Mike Banner 65), Tim Ward - Patrick Nyarko, Chris Rolfe (Calen Carr 77). Substitutes Not Used: Stefan Dimitrov, Andrew Dykstra, Dasan Robinson, Daniel Woolard
TEAM NEWS
• For the Fire, the RSL win was their fourth consecutive shutout in Major League Soccer play. Injuries, national team callups and red cards have actually brought instability to the back four, as Hamlett has used seven different defenders and a different back line for every game in July.
• "Everybody is doing the job, from the forwards back," Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch said. "Everybody is chasing, everybody is cutting balls off. The guys on the back line are doing a fantastic job. It hasn't been easy because we have had a new back line almost every game. But guys have stepped up and done a tremendous job." Said Hamlett: "We have a group that is experienced, and they know what it is like when you get a clean sheet."
• Against RSL, Wilman Conde was kept out of the team with a hamstring injury, having also played in the MLS All-Star Game at midweek. While Logan Pause returned from international duty, Tim Ward remained in the midfield, with veteran Brandon Prideaux (the 2008 first-choice) at left back.
• "I think our guys are stepping up, and not just the back guys but the midfielders and the forwards," said Hamlett. "When we can do that, and when we can keep the ball, we create chances and we can defend less. These guys get after it in training day in and day out and that carries into the games."
• Ward contributed to the attack from his right-sided midfield position, getting three shots on goal while also serving the ball Nyarko headed home.
• "When he is playing right back, he likes to play those kind of balls, so most of the time I know they are coming," Nyarko said. "In the first half we had a similar one and it didn't get to me. I knew there was a great chance of him getting it to me when the chance came again."
• On Wednesday, the Fire lost in the SuperLiga 2009 final to Tigres UANL of the Mexican FMF Primera Division. Patrick Nyarko gave the Fire a 10th-minute lead, but Itamar Batista pulled Tigres level two minutes before the halftime break. The game went into penalty kicks after 90 minutes, and Batista hit the final kick for Tigres after Mike Banner and Justin Mapp had both missed for Chicago.
• "When you lose in penalty kicks, it is real hard," said Fire coach Denis Hamlett. "They had one shot on goal and they scored." Added defender C.J. Brown: "They got the one goal they wanted. I don't think, in the second half, they wanted to score. They were just trying to keep us out of the goal."
• Here's Hamlett's team: Jon Busch, C.J. Brown, Brandon Prideaux, Gonzalo Segares, Bakary Soumare (Daniel Woolard 92+), Marco Pappa (Justin Mapp 76), Logan Pause, Chris Rolfe, Tim Ward (Baggio Husidic 46+), Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Patrick Nyarko (Mike Banner 90)
• Midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico) and defender Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rica) were originally expected to join their respective national teams following the SuperLiga final in advance of next Wednesday's World Cup qualifying matches, but will now remain with the Fire through the game against Houston.
