There are a lot of what-ifs on the day after Tuesday night's CONCACAF Champions League thriller between the Houston Dynamo and Mexican power Pumas.
What if the Dynamo, typically so stingy on defense, had been able to hold a two-goal lead?
What if Stuart Holden, who appeared to be on his way to a terrific game in the first 18 minutes, had not gotten hurt? What if either team had taken advantage of its second-half chances?
What if Dwayne De Rosario's last-second blast had found the net?
But for all the frustration the Dynamo surely felt at letting leads of 2-0 and 3-2 slip away before a hostile crowd in Mexico City, they should be overwhelmed with pride for pulling out the 4-4 tie.
No Major League Soccer club had ever gone to Mexico for a competitive match and avoided defeat. No MLS club had ever gotten a single point from those matches; more than 10 years and 13 games with no positive results on Mexican soil.
Yet the Dynamo earned a road tie with a first-place Mexican team with both teams in season, in shape, and without excuses. Neither team used its full complement of starters - Brian Ching and Brad Davis did not even make the trip for the Dynamo - but it was definitely a fair fight.
And a memorable one at that. The seven-goal first half, although certainly not an instructional video for aspiring defenders, showcased the ability of both teams to overcome adversity, especially the Dynamo.
Consider that after Holden left the game due to injury, Houston pushed Geoff Cameron into a defensive midfield role, one he has only played a few times this season.
When the Dynamo were awarded a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, the first question that came to mind was, "Who's going to take it?" None of the players on the field had attempted a regulation penalty kick for the Dynamo, and only three (Craig Waibel, Wade Barrett, and Kei Kamara) had even made shootout attempts for Houston. But Kamara stepped up and emphatically drove the ball into the lower corner. None of the team's primary four free kick takers - Brad Davis, Richard Mulrooney, Holden, and Dwayne De Rosario - were on the field for almost 40 minutes. Yet the Dynamo produced the tying goal from a set piece anyway, when Mullan followed up his own corner kick with an accurate back-post cross for Craig Waibel to head in his second goal of the game.
Houston's defense struggled to stay with the quicker Mexican forwards and midfielders in the first half, surrendering four goals in less than 30 minutes. But Wade Barrett, Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson, and Craig Waibel made halftime adjustments and, with the steady hands of Pat Onstad behind them and an inspired midfield in front of them, held Pumas scoreless in the second half.
On Tuesday night, the Dynamo did something never done before by an American team, and while it was anything but a perfect performance, they did it with character. After two somewhat disjointed road performances in ties with San Francisco F.C. and Toronto FC, all seven Dynamo midfielders who played in the match summoned the energy to play two-way team soccer. When in the final minutes, Dwayne De Rosario, known for his dynamic offensive runs, seemed to dig in and pull up his shorts like Shane Battier looking for a defensive stop, it was obvious the Dynamo had come to play.
The Dynamo are still a long way from their goals of a third consecutive MLS Cup title and advancement in the Champions League, but if they play with the character and resiliency they showed Tuesday night, Houston fans will have plenty to be proud of.
