The Seattle Sounders FC fulfilled their early season promise by making the playoffs. Game one is tonight in Seattle against the Houston Dynamo. Game two will be in Houston on November 8.
Houston finished at the top of the Western Conference, tied with Los Angeles, with 48 points. Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear, in his fifth season with Houston, has stayed true to the same strategy throughout his coaching career. His lineups get shuffled but starting against the Sounders, he should have goalkeeper Pat Onstad, Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Mike Chabala, and Andrew Hainault on the defensive line, Brad Davis, Stuart Holden, Brian Mullen, and Ricardo Clark in the midfield with Luis Angel Landin and Brian Ching forward.
Offensively, the Dynamos scored 39 goals in 30 games, tying them for sixth overall in the league. They were shut out only eight times but five of those came in the last twelve matches. Defensively, the Dynamos allowed only 29 goals over 30 games, sharing the top with Seattle. They managed ten clean sheets although seven of those came during a nine game stretch in April through June.
Houston enters the playoffs on a four game unbeaten streak but they have only won four of their thirteen wins in the second half of the season. At home they lost only one match, to New England, and won eight, the second best record in the MLS behind Real Salt Lake. They were fifth best overall on the road, getting five wins and three draws.
Seattle became the first expansion team in over ten years to make the playoffs, finishing in third place of the Western Conference with 47 points in 30 matches. Sounders head coach, Sigi Schmid brought over his winning ways from the 2008 MLS Champion Columbus Crew and stayed with the style that won the cup there. His defense has been set for most of the season with Kasey Keller in goal, James Riley, Tyronne Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado joined by mid season acquisition Leo Gonzalez in the back line while Osvaldo Alonso plays a center back role behind Brad Evans, Nate Jaqua and rookie Steve Zakuani in the midfield. Up front, Fredy Montero is the main striker while Freddie Ljungberg plays a hybrid midfield striker role. The strength for Seattle is that each man on the field can play, and is expected to play, any position.
Article comments
1 - Douglas Mays
It was a rough game. Very good game! The top two defenses in the league meet for a home on home aggregate.
0-0 was a score to be expected. Every minute had you on the edge of your seat.
Just go win in Houston, SOUNDERS FC!!!!!!!!!