Sounders' season on the line today in Houston

November 8, 7:32 AMSeattle Soccer ExaminerDavid Falk

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The much talked about 'chest bump' from Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad to Seattle striker Fredy Montero is finally behind us now. Today's the day, and the right time for Montero and the Sounders to bump back. (Rick Morrison)

Seattle Sounders FC will kick off the second leg of their playoff battle with the Houston Dynamo today at 12:00 Noon Seattle time at Houston's Robertson Stadium. It's been nine days since the clubs met at Qwest Field and drew 0:0. The aggregate goals series is dead even and whomever takes it all today moves on to the Major League Soccer Western Conference Final.

How are you feeling about it, Sounders fans? Here we face our biggest do-or-die situation as a new MLS side. Not without a bit of experience, though. We all know the Sounders went to DC United in September in the do-or-die United States Open Cup final, and came away witht he trophy. Houston are a better team than DC, though. Depsite this, Seattle have played the Dynamo extremely tough in 2009, winning two and drawing two very close, contentious matches. Today is likely to bring more of the same fierce competition.

Some earlier press reports.

Prost Amerika: For the first time in their lives, Sounders FC face elimination from MLS on the day. The do or die mentality however has been well honed in a successful US Open Cup run, which ironically included an extra time win over the Houston Dynamo. That is one of the potential scenarios today. If the game is level after 90 minutes, the match will proceed into two 15 minute periods of extra time. This will be the case whether the draw is 0-0, 1-1 or 2-2. Unlike in Europe, there is no use of the number of away goals scored to break a tie after 180 minutes.

Seattle Times: No doubt a few Sounders FC fans threw their arms in the air in shock when Ricardo Salazar was one of three finalists for Major League Soccer Referee of the Year. Salazar didn't win the award. And his officiating of the first game of the Houston Dynamo-Sounders FC MLS Western Conference semifinal series left plenty of Seattle fans scratching their heads and wondering about Salazar's calls and non-calls.

Goal.com: The best of the first legs (at least from a neutral's perspective) ended scoreless at Qwest Field, setting the stage for an enticing finale at a packed Robertson Stadium. The bumper crowd should give Houston an added push, but there are several causes for concern for the Dynamo. As the home team, Houston will have to grasp the initiative from the outset, but too much aggressiveness in the attacking third could leave the Dynamo susceptible to Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Zakuani heading the other way with ample room to roam. Houston also marked shoddily on its set pieces in the first leg, a flaw that may not go unpunished the second time around. Perhaps the biggest hurdle for Houston will be the mental one. New York came into Robertson Stadium and thrashed the Dynamo at this stage last season by using its pace to tear the home side apart on the counter. Combine those mental scars with a similarly constructed (but superior) Seattle team boasting an impressive record on the road recently and the sum total may be too much for the Dynamo to overcome. I pegged Houston to win it all prior to the season, but the road may just end for the Dynamo at this stage even with its considerable experience and the home field advantage.

TNT: Seattle Sounders fans are invited to welcome the team home at SeaTac Airport tonight. Whether that gathering celebrates another victory or pays tribute to a concluded season will be determined this afternoon, when the Sounders meet the Houston Dynamo in a loser-out game at Robertson Stadium. For now, with the final chapter of this inaugural season yet to be written, coach Sigi Schmid believes his team should reach for the stars. "If we were a European team and we were newly promoted into the top division and overall in points we finished fourth in our first year in the top division, we would say ‘Hey, it’s a great season, and we are going to continue building. We’re looking for the championship next year,’ ” Schmid said. “But we have a chance to win the championship this year. It’s great for us, because if there would have been a single table and no playoffs we wouldn’t have won the thing: We would’ve ended up being two points short. Now we’ve got a shot at it, so we hope to make full use of it.”

SounderatHeart: Being wary of repeating oneself, I still have to think about how this team in Rave Green plays.  When are they at their best, and when do they struggle?  The defining moments of this season likely indicate what the needs are, and the previous four matches now against Houston can show us a few trends in how Kinnear and Schmid see the opposition. And maybe this whole season gets us back to where we were when we saw Seattle as a possible Supporters Shield winner.  Back when Sigi's Game was coined, and we saw a team that played a rapid ball-at-feet counter anchored by Kasey Keller which enabled the backline to take a few risks. How can Seattle do this against the more experienced Dynamo on their pitch?

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS - SECOND LEG
HOUSTON DYNAMO v SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Sun., Nov. 8, Robertson Stadium (12:00 p.m;TeleFutura; KHOU; KING)

LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD:
SEA 1 win, 3 goals scored ... HOU 0 wins, 2 goals scored ... 1 tie

2009 HEAD-TO-HEAD: SEA 1 win, 3 goals scored ... HOU 0 wins, 2 goals scored ... 1 tie
 

AT ROBERTSON STADIUM:
8/23: HOU 1, SEA 1 (Cameron 36 - Jaqua 70)

MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: HOU 0 wins, 0 goals scored ... SEA 0 wins, 0 goals scored ... 1 tie

REFEREE: Jorge Gonzalez.
SAR (bench): Nate Clement; JAR (opposite): Anthony Vasoli;
4th: Mark Geiger

INJURY REPORT: HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: DF Richard Mulrooney (R knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: MF Corey Ashe (R knee sprain) ... SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC -- OUT: GK Chris Eylander (L medial knee bone bruise); MF Michael Fucito (R foot sesamoiditis); PROBABLE: DF Tyrone Marshall (R knee ligament strain)

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS (suspended next yellow): HOU: Mike Chabala, Brian Mullan, Pat Onstad ... SEA: Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Fredy Montero

DYNAMO: The Houston Dynamo are in a familiar position. A year ago, coming off back-to-back MLS Cup triumphs, Houston earned a 1-1 draw in New York in the first leg of their conference semifinal series. The Red Bulls then exploded for a 3-0 win in Houston on their way to the MLS Cup Final. "We did the same thing last year and we didn't win. If you depend on playing and winning at home then you're looking at something that might not happen," said Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear. ... With all the playoff experience the Dynamo have amassed in their first three seasons in Houston, it was something of a surprise to see two relative newcomers starting at fullback in the first leg -- right back Andrew Hainault, in his first season after arriving from the Czech Republic, and left back Mike Chabala, whose MLS debut came this year, his fourth season as a professional. "I thought they came through all right," said Kinnear. "To come out with a shutout ... I think the guys should be proud overall of the effort they put out in both sides of the ball." ... In the first leg, the Dynamo backs were matched up against rookie Steve Zakuani and Nate Jaqua, who moved to a wide right role with Freddie Ljungberg moving into an underneath striker position. "Zakuani can turn the game with his pace and Nate and Ljungberg are very good players," said Kinnear. "If you look around, they are pretty complete across the front. Every guy has a little something different. It's tough." ... The Dynamo have had some key injuries coming down the stretch, but they are getting closer to full health with each passing day. Midfielder Ricardo Clark and forward Luis Angel Landin are nearing 100 percent fitness, while Corey Ashe, who injuring his knee in a friendly against Mexican side Monterrey on Oct. 11, returned to full training during the week and could play a part in Sunday's match. "When you look at our bench, it's just two forwards and some defenders," said Kinnear. "There's not too much in the midfield unless we move Geoff Cameron up, so it's nice to have another guy available."

SOUNDERS FC: The difference in the first leg nearly came from set pieces, and it seems certain they will play a major role in determining the semifinal series winner as well. Sounders FC scored seven goals from corner kicks in 2009 -- tops among the 15 MLS teams -- while the Dynamo scored just one fewer. Sounders FC did not allow a single goal from a corner kick, though, while the Dynamo conceded a league-high six. "[Houston] does a good job of freeing guys in the box, whether you call them picks or screens," said Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid. "They create opening for players, so we need to do a good job of staying with our people when we're marking them." ... However, Sounders FC did not score a single goal on the season from a free kick, while the Dynamo had five in all, two struck directly for goal and three others where the dead ball service led to the goal. The Dynamo allowed two goals from free kicks, while Seattle conceded one. "We played a lot of set pieces and maybe we should have scored on some," said Freddie Ljungberg of the first leg. ... In the first leg, the Dynamo committed 18 fouls to six for Houston. While the fouls do create set-piece chances, they can also disrupt the Seattle attack. "I think we just have to move the ball," said Zakuani. "Against that kind of team, if you keep the ball too long they get on you, they get guys back and you lose it. They are physical, they're strong, but if the ball is moving they commit a lot of fouls. Move the ball, keep the game flowing and we should be fine." ... The Sounders were dealt an injury blow in the minutes leading up to kickoff when Tyrone Marshall could not go and Patrick Ianni stepped in at central defense. Ianni nearly came through with a header off the bar from a corner -- nearly duplicating his goal during July 11 league win against his former club. "To be honest, early in the game in the first 10 minutes I think we showed a little bit of nerves, mainly nerves because of the change with Tyrone right before the game," Schmid said. "Even though we have complete confidence in Patrick Ianni, and Patrick played very well, still it's a last-minute change." ... Marshall was not able to participate in full training at the start of the week, but is hopeful the 11 days between games will allow him to reclaim his place. "I'm hoping, cross my fingers, that I'm healthy and able to go in there and add that experience so we can move on to the next stage," Marshall said. Said Schmid: "We approach it as if Patrick is going to play again. If Tyrone is ready to play, we make that decision as we move towards the end of the week."