subject: Houston Dynamo Playoff Tickets - Dynamo Advance To Western Conference Finals [print this page] Brian Ching scored a goal six minutes into overtime and the Houston Dynamo defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Nov. 8. Get Houston Dynamo playoff tickets and see Ching score the game winner. It was the third time in four years Houston has advanced to the Western Conference final. Ching said he made "one of the greatest shots in his career" to help his club eliminate the Sounders from the postseason.
The teams were the top two defensive clubs during the regular season, allowing 29 goals, the lowest in MLS. They tied 0-0 in the first leg of their two-game semifinal on Oct. 29, setting up the winner-take-all match in Houston. Houston set up the winning shot when defender Mike Chabala sent a high cross from the left field. The ball deflected off midfielder Brian Mullan and right to Ching, who fired a shot that beat Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
Ching told the press, "I just kind of turned and hit one of the best shots of my life. I was happy to see that go in." The Dynamo advance to the single-game West final, where they will take on the Los Angeles Galaxy. Houston improved to 5-1 at home in the postseason and 9-1-6 at home this season. They won the MLS championships in 2006 and '07. Ching played for Houston when they won back-to-back championships and he drew on that experience as the match wore on. The forward stated that his team had high expectations going into Sunday's game against the Sounders. He continued to say, "We're one of those teams that realistically feel like we're one of those teams that can win the MLS Cup. The proof is in our results."
Seattle, an expansion club, finished the season by losing to Houston for the first time in five games (2-1-2). Keller thanked his city for supporting the Sounders. The goalkeeper acknowledged that his club must spend the offseason thinking about how they will improve for next season. The Sounders' James Riley received a red card in the final minute of overtime after he was whistled for tripping Ricardo Clark. Both sides exchanged words at midfield before referee Jorge Gonzalez got in the middle of the crowd and broke things up.
The Dynamo's Dominic Oduro recorded three of Houston's nine first-half shots, including a drive that ricocheted off the left post in the 23rd minute. He had another opportunity to score when he took a long pass from Stuart Holden in the 30th minute, but his shot crossed just in front of the goal.
The Sounders' best chances in the first half came on counterattacks, before the Dynamo's defense could get set. Freddy Montero got by a Houston defender, but his shot went into the side of the net. In the 36th minute of the game, Steve Zakuani sent the ball into the goal area, where Dynamo's Geoff Cameron almost deflected it into his own net. In the 57th minute, Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad made a diving save on Montero's shot. Keller stated that Seattle "knocked on the door a few times," but noted that his club couldn't sustain enough pressure to secure a goal.
