Pre/PBP/Post: PLAYOFFS: Houston Dynamo @ Kansas City, Wednesday, Nov. 7

Who: Houston Dynamo @ Sporting Kansas City, Eastern Conference Semifinals, Leg 2
When: Wednesday, November 7 @ 8:00 PM CST
Where: LiveStrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, KS
Records: Sporting Kansas City (18-7-9) 63 PTS, 1st place in EAST
Houston Dynamo (14-9-11) 53 PTS, 5th in EAST
TV: Fox Sports Houston
Radio: 950 AM/101.7 FM

This is the second leg of a home-and-away series between the two teams. Total goals decides the series. There is no away goal rule in MLS. If the series is even after regulation time then overtime will be played and then Kicks from the Penalty Spot if required.

These two teams have met three times in the MLS postseason. The Dynamo have won all three games: 2-0 in the Western Conference final on 11/10/07 in Houston, 2-0 in the Eastern Conference final on 11/06/11 in Kansas City, and 2-0 on 11/04/12. Houston won the regular season series between the teams this year, 1-0-2. The two teams drew both games in KC, 0-0 in July and 1-1 in September, while the Dynamo won their only home game, 2-1, on July 18.

Sporting are now 2-1-2 in their last five games with 5 goals scored and 4 allowed. At home this year KC is 10-4-3 with a goal difference of +10.

Houston is 3-1-1 in the last five games against league opponents with 8 goals scored and 5 allowed. The Dynamo were 3-5-9 on the road this year in league play with a -12 goal difference.




cougarclaws edit:

Viewing Party at Lucky's Pub!

$2 domestic smitchers until 10pm (that's a 24 oz. draft for $2 folks)

The atmosphere at Lucky's was incredible for the Chicago game - we had about 75 people singing singing at the top of their lungs. Come on out for the game if you're free Wednesday night. Would love to hang out and share some smitchers with yall.
RSVP Here:
http://www.facebook.com/events/414325358635055

Houston @ Kansas City, all-time:

07/15/06 KCW 2-3 HOU
06/24/07 KCW 0-1 HOU
04/12/08 KCW 0-0 HOU
07/04/09 KCW 0-1 HOU
09/22/10 KCW 4-3 HOU
09/10/11 SKC 3-0 HOU
11/06/11 SKC 0-2 HOU, playoffs
07/07/12 SKC 0-0 HOU
09/14/12 SKC 1-1 HOU

That makes Houston 4-2-3 in all matches with 11 goals scored and 10 allowed.

is Jermaine Taylor ok for future games? hyperextended knee or what?

lets hope the FO springs for sending Glenn & Eddie to KC for the game, rather than calling it out of a studio in Dallas

A pretty good Brad Davis interview on Extra Time.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/extratime

do they call it from Dallas, I thought they did it from a studio in Houston.

I had a good view of it-judging by the way he went down, the way they were testing the knee and the fact that JT wanted out. I am thinking it it probably a MCL. Which means he's toast unless we make the Final and that might be a stretch. Of course that is speculation on my part. But it does say a lot when they are making faces while test the knee for stability and then the guy asks to be taken out.

Im pretty comfy with Hainault at CB but that's it BB stays back and doesn't move up like Cameron

I think when they were on 11.2 they did it from Houston, I'm fairly certain from tweets, comments, and blog posts that they do it from Fox Sports studios in Dallas now. I thought I read that FS Houston basically closed their local studio now that they have no local programming for Houston.

That injury is one where it gets worse as it swells and tightens up so I wasn't surprised that even though he continued on for a bit that he may not play on Wednesday. Slot Hainault in there and move on.

For card accumulation, you have to play this game to advance and if someone picks up a card and is out the 1st leg of the next game, so be it. Sarkodie would be my pick to get a second yellow, just due to inexperience and the position he plays.

Last minor question - if you keep the same starting 11, with Hainault in for Taylor, do you just put Creavalle in on the bench and make no other changes to the 18? You've got Watson, Sturgis and Colin Clark as viable players not even dressing.

So here is some more speculation.

If they test the knee ligaments and find a problem he comes out immediately. He stayed in. He played on it for 10 minutes into the second half then the pain convinced him to exit. So couldn't that mean a possibility of ligament, but also could be inflammation from a strain and or meniscus? I strained an MCL and tore an ACL. Could not continue past either one.

I'm not Doctor -- but I stayed at a holiday inn. All just speculation on my part as well.

We need to roll these chumps.

I want to kill SKC within the first 20 with a OBG goal. That will make everything in the world right.

Some guys tend to try and tough it out. I tore some stuff in my shoulder a couple of years ago. I went months without doing anything about it. It hurts to raise my arm to open a door or shake someone's hand. Maybe I should go see a doctor.

Vermin was funny his HT interview was basically Dynamo are just fouling us and Refs are letting them get away with it. Its slowing the game down etc etc

Thye come out and commit the first 4 fouls on us..................... LOL

he's a no good tosser and when need to roll these dudes

i need emo @ponce to come in here and work his magic like he did for the previous games.

2-0 is the trickiest lead to keep in soccer, and that's in the middle of a game! Imagine everything that SKC can do with a full 90! They have a better offense, defense, and we have a horrible road record. These are all signs of a loss. Especially, considering that SKC is the ONE team that has come back from a 2-0 deficit and a Dom coached team is the team that got eliminated after being up 2-0. This doesn't bode well for our chances. @*rey* says, "stats in soccer do not count", they may not count much, but they do signal what is likely to happen. IF we make it past SKC, people believe the road to the Cup gets easier, what they don't take into account is the fact that those final 4 teams in the end made it for a reason, and the reason isn't to lose to a 5th seed.

#DepressingPoncePost3

When Kinnear was asked a few years back about the saying that 2-0 was the toughest score in soccer, his response was that the person who said it never had to defend a 1-0 lead.

I'll take 2-0.

If he tore an ACL or MCL he was coming out immediately. He might have a strain or something else but no way he tore it and still played.

Yea, I have no personal experience with knee tears. But I know guys tend to try and be tough guys sometimes to the point of stupidity. If you can't walk after tearing something in your knee, I'll take it as a good sign that he went back out there.

Taylor trained today. Kinnear says it'll be a game time decision.

Thanks for the info, this is big news. I really hope he's 100% and can go because he's been a staple back there with BB.

Probably just a bruise. I prefer JT's form over our Canuck right now.

Definitely not a bruise. It pretty clearly had to do with his knee ligaments, specifically his MCL by the way they were testing it. Probably a mild sprain and they are just hoping to shoot it with painkiller before the game so he can go.

If he's not 100% I'd prefer he stay on the bench. KC is going to throw everything at us.