EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS - 1L HOUSTON DYNAMO v SPORTING KANSAS CITY Sun., Nov. 4, BBVA Compass Stadium (2:30 p.m. CT; NBC) 1
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: KC 3 wins, 17 GF … HOU 6 wins, 21 GF … Ties 6
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2012 HEAD-TO-HEAD: HOU 1 win, 3 GF … KC 0 wins, 2 GF … 2 ties AT BBVA COMPASS STADIUM: 7/18: HOU 2, KC 1 (Carr 25, 79 – Kamara 41)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: HOU 2 wins, 4 GF … KC 0 wins, 0 GF … 0 ties The Dynamo continued their quality postseason road performance in the win in Chicago. A year ago, they won twice on the road in the MLS Cup Playoffs Davis Boniek before falling in MLS Cup 2011 at LA. "I think especially in the first half, that was the best we've played in a while," head coach Dominic Kinnear said. 3 12 "Good movement off the ball, creating chances and defending very well. We came Carr Bruin out in the second half and got off to a great start. Obviously you know Chicago's going to make a push which they did and Tally [Hall] made some big saves and 23 defended pretty well." ... Will Bruin scored his first two postseason goals and became Kamara the third player in Dynamo playoff history to score two goals in a game, joining Paul 37 17 Dalglish (2006) and Brian Ching (2007). "I'm glad he had the goals because he Peterson Sapong works ever so hard out there for the team," Kinnear said. "He's going to get all the 8 praise for the two goals, and rightly so." Said Bruin: "It's been such a long season that Zusi it's nice to have that mojo back come playoff time. I want to get out there and play. It 55 19 was fun and hopefully there's a lot more to go." ... Bruin also now has 14 goals in all Julio Cesar Joseph competitions this season, equaling the club record set in both 2006 and 2008 by 16 7 Ching. "He and Calen [Carr] had some good plays [in Chicago]. They ran well off 5 78 Sinovic Myers each other. But Will, 12 goals [in the season] and then two goals to start the playoffs Besler Collin is good for him. He does a lot of things right up there. I think hitting the target was 1 good for him." ... Brad Davis collected his sixth playoff assist in 17 career postseason matches. He was making his return to playoff action after missing last year's MLS Nielsen Cup, when he suffered a thigh injury in the Eastern Conference final vs. Sporting KC. "In the first half, I thought the midfield was very good," Kinnear said. "Possessing the REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. ball, defending and closing down gaps and getting on to second balls; I thought they SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Adam Garner; played very well." ... The Dynamo also move into a first-ever postseason game at 4th: Fotis Bazakos BBVA Compass Stadium, trying to match the Galaxy's record a year ago of not losing over the entirety of the 2011 season at home, including MLS Cup. "It’s one of INJURY REPORT: HOUSTON DYNAMO -- NONE REPORTED ... those were we have to take it step by step and this is the first step. ... There are no SPORTING KANSAS CITY -- OUT: FW Teal Bunbury (L knee ACL easy games and we knew if we won this game we were heading towards Kansas tear); DF Cyprian Hedrick (L fibula fracture); MF Paulo Nagamura (L City. They are a good team. It’s going to be a tough test for us,” said Kinnear. ankle sprain); PROBABLE: MF Julio Cesar (R quad strain); MF One year ago, Sporting KC ended their season with a match against the Roger Espinoza (R ankle sprain) Houston Dynamo -- a 2-0 loss in the Eastern Conference Championship at Livestrong Sporting Park. And this season, they have yet to defeat the SUSPENDED: none Dynamo, with a loss and two draws in three league meetings. “They're a WARNINGS: HOU: Brad Davis, Tally Hall (suspended next yellow good team,” SKC manager Peter Vermes said, “but I don't look at it as, 'We haven't card) beaten them.' I look at it as, 'We have a challenge in front of us, and we'll set up a game plan, and I think we have enough guys that we can perform and execute.'” Said forward Kei Kamara: "It's an even slate. We play at their place, they play at our place. Those other games are past, and now it's all about getting ready for these HOUSTON DYNAMO SPORTING KANSAS CITY games." ... Midfielder Paulo Nagamura was pulled out in the first half of the season finale, for what was thought to be a precaution. But Nagamura is expected to miss SUBSTITUTES FROM SUBSTITUTES FROM the first leg of the conference semifinals. “It's a serious ankle sprain,” Vermes said. 5 Creavalle DF 2 Harrington DF “I'm very doubtful for our first game. Very doubtful. So it's really going to be when he 6 Sturgis MF 3 Aiyegbusi DF gets better and when he can play through.” ... In Nagamura's place, Jacob Peterson 7 Clark MF 4 Ellis DF is likely to get the start. Peterson came on for Nagamura when he was injured in the 9 Kandji FW 6 Nagamura MF season finale vs. Philadelphia, and scored his fourth goal of the season. "You could 10 Watson MF 11 Convey MF see when he came in ... he was back to the form from when he kind of went on a 14 Rolfe FW 12 Warzycha FW tear," Vermes said of Peterson. "You can see that he's back to that – and it took him 15 Weaver FW 13 Olum DF a while, coming back from the injury that he had." ... After missing the final two match 17 Luiz Camargo MF 14 Dwyer FW es after suffering an ankle injury, Roger Espinoza is expected to be available for the 18 Soto MF 15 Espinoza MF playoff opener. ... C.J. Sapong comes into the postseason having scored four goals 19 Dixon MF 18 Kronberg GK and recording his only two assists of the season, over the final seven league match 22 Ownby MF 20 Rosell MF 23 Barnes MF 21 Kempin GK es. "I set a benchmark for myself to do better than I did last year. I had hoped to get 24 Deric GK 22 Saad FW double digits, but I finished one away," said Sapong. "I do feel like I had more of an 25 Ching FW 25 Markovic DF impact on the field this year than I did last year."... While Kei Kamara hasn't added to 28 Marscheider GK 27 Miller DF his 10 goals since Aug. 26, he did have three assists in the final four games. "I’ve 31 Hainault DF 28 Angevine GK said to him many times -– when he wants to run at people, he can be the most domi 88 Thomas MF nant player in the league," said Vermes.
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