Major League Soccer

MLS Playoffs: Confident Dynamo Never Doubted Result

The Dynamo players never had any doubts about the results.

Nov 8, 2009 6:47:06 PM

Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo, MLS (Troy Zielonka, Goal.com)

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Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo, MLS (Troy Zielonka, Goal.com)

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HOUSTON, Texas -- Despite the tight score and the hard fought battle with a well organized Sounders squad, the Dynamo players said they never doubted who would come out on top.

The Houston Dynamo made their way back into the Western Conference final with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday afternoon at Robertson Stadium. It took 96 minutes for Brian Ching to open the scoring, and the Dynamo held on for the overtime victory.

"We’re a team that knows what it takes to win," goal scoring hero Brian Ching said after the match. "Some people will write us off but in our own minds we always feel like we’re the best team."

Ching's goal was a vicious strike that was set up by the hard work of Brian Mullan, and it's that sort of effort the players credited with the win.

"Our team constantly puts pressure on the other team," Ching said. "The way we play as a team, I think that’s our biggest strength. That’s always been our biggest strength and that’s why we’re successful."

Stuart Holden, who was involved in a hard fought contest in the middle of the pitch, echoed Ching's sentiments despite saying that it was always going to be a tough battle in the midfield.

"I don’t think there was ever a moment in the game where the guys doubted that we were going to get the job done," he said, adding later that the mentality for the Houston players was that they were the only team that was going to win the game.

The match still had some scary moments for Dynamo fans, including a time when it looked as though center back Geoff Cameron had taken a bad shot to the knee on a play that nearly led to a Seattle goal. Cameron would be fine and after the game admitted that he thought he would not be able to continue at the time, but also praised his team for the effort they put in.

"We played real well tonight," Cameron said. "There was not one guy who didn’t leave it all on the field.

"It’s one game or nothing. Now we’ve got to go to the Western Conference final, hopefully we’ll get a home field if Chivas beats L.A., and I don’t see us losing."

The Dynamo will now face a Western Conference final against whichever Los Angeles team comes out on top Sunday night. If the Galaxy win the match will be at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California while if Chivas U.S. comes out on top the Dynamo will be back at home looking for their third trip to the finals in four years.

Allen Ramsey, Goal.com

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