Dynamo thankful to earn draw in Seattle
Quality defending, good fortune give Houston positive road result
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The Dynamo got off to a good start, but they were the ones facing the pressure at the end of the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series on the road against Seattle Sounders FC.
It's the main reason a 0-0 tie on Thursday night was palatable, even if Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear wasn't happy with the offensive effort.
"I wouldn't exactly owe [the tie] to offense, you know," Kinnear said. "Defensively, we were good. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck.
"We did create some chances where we could've scored a goal. Defenses ruled the day tonight."
Job one was not to lose ground heading back home to Robertson Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8 for the deciding second game of the series.
"All in all to get a shutout here, it's not such a terrible thing," Kinnear said. "Being at home now is more comfortable. It's two good teams, and there's not much between them."
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Seattle outshot the Dynamo 14-9 and put them back on their heels much of the second half.
"It's nice to get a clean sheet, but at times we kind of defended with our lives," Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad said. "Guys cleared balls off the line, the crossbar and some close opportunities with them. That's the way it's going to be here and you know it's going to be difficult.
"I thought guys defended well today."
Onstad saved the day in the 74th minute, reacting quickly to tip a header from Seattle's Nate Jaqua over the crossbar.
"It's one of those ones where you can tell it's a good-flighted ball," Onstad said. "He gets just enough space and you know he's going to get his head on it. To be honest, I thought he was going to either my left or right.
"Fortunately, I just made myself big and he hit it right over my head. It was in an area where I could get a hand on it. Nine times out of 10, Nate puts that down in the corner and I can catch it."
For Houston, now they get 10 days between games after playing for the fourth time in the last 12 days. There's also the memories of a year ago: In defense of back-to-back MLS Cup titles, the Dynamo brought a 1-1 draw back home from the first leg of their semifinal series against New York -- then promptly crashed to a 3-0 defeat.
"We're going home, but it doesn't mean we're going through," Onstad said. "It's going to be a tough game. Hopefully at home, we can carry the flow of play."
Added Kinnear: "Being at home, it's always more comfortable that way, but it doesn't mean you're going get what you want. You still have to go out and work hard for it."
The Dynamo almost didn't have Onstad around after a 16th-minute altercation with Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero. Onstad shouldered Montero to the ground after the two bumped into each other as the Houston goalkeeper came up with a loose ball.
"He just picked me and, to be honest, I just gave him a super-light bump," he said. "He went down like he normally does and rolled around a few times. I think if it had been Nate Jaqua, he would've just brushed his shoulder like there was a fly buzzing him.
"But that's Fredy. I knew as soon as I bumped, 'That's the wrong guy to bump, Pat.' So, I got what I deserved and I'm sure the referee felt [Montero] embellished it a little bit."
Going forward, Onstad needs more help at the offensive end, especially after a tough race at the top of the Western Conference.
"Seattle's a great team, and I think really if you look at the whole West, three points separate four teams," Onstad said. "It's a crapshoot and it's nice that we've got one game at home."
Houston's best chance probably came on Brad Davis' line-drive shot toward the far post, forcing Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller to dive and tip the ball away in the 58th minute.
"I would be nice to change the score," Kinnear said. "You go on the road and try to get a positive result, and tie is that."
Matt Massey is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
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