Sitting in Section 118 (turns out I've been sitting near the Mezzanine owners all this season), the crowd was vocal and spirited. In fact, every section was roaring...well, except for the FCD Inferno section above the south goal, which was deathly quiet after Ching scored the game winning (and series tying) goal. With more than 30,000 people -- most in orange -- Robertson was a cauldron that would will the team to victory.
As I expected, the Dynamo controlled possession and territory. We had 2-3 near goals in the first 10 minutes. (I can't believe the stadium officials didn't notice the Ref's signaling of the free kick for FCD -- not a goal for Houston -- after the near-goal in the first minute...how deflating to make everyone think we tied the aggregate right out of the gate.) It was all orange on the field. As I feared, we couldn't turn our chances into goals. I couldn't see much in the south goal (due to my viewing angles), but it looked like the ball was practically bouncing off a Plexiglas shield. We were doomed to lose to an inferior team, 1-0. And to make matters worst, 5-Star took my bags of free cookies when I entered the stadium...at least I got to keep my free orange boxers.
But that was the first half.
[Note that the most important part of the evening occurred at the beginning of halftime, when birthday wishes for my wife were broadcast on the Jumbotron. Happy XXth birthday, honey!]
The second half was much better than the first. A hearty shout-out to former Houstonian, Arturo Alvarez, for losing his head and kneeing Davis in the groin in the opening minutes of the second half. Alvarez had looked pretty creative at times in the first half, and was now leaving his team short-handed. It seems another former Houstonian, Chris Gbandi, did the same last year in FCD's series versus the Rapids. Alvarez's departure helped open up the field more, and allowed Dom to immediately sub in Holden for Waibel and switch to a 3-5-2.
More Dynamo possession ensued. Then goals. Lots of goals! A plethora of goals! A cornucopia of goals! I feel a Haiku coming on!
Always creative,First, Holden gets his nifty half volley off a Ching-headed layoff. Then Ching evens the series and gets the game winner by finishing off a perfectly timed through pass from D-Ro. In the waning moments of regulation, Ching misses another sitter. Would he regret that? No! Because he gets the series winner off a pass from Ngwenya in the first half of overtime. Just to seal the deal, Brad Davis shoots a dynamite laser of a free kick into the upper 90. Dallas become frantic but ineffective in the second half of overtime, and Dynamo-Houston wins 4-1 (4-2 agg.) to face either Chivas USA or KC Wizards in the Western Conference Championship. I'm pulling for KC so we get one more home game.
Yet tonight we finish too,
In our orange cauldron.
This game had everything: Noise. Bad officiating. Evil doers (Ruiz). Turncoats (Serioux stomping on Holden's neck...though I'm sure that's an accident). Bad guys taking a formidable lead; good guys overcoming adversity and winning in the end. Margaritas (but at $10...yikes!).
Rico Clark came onto the field on crutches and sat in the field chairs (with John Michael Hayden) right in front of us during the second half.
At the end of the game, the team considerately walked to every end of the stadium, applauding the fans. DeRo wore Rico's jersey (backwards, so Clark's name and number 13 were highly visible) in honor of his teammate who will have to sit out this match and every other match this season because of the captain of the opponent that was vanquished tonight.
And when that talisman of disrepute, Ruiz, scored the opening goal of tonight's match, it looked like the MLS might have successfully conspired to reward the maleficent while shackling the innocent (though admittedly tarnished innocent). Ruiz should not have been on the field tonight given his role in the incident with Clark, but the MLS didn't seem to have a problem with that. But since he was on the field, so should Clark have been.
And then to have Ruiz's antics coddled by the Referee tonight? Stupefying.
I guess I'm a callous sadist, because I enjoyed Ruiz getting injured by his own teammates as he strutted his stuff after his goal, taunting the fans, then tripping over the ad boards. He grabbed his head afterwards, of course. He grabbed his cranium a lot all night, not that it bothered the refs.
But all that is merely introductory exposition to set up the real story of the night: the good can prevail with hard work, skill, esprit de corps, and tens of thousands of people behind you.
Lurking through the BigSoccer boards post-game, I found a few quotes that made me feel good about the team I support:
[Regarding Houston] : Nobody else is beating Houston if they keep playing like this.All of these quotes came from FCD fans, who praise the Dynamo and Dynamo supporters, and question the nature of their own team. I do wish FCD would gain some class (which would start by ditching Ruiz), but them having no class makes it so much easier to despise them. Having said that, I was impressed with the FCD fans, who drove a long way on a weeknight, and were quite boisterous. If I were to offer an opinion, it would be that they need to learn some songs to sing when things aren't going their way. They looked despondent when the balance turned on the field; perhaps some clamorous songs would hide their own trepidation while inspiring their team to reverse the tables yet again.
[Regarding FCD]: If the Front Office wants to know why PHP isn't full next year, they should play the tape of this game. Three years running, three implosions. Stupid, dirty play. Overreacting to fouls. ... The worst is, I really feel sad for all of you hard-core fans. This team doesn't deserve you.
[Regarding Houston fans, a left-handed compliment]: Absolutely. They have great, albeit stupid, retarded, rabid fans. Good for them. It doesn't seem right, of course, but that's life.
Those were quotes from opposing fans. Now for some quotes from the Dynamo, go here.
I'm tired and my throat aches. Off to bed. Go Dynamo!
4 comments:
Dude,
Your right, even the FCD fans know our class. This was posted on Bigsoccer today by a FCD supporter. Good stuff:
From an FCD fan, I must tell you that your team is setting the standard for fan fanaticism, skill on the pitch, and stadium atmosphere.
Though it kills us to lose to you guys, the quality of your team's play sets a high standard for the league and represents us well.
Your team showed remarkable tenacity and mental toughness last night, but more importantly showed incredible skill when it was required.
I hope a ton of you make the trip to the Conference Championships to represent your team with that bright orange that looks so awesome on tv!
Again, congratulations from one Texas team to another. I know you'll represent our state well.
Is it me or did Dallas had the initial kick on both OT periods?
Like you my throat hurts (you get older you can´t shout without paying the price), I can barely talk, but yesterday´s game was worth the price.
Dude, where'd you get the orange boxers?
I'm nominating Brad's groin for man of the match. Way to give it up for the team!
Orangehorn: the orange boxers were freebies being handed out at a booth for McDonald's. It's to advertise their breakfasts, and the boxers have "don't forget your pants" written all over them. My wife actually wore a pair over her jeans. She'll have to do it again on Saturday since they brought us such luck last Friday.
El Jardin: I didn't notice the initial kick for the OT periods. I would assume both sides had a go, but I can't say for sure.
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