Western Conference final

Tonight, KC battles Houston at Robertson for the right to face New England in the MLS Cup. (Game guide.) The media and all of the soccer intelligentsia are predicting a Dynamo win. Such forgone conclusions always worry me.

Nevertheless, the Dynamo should win, as long as they do two simple things:
1. Get the ball in the net profusely, as they are sometimes known to do, rather than shooting everything wide or to the goalkeeper, as they are sometimes known to do.
2. Do everything else (midfield possession, defensive lockdown, dangerous runs up the middle, dangerous crosses across the goal) just like they always do.

With item #2 being a Dynamo staple even in their losing games, item #1 is the true wildcard with this game. Can Dynamo Houston score? Can they score multiple times?

And in order for the night to be really successful, Dynamo-H must not only win, but they must do so without any red cards whatsoever and without yellow cards being issued to DeRosario, Mulrooney, Onstad, and Robinson. All of these guys would be difficult to replace in the MLS Cup.

Wouldn't it stink if the Superbowl of the MLS had the stars of the game sitting out? That would be true even if you didn't have a rooting interest. Yet, it's a very real possibility when the first round of the playoffs involves a rivalry opponent.

Perhaps these are worries for another day. For tonight, we just have to focus on doing what we do best, and on that item #1.

I'll be wearing my tacky Dynamo shirt (the freebie from last year with Fiesta Taxi and other ads on it) since it had such good mojo for our match versus Dallas. It ain't pretty, but it's proven effective.

Go Dynamo!