The Western Conference Championship + 30 minutes to get the Galaxy in the Cup

While I've been following the Dynamo all season, I have kept my comments to the various blogs (particularly Benardo Fallas and Glenn Davis) and haven't spent time on mine. Worse: I've attended only one game this season. That's primarily because my weekends are spent coaching my son's Divison 2 team, and that's proven very time-consuming.

The past two months have been painful because the Dynamo drifted into a malaise, and their game looked tired and uninspired. Even so, if they had won only one more game they would have earned the Supporters' Shield. This is actually the prize I wanted the most this year. When that went to The Crew, I shifted my hopes to the MLS Cup.

I was pretty pessimistic about our chances to get past the Sounders, but the excellent result at Seattle made me hopeful, and the Dynamo ended up closing out the series in style with an awesome extra time goal by Ching.

We match up fairly well against LA, so I was more optimistic than I was about our Sounders series. Several Dynamo and non-Dynamo fans suggested that the Dynamo would have to beat LA and the refs (and Don Garber and ESPN...) in order to get through to the final. I thought these fans were either paranoid Dynamo fans, or spiteful Galaxy-haters. Turns out they were right.

The Dynamo controlled the game in the first 18 minutes, other than a couple of dangerous forays early on by LA. After the blackout in the 18', the Galaxy asserted control. The MIO worked their way into the game again, but halftime took off their edge and the Galaxy again controlled the game after the break. Thankfully with the 2nd blackout in the 55th minute, the game became the Dynamo's again. They controlled the final 30 minutes or so, and looked like the only team on the field for long stretches. Then they get the only goal of the game off a Hainault header after a LA player takes out Ching and another LA player. Houston wins 1-0.

Except that the ref decided the Dynamo shouldn't have let the LA player take out his teammate and Ching. So no goal. A few crossbars later, and we're into Extra Time. Credit to the Galaxy for playing a solid 30 minute overtime, but it shouldn't have gotten to that. It was an illegitimate act that put an unequal hurdle before both teams. Turns out, you had to have the LA crest on your chest for your goal to count. We weren't aware of that stipulation prior to the game.

The Dynamo have nothing to be ashamed of. They acquitted themselves well for the 90 minute match and proved they were the better team. Fatigue and weak bench support proved to be their undoing when they were forced to play an illegitimate extra 30 minutes.

Question doesn't the Skunk-headed one make enough money to buy some maturity? He whines like a spoiled schoolboy. Does he always whine at every official? Does he always exchange whiny words with the opposition once the competition is over? He did versus Chivas USA, and now with the Dynamo.

It seems to me that the MLS is hurting its credibility with potential American sports fans by immersing itself more and more into the atmosphere of suspicious officiating, like seen with the NBA. I long ago gave up on basketball and I get physically ill whenever I see it on TV. It's an off-season YMCA conditioning exercise that they turned professional with all of the competitive legitimacy of professional wrestling. The MLS seems to be heading in that direction too, with their bush league referees and their rule-bending for the gender-bending Becks and his LA Gals.

I still support the Dynamo. They are the best organization in the MLS and, while physical, play a style of ball that other MLS teams only sometimes toy with. Coach Kinnear is the best in the league, and the players are class acts.

But I have slowly become a reluctant follower of the MLS in general, and have become a more and more infrequent watcher of the league. Furthermore, I worry that personnel changes and aging veterans will make the one bright spot in the league -- the Houston Dynamo -- a second rate team scrapping its way through the league next season as it waits on the next generation of talent to emerge.

Catching Up With The Orange

Lots of good stuff going on with the Orange, so much so that I've not blogged. I've been trotting around enjoying other blogs though, leaving my opinions sprinkled about as I go. It's a good time to be a Dynamo fan ... and a US fan for that matter. The US has had its ups and downs, but the Dynamo are undefeated since my last post...maybe I shouldn't post...

To recap what's happened since my last post:
May 23 - We said "See Ya!" to Nick Garcia and his fellow Quakes. Nick was impotent and proven to be the "mental midget" as the MIO crushed the Quakes 3-1. Ching scored in the 4th, Kamara in the 12th, Waibel (!) in the 50th, and San Jose's Johnson (assist by Cam Weaver) in the 53rd.
May 27 - The Dynamo pick up Dominic Oduro from the Red Bulls. Oduro spent 2006-2008 with FC Dallas.
May 30 - DeRo comes to town for the only time this season. Davis-Kamara-Holden each score a goal from minute 20 to minute 24, and Hainault and Onstad are the only Canucks with three points after the 3-0 victory.
June 1ish - Clark leaves for the USMNT, where he plays in a WCQ 2-1 win over Honduras, then the Confederation Cup Tournament in South Africa. Ching departs as well, but comes back injured before the WCQ match.
June 5 - The MIO travel to Chicago. Holden scored in the 3rd minute, but the Dynamo are mostly outplayed and concede numerous chances, but the lone goal stands and they leave with 3 points. (Chris Wondolowski came on in the 75th minute in what turned out to be his final game as a MIO.)
June 7 - Cam Weaver sits on the bench in Dallas as San Jose leaves with a 2-2 draw. Six days later Cam would return in Orange and score a brace.
June 8 - Cam Weaver comes to Houston from San Jose, while Orange Reserve mainstay Chris Wondolowski heads home to San Jose. We wish Wondo well with the Quakes.
June 9 - San Jose say "C'ya" to Nick Garcia and ship him to The Great White North.
June 10 - Chivas USA comes to town and is completely out-classed, but we eke out only a 1-0 victory...but at least it's a victory. Holden gets the goal, with Cam Weaver getting the assist in his first game as a MIO. It was a nice flick-on from an Onstad goal kick in the final minute of the first half, and it fell in front of a streaking Holden who side-stepped the goalie and slotted the lone goal in. Cam Weaver also got a legit goal, but it was illegitimately called off for being offside (which he wasn't). Luckily we didn't need the goal, but it hurt Cam's stats.
June 13 - Pooped from the arduous Chivas match three days before, the Dynamo travel to Frisco to face an inspired Dallas. The ex-Burn played perhaps their best match, but the Dynamo, led by our new Cam Weaver's 2 goals and a blistering shot from distance by Mulrooney, go up 3-0 before conceding a late goal to leave with a 3-1 win, 3 points, and El Capitan. My wife and I were able to enjoy this at the Dynamo viewing party at the Hooters on Kirby.
June 20 - It was a weird match all in all when RSL came to town. There was an early injury to Waibel that caused him to be subbed out 7 minutes into the game, a water break for the teams around the 25th minute, an OG by Bobby Boswell 50 seconds after the restart, an OG by RSL that was called off because Hainault was offside on the freekick (but was he part of the play?), to a free kick pass-back to the RSL keeper that Rimando picked up but the ref allowed the kick to be retaken, to a halftime substitute that brought in Ching (has Dom ever made 2 subs by the 46th minute? Or even the 60th minute?) to a red card to RSL's Olave for a stupid delay of game when he had a yellow already, to a missed PK by Brad Davis, to a late brilliant play by Ching to fly through the air to score and give us 1 point. There were highlights: such as in the 13th minute when the Dynamo had six 1-touch passes among 4 people to set Kamara up with a fast break from the left side. Also in the 87th, second half sub Ching (who had been out with an injury since the Toronto match) made a long pass from the center to Mullan on the right, then sprinted up the middle for Mullan's return cross, skying in the air and driving the ball into the net to give his side the tie they so desperately earned but looked to have been denied. There were also lowlights (beside the reffing): the 16 uncontested passes by RSL after the water break, then a cross and a backheel pass that led to a poor shot on goal that Boswell knocked in with his knee.

So now the Dynamo are alone in the Supporters' Shield position, and Dom is set to coach the MLS All Star Team versus Everton.

Tomorrow, we venture to LaLa Land to face the Galaxy without Hainault (Canadian National Team), Waibel (injury), Barrett (injury), and Clark (USMNT). Hopefully our cobbled-together defense can hold off LA's weak offense...

Go Dynamo!

Another first in a season of firsts

We opened the season with a 3-0 loss, and we closed the season with a 3-0 loss. What happened to the vaunted Dynamo defense?

Dynamo get a first round exit. The best team in the league (no, not the team with the best record -- only the second best record -- but the best team nonetheless) got spanked at home. RBNY never does that. Houston never allows it to be done. It was, nevertheless, done.

That game just sucked. What a horrible time for the Dynamo to reaquaint themselves with their poor finishing bugaboo. Speed killed us this year. Dane Richards has speed. He got the goal and the PK that ended the game and our season. Crapola.

I'm off to Florida in an hour to work for the week, and I'll have a long time alone to stew about this bitter and unjust end to the season.

Holden it in until the end

The Dynamo apparently have a lock on late-game heroics.

Tonight, twice a Dynamo forward knocked the ball into the post, and twice Stuart Holden was there to clean up the mess -- in the 6th minute Stuie started the scoring and in the 93rd minute he sealed the game. (Recap.) In between, the Dynamo played 80 minutes with 10 men after Kei Kamara was red carded, but it was the Dynamo who looked comfortable and confident on the pitch. They controlled the game and should have had another goal on several occasions. In the first half Ashe was 1v1 with Joe Cannon but hit the ball into the GK, later Ashe completely juked Hernandez (at Right Back) and put a sweet cross across the goal that Stuie touched just wide, later Cameron fights his way into the box and is tripped from behind but gets no call, throw in some missed headers off corner kicks (Boswell had an open header on one corner, and in the second half had a shot from 40 yards that almost caught Cannon away from the nets), and later Mullan and Jaqua had a 2v1 with Nick Garcia (who was booed the whole game after his role in getting Kamara ejected) but a bad pass allowed Cannon to snuff the chance. Funny thing is, Jaqua and Mullen looked dead-legged in this poorly executed play, but being late subs, they were the freshest guys on the field.

Besides these opportunities on goal, possession and penetration favored the MIO ... that is until about the 60th minute when I think fatigue starting eroding the Dynamo's usual punch. It's tough playing a man down, and the Dynamo began conserving their energy and relying more on counters for offensive output. Fatigue probably also affected Robinson's decision making when he made that bad back pass that led to the Quakes' equalizer in the 68th minute.

But Stuie saved the day in dramatic fashion. We're now 5 points ahead of Chivas USA. We need to only tie one of our two remaining games (vs LA and at Chivas) in order to clinch home field advantage through the playoffs -- which is crucial for this team and for its fan base.

First we host the Beckhamless Galaxy this Saturday. We'll need to do so without Robinson (yellow card accumulation) and Kamara (red card), but luckily Stuart gave us some breathing room tonight.

Get some rest, boys.

2 Countries down, 2 to go

This past week, the Dynamo got two draws in the first two countries of their four-country, 12-day stretch.

The Panama game (recap) was a good result, I thought, given the lineup, the travel, and the field. The best part was that we got power in enough time to watch the game. The game seemed surreal though, after living in a dark, quiet house for 11 days. It was bizarre watching TV and seeing the world moving on as usual.

The Toronto game (recap, and another) was a disappointment, but not unexpected. When discussing the impending game with a coworker on Friday, I said it wouldn't be a surprise if we lost because: (1) we're playing on fake turf and (2) we're playing a struggling team and we seem to struggle against strugglers.

Toronto scored two great goals, one a header for us (thanks, Mr. Freeman!) the other a blistering RicoClark-style shot by Marvell Wynne. If the Dynamo had scored that, it wouldn't win goal of the week, but since a Toronto player scored it I bet it does win GOTW. Such is the worthlessness of fan-based democracy. I got a kick out of Onstad's smile after Wynne's goal, realizing he and his defense were bested in that one moment.

Wynne followed that goal up with a possible goal-saving on DeRo just afterwards, when DeRo found himself almost 1v1 with the Toronto GK after a fast break, until Wynne slid in. I think Wynne was the MOTM Saturday.

I appreciated the empathy shown by Onstad in his televised interview prior to the game, where he talked about the last of the players' families finally receiving power that week but that there thoughts are with the others in the area (about 25% of the residents, were his words) who were still doing without.

The draw and Columbus' continued form essentially knocks us out of contention for the Supporters' Shield, which is unfortunate. But we can still place first in the Western Conference for the first time in our short history, but with Chivas USA only 4 points back, we'll need to start getting 3 points.

Tomorrow we're in country #3, as we face UNAM Pumas in the altitude of Mexico City.

Go DYNAMO!

Losing to bottom feeders -- keeping the tradition alive

A moment of candor here: My actual prediction for tonight was a 1-0 win for San Jose. I've mentioned many times this season, last season, and the season before, that this team gets weak results versus weak teams. I don't know if we ease up when facing bottom feeders, or if the bottom feeders are particularly revved for us. Or both. Actually, both of those reasons seem a bit too simplistic and both have holes in their logic...but I'm at a loss as to why we seem to have this slump versus mediocre teams.

I couldn't admit my dark thoughts to you, so I went with the 1-1 prediction. Apparently the one-goal loss was the correct way to go, although I really didn't think San Jose would get two past Onstad.

The sad thing about this game is that we deserved to lose this one. San Jose were aggressive with the ball. When we had the ball, they pressured us wherever we were, from our defensive third all the way upfield. In the midfield they successfully blocked up the passing lanes. That tiny field didn't help our passing either. (Is the field smaller than Robertson? Is that possible?)

So except for three problems, we played extremely well. Those problems as I see 'em:
1) Up front: absolutely no coordination in the off-ball movement. I think The Dom may not start Caraccio for much longer.
2) In the middle: too many turnovers and an inability to establish a good possession rhythm. Holden was stymied most of the night on the left, although he did have some good opportunities on goal. Davis had better luck, perhaps helped by San Jose sitting back a bit after their first goal.
3) In the back: hestitant, ball-watching defending like we saw in the very beginning of the season and at times during the pre-season tournaments.

The first problem kept us off the score sheet for 88 mintues. The second problem also kept us off the score sheet and led to one of the two goals. The third problem contributed to both of the goals and almost led to one or two more in the first half.

We let slip the opportunity of taking first in the West. It seems we did the same thing at the end of the season last year. I suppose it's better to get that out of the way early rather than late.

So we remain mid-table and the Quakes remain at the bottom. (Well, they're ahead of DCU at least. Bully for them.) Dynamo help San Jose earn its first home win -- is that irony? And The Dom's record versus his mentor slips to 2-2-3.

Okay, Orange: shake it off. Just focus on the final 5 minutes of the game and try to expand that by a factor of 18 to give us a full 90 of confident, aggressive soccer. And that goal by Ching was out-freakin-standing. Our first GOTW-potential candidate since Geoff Cameron's game tying goal versus FCD (and that one won the GOTW).

Speaking of FCD, we face them next. In Frisco. On Wednesday. I wonder if they'll be in a state of confusion due to the coaching instability, or if they'll be playing for their lives -- each driven to excel to ensure his survival in the turbulent time of their club. At least we should have our starting keeper -- despite national team callups -- this time we face Dallas. We need at least a point in Frisco since we gave away 2 when we hosted them. A draw at Frisco and a win at home when we face them on June 26 will return El Capitan to Houston.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just focus on getting into a better rhythm, creating more opportunities, and finishing better. And then let's snatch the full 3 from the Frisco lads.

Go Dynamo!

CONCACAF slots; Spencer speaks about the Fire job.

The MLS has released the CONCACAF Champions League format. Here are how the slots are filled (and who filled them this year) for the US:
USA1: 2007 Major League Soccer Champion (Houston Dynamo)
USA2: 2007 Major League Soccer’s Regular Season Winner – AKA winner of the Supporters' Shield (D.C. United)
USA3: 2007 MLS Cup Runner-up (New England Revolution)
USA4: 2007 US Open Cup Champion (slot given to Chivas USA. Since the winner of the US Open Cup – New England – already has a slot, Chivas was given the slot as the next highest team in overall points from the 2007 MLS Regular Season.)

No need to write extensively on the format as Lark's blog has a good look at how this tournament may affect the Dynamo. Basically, the tournament doesn't help the schedule situation for the MLS. We have round-robin play when we're in mid-season form (and due to the squeezing of tournament matches into the already-crowded regular season schedule, we might be in mid-season fatigue), but if we move to the next round, the quarterfinals and semifinals fall into our preseason just like the old CONCACAF format.

US Soccerplayers blog gives the Dynamo some love. In the preview for tonight's match between RSL and Colorado, there is this paragraph: "No offense to tonight's winners, who will take the West lead into the weekend, but Houston remains the class of the Conference. Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosorio both scored last week, and there's the feeling that the Western order will return to what we expected fairly soon." Indeed, even at the bottom of the standings, we've been the class of the conference on the field. (I won't go as far as to say the "class of the league" yet.) Those who watch the games know this; those who know just the results don't. Here's hoping the Western order does return to orange normalcy.

Rumor was that John Spencer had been offered the Chicago Fire coaching position in the off-season. Here are the first official quotes I've seen from Spencer and Fire players regarding the situation. Spencer says, "I came very close [to accepting the job]. They offered, but we couldn't agree on monetary terms. But that's water under the bridge."

Longtime Fire assistant Denis Hamlett then was offered and accepted the position. The Fire have to be happy with their choice what with the team being off to its best start in franchise history. Let's hope that we put a dent in the Fire's record this weekend, get some quality goals for our team, and reverse the East-over-West trend that we've seen so far this season.

Other links:
The Dynamo website talks about Robinson's recovery. And the fickleness of Lady Luck.

Raise your hand if you're tired of being winless

Have I got a quote for you. It's a doozy that I just happened to stumble upon. I can't believe I haven't seen it before, because it is a completely new perspective that perfectly sums up Dynamo games. The first sentence in the second paragraph of the MLS game recap has this unique description of last night's draw with Chivas: "The defending champions controlled the tempo yet again, had most of the game's scoring chances, but could not get the one goal they needed."

What's that? You've heard that one before? Many times? Even last season? Well, whadaya know.

So, is anyone else tired of not winning? Of being unlucky? Of not scoring? We've been held scoreless in 4 of 6 games. That 66.7% for you number crunchers out there. And we're the first team that couldn't score on Chivas-Lite.

I suppose I could break out my soccer-genius cap and, in the hopes of demonstrating my analytical prowess, say that we need to do better -- much better -- in the attacking third. In the box. Near the net. But something tells me that the sentiment isn't a unique one. I think most would agree that things won't turn around with this team if we don't start scoring with more regularity. I think I typed something similar last year, but when the problem occurs at the beginning of the season (and with such concentration: held scoreless in 7 out of 10 matches if you include CONCACAF competition...oh, and that's 70.0% of the matches), then it becomes worrisome, because there is no other trend to counterbalance the existing (and only) data.

If you don't watch the team play and you know only the results (in other words: a journalist outside of Houston), then you assume the team is the crappiest one in the league, except for maybe that one-win, one-tie expansion-ish team in San Jose. If you were to watch Dynamo matches and break down the play, on the other hand, you'd be hard pressed to think of the Dynamo as being anything other than one of the highest caliber teams in the MLS. But the fact is that until we get better results, we are no better than last place in the second best conference of a two-conference league. And some would say that this is the definition of crappy.

But the good thing is that, just like in 2006, we have so many blasted draws that we're still in the race in the Western Conference. Currently we're tied for last place (in the league as well as the Conference), but one win kicks us into 3rd place and only a point away from 2nd place. Two wins puts us in first place. A few wins, particularly versus Western Conference foes, catapults us to a dominant lead, though we'd still be a bottom feeder if we were in the Eastern Conference. So we're still very much alive in the West. This may be a small consolation, perhaps, when you're following a team that can't score or win, but it's still a sign that the Men In Orange haven't dug their own grave yet. And that is going to have to keep us going until next week, when we (hopefully) get our first victory when Colorado comes to town.

Media roundup:
Quotes from the game.

The Dynamo Reserves did about the same as the first team: a (1-1) draw.

The Chronicle's recap. Mullan says that all the team needs is "A goal. Getting ahead. Something." Also, here's The Chronicle's post-game notes, B-Fall's player grades, and thoughts on the game from a non-soccer dude.

Here are Glenn Davis' impressions. No, he doesn't do impressions; these are his thoughts on the game. Such as "As much as the Dynamo had the territorial advantage due to Chivas tactics, simple things let them down. Numerous attacks broke down due to poor control and a poor first touch. Franco Caraccio had two great shooting opportunities go to the wayside because his touch narrowed his shooting angle."

You know, what is perhaps most disappointing about this game is that I am not at all surprised at the result.

Dynamo 2008 schedule

The MLS schedule came out yesterday. The Dynamo's 30 game include every team once at home and once away, and an extra match versus four of the six other Western Conference teams. We play Chivas and Dallas in an extra home game, and we play Colorado and San Jose in an extra away game. I think this works out perfectly: Chivas and Dallas have trouble getting results at Robertson, so it's good to have them come here to Houston (particularly given Chivas' strong home record). Colorado can be difficult due to the altitude, but the Dynamo often uses these trips to Colorado to recuperate at Philip Anschutz's nearby ranch -- assuming AEW still owns the Dynamo in June and October (brrr!) when the Dynamo venture to Commerce City. I'm sure the Dynamo also won't mind the extra trip to their old stomping grounds in San Jose either.

The week before that October date in Colorado (brrr!), Dynamo play in Toronto on September 27. That's my birthday weekend; maybe I'll use that as an excuse to travel to Canada.

Dynamo's first match is March 29 at Foxboro, MA. The first home game is the following Sunday, April 6, versus FC Dallas. There is only one Dynamo game scheduled in July due to SuperLiga, the US Open Cup, and the MLS All-Stars all occurring that month. The final game of the season is October 25 versus Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.

The league schedule will be strained because of the usual extracurricular tournaments (such as the aforementioned SuperLiga), and international play will also be an issue. We host Chivas USA on August 20, the day the US is likely to play Guatemala in a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. (Probably means we'll face a Guzan-less Chivas.) We host the Wizards on September 7, when the US will likely be at Cuba. We host DC United on October 12 when the US will likely host Cuba.

B-Fall has some observations on the schedule in his blog at chron.com.

TV coverage is still being fleshed out, but hopefully Channel 55 The Tube will pick up some games to fill in those dates that are currently left to Direct Kick or HDNet.

Oh yeah, and the Galaxy come to Houston once: October 19. If you're a Beckham groupie and seeing him once is not enough, you can take a road trip to Frisco to see Becks play Dallas twice: May 18 and July 27. The other celebrity, Blanco, comes to Houston with the Fire on August 31.

In other Western Conference News:
Du Nord reports that former DC United center mid, Christian Gomez, is heading to Colorado. With him as the attacking mid and Beckerman (or Mastroeni) as the defensive mid, Colorado is now a much bigger threat in the West. It seems the quality of the opposition improves each season. Hopefully the Dynamo continue their trend of adapting and improving this season.

Western Conference Champs: 2007

It certainly was enjoyable seeing the Dynamo-Houston prove their reputation this season has been warranted. They have acquitted themselves well all season -- particularly in the vaunted international competitions -- but have brought home no additional silverware yet this year. Last night, they brought home some glassware in the form of the Western Conference Championship. Now they just need to get that silver trophy.

Last night's Western Conference face-off versus KC had its ups and downs, but and Dynamo-Houston looked like they should win the game, and that's exactly what they did. Chalk up another set-piece goal (Nate Jaqua's header off a Mulrooney corner in the first half) and another master strike from DeRosario in the second half (although it's been a while since he's sealed the deal with one of those).

Despite our quality, had the referee taken a harsher view of Jaqua's elbow on Jack Jewsbury, we might have been playing a man down for much more than 45 minutes, and that would have changed the complexion of the game. And if we still managed to win, it would prove to be pretty devastating if we had to face playing the MLS Cup without Jaqua AND Ching (assuming Ching's injured calf is severe).

Despite Jimmy Conrad's pointed and acerbic post-game remark ("I think Jaqua probably played more physically in those 90 minutes than I've seen anyone play in three or four years, so that's exciting for him."), both teams were very physical. For his part, Jaqua wasn't overly-physical except for that errant elbow on Jewsbury -- but it was that elbow that will be remembered by many, including the Wizards. There was plenty going around from both sides -- Garcia, Morsink, and Marinelli weren't above knocking down a player or two either.

Oddly, one of the least physical players was E-Rob, no doubt due to the yellow card he was carrying. Nevertheless, he and Cochrane were solid in the center of our back line. I have criticized Cochrane a lot over the course of the season, but he was a difference maker last night and looked out for his yellow-tinged wingman.

(On the other end, Conrad himself managed to do well enough without being particularly rough. Then again, he almost gave us an own-goal late in the game.)

Despite the fact that we out shot KC 11-3 (6-0 on goal), KC had some really good periods of possession. That could be due to their ability or due to our strategic decision to play soft for periods in order to rest up for the next inevitable surge. Either way, there were some scary moments.

I thought the rookie Harrington did extremely well in neutralizing Mullan on the flank. However, in focusing on the flanks, it seemed that the center was softened enough for us to take advantage there. On the other side of the ball, I thought Arnaud was giving Barrett everything Barrett could handle. I didn't realize Arnaud was that fast -- outrunning Barrett more than once?! I didn't think anyone could do that repeatedly. Luckily Barrett is quite capable and still managed to keep the flank service to a minimum.

Despite all of the "if's" and "almosts," the Dynamo truly looked to be the better team and deservedly left with the 2-0 clean sheet. Better yet: none of our yellow card carriers added to their collection, so our squad should be full strength as they meet the Revs.

Okay, almost full strength. What about Ching? The way he limped off the field in the second half was extremely disconcerting. He said he felt something "snap" in his calf as he lunged toward a cross that Brad Davis fought (and fought well) to get to him. If that calf is half as bad as it looked when Ching limped away (even after the game during the award ceremony), then he won't be playing next Sunday. Drats.

There were several aspects of the game that were unequivocally good:

My wife decided to ignore fashion traditions and wear orange boxers over her leggings (in addition to the usual orange jersey and Dynamo hat). That was a fun change of pace, and I think it created the necessary orange mojo aura that kept the Dynamo on top.

I sure got a charge seeing Craig Biggio's recorded well-wishes on the Jumbotron before the game. It's great seeing a Houston sports icon pulling for the newest members of the Houston sporting fraternity.

I never get tired of seeing Oliver Luck in his Orange blazer.

Great words from Wade Barrett on the awards podium after the match. He said everything that needed to be said. I loved seeing him crane into that tall microphone stand too. He is a mighty little man. It was great seeing the elation of the players.

Hey, what was with Don Garber not making the game? He awarded the Eastern Conference Championship to New England, but we get a presentation by a play-by-play guy? Max Bretos, the voice of the Galaxy? Was there something more soccer-related going on in Garber's (and every one of his fellow East-coast suits') schedule? Does he only attend if ESPN can broadcast his visage? Does he only attend if his pal Sunil Gulati's team is involved? Does he like to insinuate preferential treatment and bias at the league's headquarters? Or was he afraid to share the stage with Ricardo Clark? I hope there is a good explanation for the oversight.

But what was NOT an oversight was the inclusion of the Caledon 3 Tenors into a second consecutive match. I guess they were well received at the FCD match last Friday, because last night they again sang the Star Spangled Banner. Maybe the front office was so pleased with the results of the FCD match that they didn't want to change anything -- just in case. Caledon even expanded their role last night, as they were on the pitch at halftime singing "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)." Outstanding fare, that!

The fallout of the Caledon halftime song was that the Dynamo Girls were doing their Michael Jackson tribute as the teams were returning to the field, forcing the D-Girls' song to be cut off early. It might have been better had the dance captain/leader/whatever worked out something with the girls so they wouldn't have to collapse into chaos when the music stopped prematurely. I was waiting for the bigger disaster to strike as the players from both teams were walking right by the pyrotechnic box. It took forever before a technician started steering the players to a safe distance.

Speaking of danger on the pitch: what was with all of the slipping players? Players were skidding right and left. I particularly remember DeRo trying to cut in the KC box, then slipping and losing the ball. E-Rob slipped as Sealy cut past him once (luckily Barrett was there to cover). This is something that the equipment manager should realize during warmups: what kind of cleats are necessary for the turf conditions. This is particularly true when it's one's home field.

Speaking of DeRo, I thought he did extremely well overall. He was the conductor for most of the game, setting up some great opportunities for others. He had an excellent through pass for Ching in the box. He had an excellent drive bearing down on the far corner that was saved by Hartman and led to the corner that resulted in Jaqua's game winner. In the second half, DeRo looked fatigued. He lost the ball a few times when he looked indecisive (or, more likely, was too tired to do what he wanted to do). I thought he showed poor judgment in the second half when he was driving to the goal with only the GK in front of him, but he chose to pass the ball off to Jaqua. The ball didn't make it to Jaqua; it was intercepted by Conrad in what nearly became an own-goal. DeRo needs to take responsibility on these occasions and take the shot -- and that's exactly what he did the next time, when he beat Hartman at the near post with a low, hard blast from the edge of the box. Fatigue can certainly be understood and excused, and he had a great game overall. Welcome back DeRo!

Perhaps the best aspect of the game was the enormity (and the zeal) of the fan support. An announced 30,972 showed up, and the Chronicle reported that some had to be turned away at the gate. Curt Onalfo, the KC Coach, said, "When we see crowds like that, it makes you realize that you've kind of arrived. The crowd was wonderful, and I thought they certainly helped their home team." His team captain, Jimmy Conrad, agreed, "Obviously, the crowd plays a big part, and if we had our crowd behind us as opposed to getting booed every time we touched the ball, that would probably make a big difference. That's our first thing, is that our goal next year is to make sure that we have home-field advantage going into the playoffs."

The significance of this connection between the city and the Dynamo was recognized even by "mainstream" sports columnists.

Perhaps this is the best legacy of the game, not only the quality on the field, not only another chance to win the championship, but the realization of how soccer is to be appreciated (as compared to other sports) and the confirmation of the integration of the team into the fabric of our international city.

I'll have some thoughts about the MLS Cup soon. Must rest.

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!

Well, the good news is...

Games like last night's Dynamo-Chivas match are exercises in frustration. (Recap.) We're up a man (a gift from the referee if you ask me) and we muster loads of possession, but not a single goal. When a good team has a man advantage, that should mean at least a goal, right? Not with the Dynamo, as proven this year versus RBNY, Colorado, Toronto, and Columbus (the last two being in Houston). In fact, when the red card was issued I said aloud, "This one's ending in a scoreless tie."

Last night the finishing touch was off, but often so was the touch to set up the finishing touch. With Jesse Marsch out, I thought D-Ro would have a field day. Instead, he was marked tightly the whole night and never had room to do anything, and his rhythm was taken from him. After going a man up, he had better play, but even so, the real problem wasn't what happened at center midfield, it was what happened (or didn't happen) along the flanks and in the attacking third. It's a frustratingly frequent occurrence with the Dynamo: they come up impotent in the final third. As Lark Howorth bluntly put it,"the Dynamo played with a passionate incompetence."

Although the big problem was in the attacking end, we were pushing forward so hard that our back line was sometimes unorganized and gave Chivas some extremely dangerous opportunities. In fact, the best save of the night wasn't on the 10-man side, it was Onstad stopping a point blank blast from Klejstan on a counter in stoppage time. Still, I thought Mullan did extremely well as the right back shutting down Maykel Galindo. On the other side of the field, it's a bit unnerving to see Wade Barrett being subbed out. An injury to him would make things harder in the playoffs.

Let's not dwell on the loss, because there were some good things to come from the match:
1) Not having home field advantage isn't that big of a problem. Why do I say that? Because this team excels when its back is up against the wall. Give the team an advantage (like going a man up), and it struggles. Give them obstacles to overcome, and the players meet the challenge.

2) We now play FC Dallas in the first round. Despite having had Dallas' number since the founding of the Dynamo, and particularly this season, FCD will not be a pushover. In fact, they might be gunning for us particularly hard. The Rico incident and the loss of El Capitan can be avenged in their minds if they end our season. Still, you've got to like the match up between the two sides, particularly since we play the second match in Robertson on Friday, November 2. The Dynamo should have no trouble getting up for this match. How will the paroled criminal, Carlos Ruiz, be greeted?

3) After the FCD match...If Chivas gets by KC, we'll face an overconfident Chivas at the HDC. We haven't won there, so we're due. If Chivas falls to KC, we face KC in Robertson. Our home record in vital games like these is stellar. We're 0-1-1 versus the Wizards in Houston; again, we're due.

4) Winning 5 games in a row is very difficult (RSL, Chivas, then the two-leg semis assumed to be 1 game, then the Conference finals, then the MLS Cup). Now we have to win only 3 games in a row. Much easier statistically.

5) With the shutout, we have officially set the record for fewest goals conceded in a season (23 beats the 29 goal record held by LA, KC, and San Jose). We have also set a record for fewest goals conceded per game (0.766 gpg, versus 0.906 gpg held by LA and KC). As far as our performance compared to other teams just this season: our goal differential is +20, second only to DC United's +22 goal differential this season. We've also had 13 clean sheets this season (11 for Onstad, 2 for Wells). Onstad's shutout record is behind only Guzan's 13 shutouts for Chivas USA this season.

6) Ianni didn't get sent off. His tackle on Galindo in the 68th minute or so was nearly identical to the one that got Chivas' Vaughn sent off. It was an unnecessary and foolish tackle at that point, yet the young and inexperienced Ianni was lucky to not have made his team suffer any consequences, which would have been particularly difficult given Robinson and Cochrane were already out. This protects our depth in central defense for the next match.

7) Dom Kinnear managed to soothe Preki's feelings before leaving LA. Dom had a beef with Preki's assistant coach, who was lobbying the referee hard to have a Dynamo player kicked out of the game. After the game, Dom shook Preki's hand, but wanted nothing to do with the assistant coach. Preki stuck up for his assistant, and he and Dom got into a heated argument before being separated. In a post-game interviews, Dom said he went over and talked to Preki afterwards to smooth over the incident, and Preki mentioned that it was a minor incident and he has the utmost respect for Dom. This is good for two reasons: it demonstrates yet again how we are blessed with a mature, respectable coach; and it doesn't give Preki any "locker room fodder" to get his troops more motivated than they will normally be should we meet them in the conference championship.

First things first: the FCD series starts this week. We don't have to beat them in both legs, but we should really focus on leaving Frisco with nothing less than a tie, then finishing them off here in Houston. Then again...maybe we need to lose to them in Frisco in order to get the job done here in Houston. You know, part of that "obstacles to overcome" strategy. Go Dynamo!

All the marbles

Tonight we face Chivas in a match that will decide the Western Conference. (Game guide.) Winner takes the conference and home field advantage, with a tie being the same as a win for Chivas. Dynamo will be without key defensive core players with Robinson (red card), Cochrane (yellow accumulation), and Clark (suspension) all out. Bernardo Fallas reports that Dominic Kinnear will use Ianni in the center (natch), move Waibel alongside him, push Mullan to right back (interesting...), with Holden as right midfielder and D-Ro and Mulrooney as the AM and DM, respectively.

Something else to watch: should the Dynamo hold Chivas to 4 or fewer goals tonight, then we set a record for fewest goals conceded in a season (current record: 29) and fewest goals per game conceded in a season (current record: 0.906 goals per game). We currently have conceded 23 goals. Should we allow no more than 27, then we'll have a 0.9 gpg ratio.

Back to the results: While I'm of the opinion that the Dynamo might do better if they don't have the cushy road to the MLS Cup, I'm also of the opinion that winning is always good. Win or lose tonight, though, we can't lose after tonight if we want to reach the MLS Cup. (Technically we could lose one leg of the conference semis and make up the difference in the other leg, but let's not go that route.)

So, if we win tonight, we will play either the Rapids, Fire, Wizards, or Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs next week. If we lose, we face a vengeful FC Dallas in the first round playoff series. I wonder how much Carlo Ruiz would be booed in our home leg of that series.

Go Dynamo!

Pilgrimage to the Cathedral of (US) Soccer

This past week, business took me to Southern California. Luckily, there was an MLS game during my stay and I was able to finally visit the much heralded "Cathedral of the MLS" -- aka the Home Depot Center.

I haven't been to many MLS stadia, which I hope to rectify over time. I've been to Robertson (of course) and the Cotton Bowl (which the Burn have since vacated), so I don't have much to compare to the HDC. It is a very nice facility and easily better than the Dynamo's home. The seating is nice, with excellent sight lines. The luxury suites are, well, luxurious and of the highest standard. (I swear I saw a shaggy B-list star in one, but I just can't place the face exactly.) There are lots of snack bars, lots of Galaxy-related artwork festooning the place, and restrooms that don't look like they belong in a backwater prison. The field is large (which I prefer) and pristine -- no sign of the X-games on this night.

I came across a parking lot that was down Victoria Street a bit, along Birch Knoll Dr. It posted a $15 fee, which is $5 more than the stadium parking around Robertson. I thought parking any closer to the stadium would involve even higher costs, so I took it. This involved quite a hike through the campus of California State University-Domnguez Hills, and across the parking lots fronting the eastern edge of the stadium. Thankfully, the weather was cool and crisp.

I circled the stadium before finding will call (at the North Gate if you're interested). I got in line just as the gates opened, an hour and a half before game time. A couple from San Jose was in front of me and noticed the Dynamo hat and shirt I was sporting. We got to talking about the old Earthquakes, the new team starting out in San Jose next year, and how we hoped RBNY would end LA's dream that night. The couple had been to several Quake games before the move. They would travel down to watch them play LA in the HDC. In LA, they were able to stay with other supporters in the same hotel as the team, and would even have drinks with the players after the game in the hotel lounge. On Sundays when the Reserve team had a game, the fans would mingle with the first team players and their families in a picnic-style environment at an ordinary field where the game was held. Sounds like good times, and I can clearly see why the fans were sad to see the team go.

But while the fan support was ardent, it wasn't widespread. The couple mentioned that there were season openers where only 6,000 people showed up, and there was absolutely no media coverage whatsoever. They have been really impressed with how the team has been accepted by the Houston fans and covered by the Houston media. Last year the couple rooted for the Dynamo, but this year they said the team was Houston's team, and they're looking forward to next year's return of the Quakes. They do hope they're able to pilfer a few of their former players though.

I took a counter-clockwise ramble around the stadium. Besides the concessions and souvenirs, there were vendor booths and a local band was playing -- kind of like what Houston has outside its stadium. I grabbed one of the free t-shirts commemorating Cobi Jones' career (this being Cobi's final regular season home game appearance before retirement). I saw Rob Stone walking up the stairs from the field, then found a booth selling Guinness, Harps, and Smithwick's. For $9 a pop, it's only $2 more than the usual stadium swill, so I had to partake of a "Smithicks."

Sipping my drink I stood above the field level seats, not far from the supporters' corner, and watched the Galaxy warm up. Beckham was there, but not with the starting team. He was just booting the ball around, mostly with Chris Albright. I was actually standing at about ground level, with the field and seating section below me having been dug out of the ground. The field level seats are built on concrete terraces. The sidelines sport actual chairs, while the corners and areas behind the goals have metal bleachers with seatbacks. The second tier (which is on only the eastern side of the stadium) have a metal base and the same bleachers with backs. I moseyed up to my seats in the second tier: Section 234, Row PP, Seat 25. I was 4 rows from the top, right on the aisle.

The crowd was very light, even by time the teams and refs were trooping out onto the field. An American Idol contestant (Kimberly Caldwell? Never heard of her.) sang the Star Spangled Banner well, if way too slowly. Then there was a tribute to Cobi and his career. The video screen displayed well wishes from current and past teammates. Cheers rang out for Kevin Hartman, Sigi Schmidt, and especially Mauricio Cienfuegos. Boos rang out for Steve Sampson. Alexi Lalas and Don Garber (mild boos here) made some trite on-field comments, and then Paul Caliguiri, Eric Wynalda (more boos), and Alexi posed for a picture with Cobi. With the chill in the air, it was no surprise seeing the RBNY players passing the ball around in their half rather than participating in the ceremony. After a while, even the Gals started kicking the ball around trying to keep warm.

When the game actually started, the seats were filling up. I sat next to a family of Galaxy supporters, and behind a guy from NJ who was pulling for RBNY (though he also cheered for Becks and even Edson Buddle). There were a lot of youth soccer teams in the crowd. Being on the metal-floored second tier, the footstomping of the crowd seemed especially loud. Throughout the game, the chants of the supporters' group (just below me and to my left) were spirited, and the crowds cheers, jeers, and footstomping was raucous. I thought there was a good atmosphere.

RBNY came out seeking the early goal, but the match was filled mostly by poor passing and poor touch from both teams, and no rhythm by either team. Inattentive defending led to good opportunities for both teams. LA took the lead first off a blown corner kick, but RBNY's Jozy Altidore evened the score soon after on an unmarked header. The Galaxy wisely covered Juan Pablo Angel tightly, but he still had many opportunities, and missed at least two that he should have finished. Even with those fluffs, JPA looked to be a level above the rest of the players on the field.

Oh yeah, David Beckham came in around the 68th minute. I suppose a few people cheered at this event and a few flashbulbs went off in the crowd. His first two plays were a missed header then a foul from a poor tackle. His corners showed that he's a bit rusty, so it was good that he got some minutes in.

The score ended in a draw, so the Galaxy's chances for a post-season berth remain solid, tragically.

On the long walk back to my car, I asked a couple if the crowd was usually that lively. They said that the crowd was larger and louder than usual. Usually they're "pretty laid back except after a goal." They also said they hope they face Houston in the playoffs rather than Chivas. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of a mediocre Galaxy team making the MLS playoffs, with the media spotlight on the team throwing all other teams into the shadow of its mediocrity. If a team that bad is competing in the championship, the other teams must be worse, right? No, it's better if the "Superclub" sits out this post-season and waits until they're truly worthy of the spotlight. It will be better for the reputation of the league and for the status Galaxy as well. They would be better off rebuilding for the next season. If they want to be revered as the best, they had better be able to live up to the hype and not rely on skating by due to flukish results and a faulty MLS post-season structure. If they want be be respected, they need to be respectable.

At least they have a first class facility.

Breaking the Salt Lake jinx

On Monday I had to sit in the "business center" of the Hilton Garden Inn-Rancho Bernardo, watching the match feed for the Dynamo-RSL game (game guide) and reading the BigSoccer play-by-play on the hotel computer. Despite playing on fake turf and missing Ching, D-Ro, and of course Clark, we managed to eke out our first victory in Salt Lake. (Game recap.) I watched the taped match when I returned to Houston on Friday. It was indeed ugly in terms of play and in terms of aesthetics, both sins chiefly attributed to the playing surface. Lark had some great observations in his blog.

I had heard how Holden's goal was a blown cross deflected into the goal by a stubby Nick Rimando, but in watching the goal it look much more impressive than it sounded. I'm thinking that a young Stuart Holden will be one of the players we protect in the San Jose expansion in the off-season.

The worst part of the game was the fact that we've lost Cochrane (yellow card accumulation) AND Eddie Robinson (bogus red card) for the final regular season game versus Chivas. The winner takes the top spot for the Western Conference and maintains home field advantage throughout the playoffs. A tie gives Chivas the top spot. Can we beat Chivas on its home field, where it has lost only once this year? And do we want to beat them? We dominate at home, for sure; but we also seem to prosper when the cards are stacked against us. Regardless, wins are always good. Let's win the next 5 games: the Season finale, both Conference semis, the Conference final, and the MLS Cup...that'll do it.

Salt Lakers - the trap game

Chivas surprisingly fell to a 10-man Colorado team today. I think this is the 2nd game in a row that Colorado played (and won) short-handed. Last week they played with 9 men for a stretch.

What does this mean? It means that if we win at Salt Lake tomorrow, the winner of the Chivas-Houston game next Saturday will be first in the Western Conference and will maintain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That'd be a nice place to be for the Dynamo, since they do so well at home; but ... do we want all home games? That would give the Dynamo an apparent edge, and that might be a problem. You see, the team seems to perform better under adversity. Should they have what looks to be an easy path (though it never is), the irony is that the Dynamo would probably stumble. Maybe we should hope they don't get home field advantage. They'd then play with a chip on their shoulder and may progress farther.

For instance, tomorrow they should easily beat RSL. The Salt Lakers are struggling and are experimenting with next year's lineup. Yet, Dynamo-Houston is notorious in its struggles versus bottom feeders. Give us the creme de la creme and we'll hold our own, but goodness, not the dregs! Lark Howorth has a similar take on this strange facet of the team.

Besides home field advantage, coming first in the Conference means nothing. It's not like finishing first in the Western Conference makes a team the Conference Champion. That only comes from winning the Conference Championship, which is the match just prior to the MLS Cup. One match determines the Conference champion, just like one match determines the MLS Champion. Ridiculous...particularly because a team like LA with a losing record can still win it.

Speaking of the vile Galaxy: I'm in the LA area this week for business, so I'm planning on watching the Red Bulls take on the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center this Thursday. That'd be my first trip to the Tool Box (or at least my first trip beyond the road that runs around the parking lot), so I'm looking forward to it. I'll be pulling for the RBNY to end the Gals "dream run."

Here's hoping that the Dynamo can put away the Salt Lakers tomorrow night. Dynamo should easily triumph; therefore, they will struggle. I can't explain it, but that's the way the team seems to roll. Go Dynamo (and RBNY?)!

I still believe

As I was traveling through America's heartland, I was unable to see the Dynamo-DC United match this past weekend. I did read the various synopses of the game, as well as Glenn's take, but I can't comment on the match with any specificity.

It does look like Dynamo acquitted themselves quite well, particularly in the second half, but still are having trouble getting the goals they need. DeRo misses a PK (argh!), but creates a goal to end the D-H scoring drought, but not our winless streak. (Here's a link to all Week 8 goals, including DDR's.)

Glenn Davis reiterates his claim that our troubles stem from conceding the first goal, then being unable to pry open the bunker teams fall into when protecting their lead. I agree with Glenn that chasing the game is always difficult (the only time we've succeeded this season was on Colorado's big pitch), but that's not the whole story of course. I wish I could say what the "whole story" is, but I think it's really just a combination of individuals being off their game (DDR at first, Ching later, the wingers intermittently), difficulty with the newbies (Ngwenya, who could have introduced himself to his new city and turned around our fortunes by taking advantage of some of his 1-v-GK opportunities), poor set-pieces, and bad luck. After the early collection of poor showings, the team has played solidly as a unit, so despite some individual blunders, there seems to be no systematic problem.

So what's the solution?

Some denizens of the Internet state that Dynamo need to spend money on a Designated Player because we need a bigtime striker that can finish what the team hath wrought in the first two-thirds of the field. Others say that Dynamo has stayed the same while the league has improved.

I don't buy either observation. Dynamo are not being played off the field -- in fact, we've looked to be the better team in every match since the RBNY match. Defensively we're solid. Offensively, we're possessing the ball well and creating chances. We have top quality in every position; we don't need new blood (the only exception being perhaps the #2 striker). The team only needs to work on bolstering their confidence, improving their free kicks, and becoming a little hungrier (even reckless) in the penalty box. Practicing set-pieces, in-box finishing, and long-distance strikes would help, but this is no secret -- Dom is already taking these necessary steps -- nor is there anything magical in the recipe. The team needs to continue working on these areas to refine their skills and (perhaps more importantly) improve their confidence so they don't waste time second-guessing themselves come game time. They have the skills, they just need to get their heads into the "zone" when under game pressure. (More of that Zen stuff I keep mentioning.) After the successes come, the confidence will return and we'll be back to our old winning ways.

Thankfully, our slump coincides with a lack of results throughout the Western Conference, so we're still in the fight even in the midst of our doldrums. Furthermore, 4 of our next 6 matches are against Western Conference opponents, giving us ample opportunity to gain ground. Hopefully the tide turns this weekend against our rivals of the I-45 corridor. I can't think of a better time to do it.

Two observations from the midwest:

• I saw no sign of the Wizards while I was in KC. The team was in New England this past weekend, and there was no other visible proof that the city had a professional soccer team. My in-town relatives were only casually aware that there was a team in town.
• As I was driving in Southern Oklahoma, I was passed by a 90s-era jalopy that had an FC Dallas sticker on its rear window. It seems FCD has some presence at least.