voldemort

Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution
12 pm ET, TV: ABC, TeleFutura
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
The Gist: For the second consecutive year, Houston and New England will square off with the winner hoisting MLS Cup. Houston did just that last year after penalty kicks. This year’s Dynamo side is arguably stronger than the 2006 version while New England, without the talismanic Clint Dempsey, is weaker. However, Houston will likely be without Brian Ching, who is doubtful with a calf injury. Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya will start up front for the Dynamo and are charged with the task with trying to score the first goal against New England in the playoffs. Taylor Twellman, who scored the Revolution’s lone goal in last year’s final, will again be the point of attack for a club that has lost their three previous trips to the championship game.
Why You Should Care: The League is hoping that if this game goes to extra time it is after a six-goal thriller like when these teams met in Foxborough in July, not the scoreless variety from last year’s drab final. Though New England typically battens down the hatches in the postseason, they are more than capable of playing in a shootout. For that to happen, Houston will have to score first, and early, to draw New England out of their shell.
Even without Ching, the Dynamo have a balanced enough attack to threaten the Revolution’s goal. Jaqua’s size will be difficult for defender Michael Parkhurst to deal with and Ngwenya, though he may not have Ching’s resume, has the speed to get behind New England’s back line. Jeff Larentowicz and Shalrie Joseph, the two holding midfielders for the Revs, will have to keep tabs on the mercurial Dwayne De Rosario, who was on top of his game last weekend in the Western Conference Final against Kansas City.
New England has only won twice since Steve Ralston moved to attacking midfield; fortunately for the Revs, those wins have been in their last two games. Ralston will have to find ways to supply Twellman and Pat Noonan. Houston cannot forget Joseph who, besides being one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, can also find the back of the net, which he did twice against Houston this season.
Mr. November: Pat Onstad and Matt Reis. Neither team would be in the final without their goalkeepers. Onstad set a regular season record for goals against average with Houston, while New England have yet to pull a ball out of their net in the playoffs with Reis making save after save. Reis will face his toughest task yet in the final as Houston’s offense is more potent than either New York’s or Chicago’s. Onstad will likely see less work than Reis, but is more than capable of making the big save, as he did on Jay Heaps during the penalty kick shootout last year.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 1, New England Revolution 0



source:goal.com