Dynamo down Pachuca to reach SuperLiga Final

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 29, 2008) The Houston Dynamo, with goals from Bobby Boswell and Corey Ashe in the second half, defeated Pachuca 2-0 to advance to the finals of SuperLiga 2008.

The Dynamo found the goal for the first time in the 77th minute when defender Bobby Boswell took the ball from forward Dwayne De Rosario, with help from defender Craig Waibel, and drove it past Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero.

The Dynamo offensive effort continued 10 minutes later when Corey Ashe took a pass from Brian Mullan to find the goal.

After the four-minute stoppage time, a mealy ensued as several Pachuca players rushed the Dynamo bench, causing players, coaches, from both teams to get into the mix. Police quickly entered the field and broke up the “discussion” before any physicality occurred.

The Dynamo will have to wait until late Wednesday to find out their opponent in the finals. The New England Revolution face Atlante in the other semi-final game. A Revolution win would have the Dynamo on the road for the final. An Alante win would put the Dynamo at home in Robertson Stadium for the final.

Dynamo-Pachuca Tickets Go on Sale Tuesday

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 22, 2008) Tickets for the SuperLiga semifinal between two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo and defending SuperLiga winner Pachuca will go on sale Tuesday (July 22) to season ticket holders and those buying group packages, the Dynamo announced today. Individual tickets will be made available starting on Wednesday (July 23) at 10 a.m.

The match will be held at Robertson Stadium on Tuesday, July 29, at 9:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the August 6 championship match of the second SuperLiga tournament featuring the top clubs from the United States and Mexico. The other semifinal, to be held July 30, pits the New England Revolution against Atlante.

Beginning Tuesday, Dynamo season ticket holders will have a chance to buy discounted tickets priced at $20 for seats in the lower bowl and $10 for seats in the upper bowl. The Dynamo are also offering a special four-pack of tickets for $59.95, which fans can purchase by calling (713) 276-7500 beginning Tuesday. Individual tickets will go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. and may be purchased by going to the schedule page on www.HoustonDynamo.com.

Houston, twice the MLS Cup champion, and Pachuca, the two-time defending North American champion, have already played three times in the last 18 months. The teams first met early in the 2007 season in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, with Pachuca winning the two-legged tie 5-4 after extra time.

The rematch came in last year’s SuperLiga semifinals, with Pachuca advancing in a dramatic shootout after a 2-2 tie in front of more than 21,000 fans. Pachuca then won the title in a shootout against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Dynamo advanced to the semifinals by winning Group A with a 2-1 record and +5 goal differential, including a 4-0 trouncing of second-place Atlante. Pachuca placed second in Group B with a 1-1-1 record, advancing on a head-to-head tiebreaker over Chivas USA.

The Houston Dynamo, two-time defending MLS Cup champions, will play a rescheduled MLS game Tuesday night at D.C. United. The Dynamo return home for the SuperLiga semifinal July 29 and remain at home August 2 against the Columbus Crew. For more information or for tickets, call (713) 276-7500 or log on to http://www.houstondynamo.com/.

Chivas Tops Houston 1-0

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 15, 2008) Omar Arellano found the goal in the 71st minute to give Chivas de Guadalajara a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in group A action of Superliga 2008.

Chivas moves into first place in Group A with a 2-0 record (6 points). Houston falls to 1-1 (3 points) with each team having one match to go in the first round.

In earlier action, Atlante defeated DC United 3-2, giving Atlante a 1-1 record (3 points) while DC United falls to 0-2 (0 points).

The Dynamo will need a win over DC United on Saturday (July 19) and a Chivas win over Atlante to advance to the semi-finals.

The Dynamo faced a relentless offense by Chivas in the second half with The Goats mounting attack after attack until they found the goal.

Arellano took the ball at the top of the box, curled it around Houston’s Patrick Ianni before putting it low past goalkeeper Pat Onstad for the score.

Chivas goalkeeper Luis Michel made numerous tremendous stops to keep Houston from finding the goal.

Both teams will take a few days of needed rest before their next games this coming weekend.

Dynamo-Chivas Scoreless in 1st Half

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 15, 2008) A rash invaded Robertson Stadium in the first half of the Houston Dynamo-Chivas match in SuperLiga 2008 Group A action.

The rash took its toll in the form of yellow cards in the scoreless half.

Neither team could find the goal with the yellow cards and goalkeepers seeing most of the action.

Yellow cards were issued to Houston’s Ricardo Clark (pushing, holding-19th minute) and Corey Ashe (pushing, holding-36th minute).

Chivas saw Gonzalo Pineda (pushing, holding-19th minute) and Sergio Avila (tackle from behind-27th minute) receive the cautions.

Chivas lead in total shots (6-5) and shots on goal (3-2). The Dynamo’s Pat Onstad recorded three saves while Chivas’ Ernesto Michel tallied two.

Both teams need to play more to the middle and look for the other team's openings. Defense was certainly the name of the game in the first half.

Dynamo face Chivas with Reduced Roster

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 15, 2008) When the Houston Dynamo faces off against Chivas de Guadalajara tonight in the second game for both teams in SuperLiga 2008, they will have to do it without the services of two of their most prolific players.

Dwayne De Rosario will miss the game do to being red-carded on Sunday’s game against Atlante, while Brian Ching will miss his second SuperLiga game with an abdominal injury.

The Dynamo will also be without defenders Richard Mulrooney and Eddie Robinson. Mulrooney is recovering from a knee injury, while Robinson recuperates his injured ankle.

Chivas will be trying to take advantage of Houston’s diminished roster and guarantee their place in the semi-finals.

Both Chivas and the Dynamo are 1-0, with three points and both teams would like nothing better than to go into their final Group A match with two victories.

Chivas comes into the game in pre-season mode while the Dynamo has been struggling to find consistency in their play this season. They are currently 4-4-8 and in fifth place in the Western Division of MLS.

They showed what they are capable of during Sunday evening’s thumping of Atlante. They will need to keep that strength going against Chivas.

Chivas has a multimillion-dollar roster and national team-caliber talent. In terms of American’s sports teams, Chivas is the New York Yankees of Mexico. Their players serve as the base for the Mexican national team. In reality, they are a club that is several levels above Atlante.

That fact is not lost on the Dynamo. They know they will have a tough time against Chivas.

"It's going to be a good test for us,” Stuart Holden (Dynamo midfielder) said. "They are a strong team, and they proved it in their victory over D.C. United.

With a 9:00pm start, everyone in Robertson Stadium will know if the Dynamo can handle Chivas. Sometime around 10:30pm and everyone will know.

Dynamo-Chivas SuperLiga 2008 Preview

From Houston Dynamo/MLS Staff Press Release

HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. CD GUADALAJARA
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 9 p.m. CT
Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas
Group Stage - GROUP A - Match 6
REFEREE: Enrico Wijngaarde (SUR)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: William Torres Mejia (SLV); Juan Zumba Galan (SLV)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

The Houston Dynamo and Chivas de Guadalajara meet at Robertson Stadium knowing that a victory will all but secure a place in the SuperLiga semifinals. The teams come off victories in their opening Group A matches, the Dynamo rolling to a 4-0 win against Atlante FC, while Chivas saw a late penalty kick saved in a 2-1 win against D.C. United.

Houston Dynamo
After having scored just two goals in their last five games in all competitions, the Dynamo exploded for four goals against Atlante to open SuperLiga competition. "Some of the goals were really pretty, especially the third one," Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said. "I thought the third goal was really our best one tonight. The guys were really electric coming out of the locker room and I am just really happy to see them score some goals." Said two-goal man Stuart Holden: "If you look at the last couple of games where we haven't been scoring, we were close. This was overdue to be honest with you and once one went in, they just kept going and that seems to be how it is for us. To put four in the back of the net is a great feeling." But there could be issues with the Dynamo strike force for the Chivas game. Dwayne De Rosario is suspended after being sent off, and Brian Ching was unavailable for the Atlante game with an abdominal strain. It was the first win in a game for the Dynamo since June 8. "I think they just came out and played well. We have had some moments this year, but the play all the way around tonight was excellent."

CD Guadalajara
While Chivas certainly felt fortunate to have come away with the victory, they felt they could have put the game away in the first half. "We combined in the first half with excellent ball possession, good movement, a lot of depth (in attack) and I think we could have scored another goal. ... We were fortunate to win the game because we wasted at least three clear opportunities at goal," said coach Efraín Flores. In the second half, Flores said, D.C. United showed Chivas is still building toward the start of the Apertura. "In the second half we faced a D.C. team very different - they threw more men forward and caused us some inattention." Flores had his entire team to call upon for the SuperLiga opener, with the exception of Alberto Medina, injured in training the day before the match in Washington, D.C., after scoring two goals vs. Tecos in their final preparatory match. "We have a young group but very talented, and I think our only absence was Alberto Medina ... We need him, and that's why his injury hurt us."

State of Play: Group A
With opening match winners Houston Dynamo and CD Guadajalara meeting in Houston, a victory by either team there will all but secure their passage to the semifinals. Conversely, a loss by either D.C. United or Atlante FC in Washington will all but end any hopes for advancement to the final four.

Video Highlights of Dynamo-Atlante SuperLiga Match

By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 13, 2008) Below are video highlights from the Houston Dynamo-Atlante FC first round match in SuperLiga 2008. The Dynamo won the match 4-0 to move into first place in their group.

Houston Downs Atlante 4-0 in SuperLiga Action

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 12, 2008) Scoring twice in the first half, Stuart Holden lead the Houston Dynamo to a 4-0 rout of Atlante in the first game for both teams in SuperLiga 2008 at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Dwayne De Rosario scored first for the Dynamo in the 20th minute when he received a pass from Brad Davis off a free kick from 35 meters out on the right sideline and headed the ball into the net.

In the first of Holden’s two scores De Rosario fed the ball to Geoff Cameron on the lower post, who passed it to Holden in front of an open net, allowing Holden to boot it in for the goal in the 20th minute.

Holden netted his second goal in the 29th minute off a pass from Wade Barrett; passing the ball to Holden as he kicked it past goalkeeper Federico Vilar to put Houston up 3-0 at the half.

Houston extended its lead in the 54th minute on a goal by Brian Mullan. Cameron crossed a pass to Mullan and he came sliding in to fire a shot into the left side of the net.

With minutes left in the first half, tempers got the best of De Rosario and Atlante's Javier Munoz Mustafa. De Rosarion reacted to a hard foul by Mustafa and retaliated by pushing Mustafa, who punched the Houston player in the face.

De Rosario and Mustafa were given red cards in the 44th minute over the incident, and will both miss their enxt scheduled game.

Houston faces Chivas Guadalajara Tuesday in Houston, while Atlante will play D.C. United in Washington DC.

2008 SuperLiga Games, Times Set

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (June 13, 2008) The teams and sites for the 2008 edition of SuperLiga was recently announced. The SuperLiga is a North American soccer competition between teams from Mexico's Primera División and the Major League Soccer.

SuperLiga will decide the best in the region and will also award $1,000,000 to the winner; the heftiest winner’s purse in North American soccer history.

The second edition of the cross-border showdown is set for July 12 to August 5.

The Houston Dynamo, DC United, New England Revolution and Chivas USA will represent MLS while Chivas Guadalajara, Atlante, Pachuca and Santos will represent Mexico.

The groups, schedules, and venues are as follows:

Group A
Houston Dynamo
D.C. United
Guadalajara
Atlante

Group B
Chivas USA
New England
Pachuca
Santos


July 12: DC United - Guadalajara @ RFK Stadium in Washington DC, 8pm
July 12: Houston - Atlante @ Robertson Stadium in Houston, TX, 10pm

July 13: New England - Santos @ Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, 8pm
July 13: Chivas USA - Pachuca @ Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, 10pm

July 15: DC United- Atlante @ RFK Stadium, 8pm
July 15: Houston - Guadalajara @ Robertson Stadium, 10pm

July 16: New England - Pachuca @ Gillette Stadium, 8pm
July 16: Chivas USA - Santos @ Home Depot Center, 10pm

July 19: DC United- Houston @ RFK Stadium, 8pm
July 19: Atlante - Guadalajara, Location to be determined, 10pm

July 20: Chivas USA - New England @ Los Angeles, 8pm
July 20: Santos - Pachuca, Location to be determined, 10pm

July 29: Semi-final 1, Time and location to be determined

July 30: Semi-final 2, Time and location to be determined

Aug 5: Final, Time and location to be determined

All times are Eastern Time Zone.