Major League Soccer powers Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo battled each other in league play on Sunday (a match won by Columbus on a last-minute penalty) and tonight both hit the road in CONCACAF Champions League action.
The Houston Dynamo faces familiar foe Pachuca in Mexico (10pm, FSC), while Columbus is in San Jose, Costa Rica to take on Deportivo Saprissa. Whether it's Pachuca's Jose Francisco Torres taking on U.S. national team teammates Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark (Stuart Holden is serving a red card suspension), or the Crew looking to win in Saprissa, a stadium that has been a nightmare for so many American teams, both matches have plenty of intrigue.
If you will be watching tonight's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.
Dom played the only players possible. He didnt even have enough for a full 18. And that includes taking 3 keepers just to get to 17. Thanks MLS roster restrictions.
Cfig, the Dynamo have used tourney games the past two years especially as reserve matches. Personally, I think the only reason you saw Ching etc last night is 1)the roster was cut down this year, 2) Of the 24 they only had 18 able to play. Cochrane is not a starter, Barrett/Davis played out of position, and Ching only played 45 (for good reason after the red card). I support the Dynamo wholeheartedly but it is not a secret that these tourneys are not a priority for them.
While the idiot ref from the Unido game took care of Ashe, Holden and Hainault, the team just does not seem to put out the best 11 they have ever.
Posted by: Dlovell | September 17, 2009 at 01:26 AM
So who would you have Houston play? You’re talking about 3 starters out plus Landin (who isn’t eligible for CCL for the Dynamo). We started a capable second string keeper along with Ching, Cochrane, Cameron, Boswell, and Barrett. Davis came in as a late substitute, which makes Clark and Onstad the only regularly starting players that weren’t suspended that didn’t see any minutes in the match.
A win AT Saprissa is the second best thing to a victory in Mexico. HUGE win for the Crew. Its awesome to see them doing so well in the toughest group.
There is a ton og room for optimism right now for MLS teams in CCL. Houston has their two toughest road games out of the way, as does Columbus, and both are sitting in a good position in their groups. If they continue to send out their best players and take care of business at home, at least 2 MLS teams should make the quarterfinals.
Posted by: arkjayback | September 17, 2009 at 01:58 AM
That is something to take into consideration. All 3 MLS sides had 1 home and 2 away games so far. So it atleast sets them up with good chances getting to play two of the last three at home.
¡Yo si le voy le voy a Columbus!
A win AT Saprissa is the second best thing to a victory in Mexico. HUGE win for the Crew. Its awesome to see them doing so well in the toughest group.
There is a ton og room for optimism right now for MLS teams in CCL. Houston has their two toughest road games out of the way, as does Columbus, and both are sitting in a good position in their groups. If they continue to send out their best players and take care of business at home, at least 2 MLS teams should make the quarterfinals.
As a Dynamo loyalist these tournaments are becoming more of a joke for the team. The team does not take these tourneys (Open cup, CCL, Superliga) very seriously. While the idiot ref from the Unido game took care of Ashe, Holden and Hainault, the team just does not seem to put out the best 11 they have ever. Dom and Oliver Luck have said that the MLS cup is the most important thing. Tourney success is gravy but they are not going to max out starters for these tourneys.
Go Crew!
But I do agree it would be nice for MLS to win at least once in Mexico.
Remember DC, Houston and Columbus all have their next two matches at home. If they do well at home, they all still have a good chance to advance.
Also a huge let down by Houston, huge let down by MLS
Huge win for Crew. Huge win for MLS.
Houston should be ashamed of themselves. They look like they straight out quit. Oduro is an idiot!
Crew WIN!!!
Crew hanging on by a thread.
hesmer = bigtime 🙂
This link works http://www.justin.tv/mechascr
ha, the jew fro is under control tonight…nice headband
What a joke….Houston isn’t even trying right now, sucks Oduro had to screw them over, wulda been a different game had Holden, Rico, and Cory Ash been there
10 man houston getting dominated. lost the link to the crew game 🙁
he slid right through him not getting the ball…he embellished sure, but it was a bad tackle.
I dunno about dirty tackle, I don’t see how your body can contort in the manner it did when he barely touched him on the tackle.
geoff crying again..even though it was obvious dirty tackle.
Quite impressed with Pachuca’s technique.
Slyboy, me too, and i’m from LA, MLS over any Mexican team any day, i don’t care if its DC, and i hate DC haha
I don’t know how you think it was crap second yellow. The guy embellished it, but it was a crap tackle that didnt get any ball, clearly a yellow, Oduro is the numbskull.
BTW, i am rooting for Dynamo
Just saw the replay of the Crew goal. It was brilliant team play.
That second yellow was crap, though Oduro should have known better.
and pachuca has a lot of fans at the game…thats a pretty sight.
2 yellows in 1st half hahahahah oduro letting houston down.
Crew 1-0 HT
Dominic Oduro with a Red, for a stupid tackle from behind, what an idiot, we were 3 seconds away from halftime
Is Torres playing? I know it sounds politically incorrect but all the Pachucans look the same from my small screen (short, black hair).
Hesmer just had a great save, and the majority of chances are going to Saprissa.
Crew look 100 times better than they did in Mexico though.
Houstan Keeper doing work, culd be 3-0 right now, but its 1-0, Pachuca up
I love how Christopher Sullivan doesn’t know the word “trade” when applied to swapping players. Really Christopher Sullivan? Are you THAT unfamiliar with the term? Shut up please.
thanks, rslfm
working link:
http://www.justin.tv/mechascr/popout
just turned it on but gringo torres looks pretty good
I cant find a link. Costa Rica sucks
…good play by the MLS sides tonight.
Premature e-postulation earlier.
First 15 min of Pachuca v. Houston match is good stuff. It’d be great to see some
anyone have a link to the crew?
anyone have a link to the crew game……the early parts of the pachuca game look like a thrashing.
Massive, where you watching the game? A local channel?
Crew GOAL!!!!. Gaven has a beautiful goal. Only 84 minutes to 3 points.
Best part of the Pachuca-Mexico game is the fact that we get the greatest name in MLS (that isn’t Zoltan or Hercules) in Dynamo goalie Tally Halllllll!
cant find a link to the crew game 🙁
wow i didnt know so many US internationals were playing in the Dynamo vs Pachuca match. Should be a good game.
(SBI-SHould be a good game but Clark and Holden are missing the match. Shame, would have been fun to see them and Torres go at it.)