In retrospect, it was obvious. &nbsp;Houston is so good playing with an aggregate lead in the playoffs and with DC missing Chris Pontius and a fully healthy Dwayne De Rosario, the task really was impossible. &nbsp;But it didn’t feel that way at RFK Stadium Sunday afternoon, as a crowd of over 20,000 (including 350 standing room attendees) rocked the stands at kickoff, trying to inspire the home team to victory. &nbsp;Despite the crowd and emotional return of the home team’s captain, the end result was a 1-1 draw and a 4-2 Dynamo win on aggregate.
DC adjusted its lineup without Pontius by starting Maicon Santos up top in a 4-4-2. &nbsp;Dominic Kinnear countered with his <del>4-4-3</del>&nbsp;4-3-3 with Jermaine Taylor returning in place of Andrew Hainault. &nbsp;Even in the early going, with the crowd spurring them on, DC struggled against a poised Dynamo defense that tried to create chances on the counter. &nbsp;DC’s best chance in the first half was a shot in the tenth minute by Chris Korb from 30 yards out that a diving Tally Hall was able to knock down and was cleared by his defense. &nbsp;DC had the most success on the left side with Nick DeLeon’s speed causing some issues, but for the most part DC had to settle for the occasional chance, but had issues sustaining constant pressure.
The Dyanmo sealed the game in the 34th minute, when Brad Davis’s run down the right side into the box scrambled the DC defense. &nbsp;The midfielder then found Oscar Boniek Garcia who planted the shot into the top of the net. &nbsp;The crowd was deflated, DC United was stunned, and the Dynamo had punched their ticket to MLS Cup.
A couple of moments in the second half gave the crowd some life (keeping in mind that even a deflated crowd was making noise throughout). &nbsp;In the 62nd minute, Dwayne DeRosario took the pitch in place of Emiliano Dudar, his first game action since he was injured September 11 on international duty. &nbsp;He looked rusty, as to be expected, but still made a few good plays to help spur DC. &nbsp;The second moment was Branko Boskovic’s goal in the 83rd minute, where the midfielder took it upon himself to make a run into the box, avoid a number of defenders, and slot a shot past Tally Hall. &nbsp;In the second half, DC had a number of quality chances and could have grabbed another goal early in the second half, but overall Houston’s defense was solid and smart.
After the game, Brad Davis commented on the Dynamo’s defensive structure: “It’s very important to keep your lines tight, make it difficult to play through the middle, and try to force things out wide… we talked about hard work, dedication, and commitment to the system that we play. &nbsp;It’s been successful over the years, so if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
Fans fearing a repeat of last year’s MLS Cup are selling the Dynamo short. &nbsp;Despite the same two teams facing off in the same venue, this is a much different Dynamo club. &nbsp;First, Brad Davis will be playing after missing the team’s two previous trips, and this team goes to another level when their distributor is on the pitch. &nbsp;The additions of Boniek Garcia (offense) and Ricardo Clark (defense) will help even out the midfield&nbsp;discrepancy&nbsp;that helped the Galaxy essentially dominate the game last year. &nbsp;Finally, an in-form Will Bruin – who was a little quiet on a night he was not essential – gives the Dynamo a scoring threat they certainly did not have last season.
The East will be well represented by a fifth seed that has consistently found the right combination for winning this postseason.

Houston Machine Steamrolls DC to Take Eastern Conference

Houston Machine Steamrolls DC to Take Eastern Conference - World Soccer Talk

Two hot teams met Sunday at R.F.K. Stadium, as New York headed down I-95 to the Nation’s Capitol to face D.C. United. The home team, buoyed by the blossoming of a fit Chris Pontius, struck early and often as they defeated the Red Bulls, 4-1.
New York was riding a four match unbeaten streak, where the team had scored fifteen goals and earned ten out of a possible twelve points during this stretch. The one thing that has been a hindrance is their propensity to give up goals to their opposition. &nbsp;On the other side of the pitch, DC United was in the midst of a five match unbeaten streak (2-0-3) and the winner of the night’s game would take second place in the Eastern Conference. Sadly for Red Bulls fans, their team’s open-door policy for terrible defending continued Sunday, as Pontius scored three goals on the day to lead the way for the Black and Red.
The lousy defending appeared almost immediately for New York and continued throughout the first half. Pontius was able to get on the board in the 8th minute, as he eluded two defenders after stripping Thierry Henry and ripped a fantastic ball.&nbsp;The shot bent past Ryan Meara for the first of his hat trick.
The second came on a fortunate bounce for Pontius in the 32nd minute, depositing a loose ball in close. Maicon Santos fought through three defenders down the left, bringing the ball along the end line. He delivered the cross, and a bad bounce off of Connor Lade’s heel gave Pontius the easy chance.
More would come from DC less than five minutes later. The Red Bull defenders were caught ball-watching and gave rookie standout Nick DeLeon plenty of space. His shot caromed off the right leg of Markus Holgersson and deflected away from Meara and into the net for a three goal lead.
Pontius’ hat trick was completed in the 70th minute as he plowed through the defense and never took his eye of the prize. The UC-Santa Barbara product caught Holgersson flat footed, and Victor Palsson’s last-ditch effort couldn’t get a touch on the ball. Pontius buried his chance, which capped a victory that had seemed clinched by the end of the 1st half.
“I think first that New York came here with a little bit of a watered down team, and it showed at times,” said D.C. United manager Ben Olsen.“But I feel like we took advantage of that, and that’s what you have to do.” On Chris Pontius’ first goal, Olsen added, “He set the tone early. I thought the entire team was buzzing early and the ball was moving.”
The only saving grace from the Red Bulls’ perspective was a fantastic finish in the 72nd minute by Thierry Henry. New York earned a set piece just outside the D.C. area, and the wily veteran bent the ball over the wall and into the near corner for his eighth goal of the season, tying Chris Wondolowski for the league lead.
What did Thierry Henry think about D.C.’s domination? “No excuses. They were good. They scored early, they kept putting on pressure. They could have scored more.” D.C. United did look better on the ball, but yet again none of the goals came from 2011 MLS Most Valuable Player Dwayne DeRosario. The attacking midfielder has yet to find goal this season, a drought that contrasts with the form he showed to close the 2011 season, notching 13 goals in 17 games with D.C. United. &nbsp;After the game Ben Olsen noted DeRosario’s lack of goals but stated that the captain and designated player was more pleased with the team’s results, saying his trophy case for individual awards is pretty full.
The first of three between these two sides went to D.C. United, with the next coming in late June at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
MLS Talk Writer Robert Hay Jr. contributed to this article.

Pontius Hat Trick Leads D.C. Past Red Bulls Shambolic Defending

Pontius Hat Trick Leads D.C. Past Red Bulls Shambolic Defending - World Soccer Talk

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Houston Machine Steamrolls DC to Take Eastern Conference

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Pontius Hat Trick Leads D.C. Past Red Bulls Shambolic Defending