Galaxy turn attention to Dynamo
Los Angeles expects close, hard-fought match in West final
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Arena expects more of the same in Friday's conference final against the Houston Dynamo at The Home Depot Center. The teams played twice during the regular season, with the Galaxy owning a 1-0-1 advantage in the series, and only one goal was scored in the two games. The Galaxy earned a 1-0 victory on June 28 at home that snapped Houston's club-record 11-game unbeaten streak. The rematch on Oct. 18 at Robertson Stadium ended in a 0-0 tie.
"You saw the Seattle-Houston series," Arena said. "They played 180 minutes without a goal and the (winning) goal (by Houston's Brian Ching) came in extra time.
"One would surmise perhaps Friday will be a similar type of game."
The Galaxy's Dema Kovalenko called Houston one of the tougher teams in MLS and a team that presents a different challenge than that posed by Chivas USA.
"They play a little more direct," he said. "Tough up front, good forwards. It will be another grind, another tough game. It doesn't matter who we play at this point. To be a good team you have to beat a good team."
David Beckham, whose long pass to Landon Donovan led to a sequence that ended with Donovan scoring the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute Sunday, said Houston will be quite a test.
"They have some good players, some young players and also some experienced players," he said. "It's going to be a tough game again, but at this stage of the season, this stage in the playoffs there are no easy teams."
Defender Todd Dunivant said the Dynamo pride themselves on their aggressive style of play. Sometimes, he said, they can be a bit overly aggressive, but that approach has worked to their benefit.
"Their physicality is their number one thing," he said. "They get after the ball, they pressure you, they fight, they foul. They're a chippy team ... that's their number one attribute. They're on you the entire game, they're relentless.
"We faced that twice this year with them and did a good job of keeping them at bay. But the playoffs are a different feel and we have to step it up even more."
Dunivant also praised for the Dynamo for their consistency. Houston, which tied the Galaxy for most points in the West (48) this season, second only to the Columbus Crew's 49, has been considered one of MLS' true powers for several years. The Dynamo tied for the league's best defensive record in 2009 after allowing less than a goal a game during the regular season.
"Houston is probably the most playoff-tested, veteran team in this league," he said. "We have a lot of veteran guys who have been around the block, but Houston has been a team that's been together for five, six years now. That's a big advantage for them.
"They've been in every situation, every playoff situation and they have difference-makers. You saw that with (Brian) Ching against Seattle. He came in late and made a difference and scored a big goal.
"They force you raise your game. So far this year we've had a couple of good results against them, but the playoffs are a whole different story. We have to bring it."
Larry Morgan is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
