Dynamo proud of Robertson playoff atmosphere
Players confident that Houston fans will create hostile environment for Seattle
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"It was pretty intimidating," said defender Andrew Hainault of the Qwest Field throng of 35,807 that turned out for last Thursday's Western Conference Semifinal Series first leg. "It was pretty special there with the fans and the atmosphere. You had to stay focused because it's hard not to get caught up in the moment.
"I hear stories from the guys that have been here past years and they have said our crowd's as loud as anybody else," Hainault continued. "I am looking forward to hearing that."
The Dynamo were able to withstand the charge from the expansion Sounders FC and come away with a scoreless draw in the first leg, leaving everything to play for in Sunday afternoon's contest at Robertson Stadium.
"I've said from the beginning that it is two of the best atmospheres in the league," said Stuart Holden. "They had a great atmosphere and it was loud and hostile for the opposing team and they really rallied behind their team, but they might be surprised when they see the playoff atmosphere in Houston. In the last three years, we had great turnouts and hopefully we will see the same on Sunday and they will rally behind us and we can advance to the next round."
Sounders FC will face one of the most statistically evident home-field advantages in Sunday's second leg. In 30 MLS regular season games over the last two years, Houston has 18 wins and only two losses. Only Real Salt Lake can boast of a similar record at home during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Dynamo have also racked up four wins and only one loss in five games at Robertson Stadium.
"If you look at our record over the years at home, we've done well traditionally," said forward Brian Ching. "Maybe it's sleeping in your own bed or having our fans push us the entire game. But we're looking forward to an extremely tough game again."
Of course, the lone playoff loss is probably most fresh in the fans' minds as well as the players. Last year, Houston returned home in a very similar situation after a 1-1 draw on the road and were shellacked by a New York Red Bulls team that went on to the MLS Cup Final.
"We can't take it for granted we are coming back with a tie," said Holden. "If you look at last year, New York came in here last year and beat us 3-0."
For Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear, the crowd in Seattle was one of the best he had seen in an MLS playoff game.
"I think with the game we had here against Kansas City that it is hard to beat what we had there," said Kinnear. "[The game against Seattle] was right up there. You have to give them credit for the atmosphere they provided, it was fantastic."
Said Ching: "I think the crowd was great and it's been great all year for those guys, but we're excited to come home and play for our fans. Every time [our fans] come out for the playoffs, it's a different level of intensity and they are just as loud [as anyone else]."
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
