HOUSTON -- Forgive the Houston Dynamo for letting up just a little bit last weekend in their win against the Los Angeles Galaxy that clinched the Western Conference regular-season title.
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead in front of a rocking crowd at Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo still played well enough to eliminate the Galaxy and earn the top seed in the West.
Now the team will play one of three teams from the Eastern Conference in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls or the Kansas City Wizards will have the first chance to unseat the two-time defending champions roughly 10 days from now.
With the team's match this weekend against Chivas USA rendered all but meaningless, the team turns its attention to Pumas UNAM in their first CONCACAF Champions League match since defeating San Francisco FC 2-1 on Oct. 7.
Brian Mullan has been with the team since it moved to Houston before the 2006 season and often credits the home faithful for helping the team win back-to-back titles and putting it in position to go for an unprecedented third.
His praise for the team's fans has not faded.
"It was really a great crowd (Saturday), and they really inspire us to play a lot better than we do," Mullan said. "We had a great first half and I really wish we would have had the energy to give them a better second half. But with all the games that we have played and with all of those that we have coming up, we have to take our foot off the pedal sometime."
Since Sept. 13, the Dynamo have played nine matches, six MLS matches and three Champions League contests. The team is remarkably undefeated during that time and has not lost a match of any kind since a 3-0 loss at New York on Aug. 24.
Richard Mulrooney said the great thing about wrapping up the West title Saturday is that the team can turn its full attention to Pumas on Wednesday, a team that it battled to a 4-4 draw in Mexico on Sept. 30.
"[Saturday]'s game is going to be really huge for us," said Mulrooney. "But having said that, we know the match against Pumas is going to be a battle. We played well, offensively at their place and battled to a 4-4 draw and we know they are not going to forget that. We know that there is probably going to be a pretty good crowd here."
In the first match Craig Waibel scored two goals, including the game-tying marker in the second half to give Houston a much-needed point. Kei Kamara also netted a pair of scores, but the team let 2-0 and 3-2 leads slip away in Mexico City.
Mullan, who assisted on Waibel's goal in the 50th minute, said the team will be ready to play a full 90-plus minutes this time.
"We won't be 7,500 feet up, so maybe we will be able to breathe," Mullan deadpanned, referring to the high altitude in the Mexican capital. "But it will be good. It was just we didn't figure out how to play defense quickly enough. We just ran out of energy toward the end there, so we will see about Wednesday."
Pumas, reportedly, will not be fielding a full squad Wednesday, but that does not mean the Orange can take them lightly, or let up at any time like they did Saturday against the Galaxy.
"Full team or not, they still teach the same thing down there and that is good soccer," Mulrooney said. "But having said that, I think we are going to be a little more organized knowing how they play. I think they play a 4-3-3 and if they do [Wednesday] night then we have seen it. But they have seen us as well. That first one was kind of a feeling out kind of match, and I doubt you will see another 4-4 result.
"Crazier things have happened."
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