Houston had another strong season behind Brian Ching. (Getty Images)

Dominic Kinnear teams always compete, always and the 2009 edition of the Houston Dynamo looked very similar to the ones we've seen win league titles over the last few years. Even though the Dynamo lost their big star in the midfield in a trade to Toronto before the season started everyone knew this team would still compete.

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-According to the Dynamo, Ricardo Clark, whose contract expires next month, has no intention to re-sign with Major League Soccer as he pursues opportunities abroad.

-Brian Ching underwent surgery Tuesday to address a meniscus tear in his left knee. He suffered the injury in Game 1 of the series against Seattle Sounders FC but is expected to make a full recovery during the offseason.

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Houston has plenty of guys worth protecting here. (Getty Images)

Today we move another day closer to the 2009 expansion draft. Now we turn our focus to the Houston Dynamo.

The Dynamo are a tough team to figure out due to the number of quality players that are both young and old.

Protected Available Exempt Corey Ashe Wade Barrett Danny Cruz Bobby Boswell Mike Chabala Geoff Cameron Ryan Cochrane Brian Ching Tyler Deric Ricardo Clark Tally Hall Brad Davis John Michael Hayden Andrew Hainault Richard Mulrooney Stuart Holden Dominic Oduro Luis Angel Landin Pat Onstad Brian Mullan Abe Thompson Eddie Robinson Erik Ustruck Craig Waibel Cam Weaver

Either way they stand to lose a good player this year.

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The Sin: When I was a kid, I didn't know Spielberg's The Goonies was one of the weirdest movies ever. I mean, the bad guys literally keep their "special" kin chained in the basement where he has absolutely nothing to do. As he was a pretty idle guy, it was fitting they named him Sloth.

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With the Houston Dynamo knocked out of the MLS playoffs, Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden were called in for the friendly against Denmark on Wednesday. Neither are a surprise, having forced their way into the national team setup at this stage in their career. The other two call ups, Jose Francisco Torres and Edgar Castillo were a welcome sight -- though news also came out that Torres declined for personal reasons.

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MLS marketing mavens, your dream final is secure. Star power vs. star power as David Beckham and Kyle Beckerman will face each other next Sunday in Seattle. Ok, that concept is a bit of a stretch, as the best draw when comparing those two players is their unique hairstyle -- one consistent in his recent career, the other just bizarre.

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Kyle Beckerman and RSL are going to MLS Cup 2009. (Getty Images)

Looking back on this past weekend that was the conference finals I must say the result isn't as shocking as it initially was. The thought of a LA Galaxy-Real Salt Lake MLS Cup final was something no one would have called back in March, hell or even back at the beginning of this very month.

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Western Conference Final
LA 2-0 Houston

After two halves, two overtime periods, and two 18+ minute power outages the Western Conference final, which was appropriately played on Friday the 13th, came to an end with the number one seed in the west advancing to the final.

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Western Conference Final
LA 2-0 Houston

After two halves, two overtime periods, and two 18+ minute power outages the Western Conference final, which was appropriately played on Friday the 13th, came to an end with the number one seed in the west advancing to the final.

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And those words are: Western Conference Champions!

In another step in the worst-to-first journey that MLS Coach of the Year Bruce Arena has taken the team on, the Los Angeles Galaxy turned away a stiff challenge from the Houston Dynamo in 30 minutes of extra time with a 2-0 scoreline.

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Major League Soccer is now just one game away from the end of the season, and this weekend the two conference Finals were played to determine the two MLS Cup finalists. The two matches were devoid of goals over 90 minutes, and while the Western winners managed to conjure up a couple in extra time, a team from the West took it all the way to penalties in the Eastern final. Click to continue reading...

The Western Conference Finals was a long, hard slog between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. With an 8:30 starting time to accommodate ESPN2's college football schedule, two blackouts that interrupted play in each half, and a half hour of overtime, the Galaxy did not trudge off the pitch with their Western Conference trophy until almost midnight.

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The Galaxy weathered two power outages, a disallowed goal by Andrew Hainault, and a dominant Dynamo display in the second half to score two extra time goals.

Landon Donovan becomes the MLS all time leader in goals scored as he converted the penalty after Alan Gordon was brought down by Ricardo Clark in the box.

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The Galaxy has one hand on the MLS Cup

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Unless you staid up well past the bewitching hour, you didn't see the Galaxy's 2-0 win over Houston in the Western Conference final.

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Galaxy 0 Dynamo 0

Two 15 minute halves.

Few clear cut chances in the second half with both teams knowing one mistake could settle this one.

Dynamo sub Luis Angel Landin had the ball in the net in the 80th minute (actually it was Andrew Hainault), but the goal was disallowed for Landin's foul on A.

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The Major League Soccer season heads down the final turn this weekend, and with just three games remaining, the stakes are high. Friday night at the Home Depot Center, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Houston Dynamo with a trip to Seattle and a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line.

It's a tale of two clubs over the past four-five seasons: one has been a proven winner, and is in search of their third cup in the past four years.

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The Sin: For those of you who were wondering: yes, that is a miniature inflatable Skeletor. As regular readers know, I have christened Bob Bradley "Skeletor" due to the resemblance his bony visage shares with that of He-Man's nemesis. I don't mean the nickname as a slight, mind you, I just think both men share a sometimes wrathful look, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

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This match promises to be a dogfight. The season series between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo featured exactly one goal and a lot of physical defending. If that sounds a lot like what Chivas and the Galaxy went through for the bulk of their five games this season, its not coincidence.

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STARTERS
News Flash: "Chivas USA announced today that Head Coach Preki has left the club by mutual agreement."
Chicago's game against Salt Lake on Saturday is already SOLD OUT!!
dN
The funniest Twitter feed going these days @ConcacafJack. The Diamond Geezer is tearing shit up. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo were two of the best teams in MLS all season, and on Friday night they will play for the right to play in and be the favorite in the 2009 MLS Cup Final. The Western Conference Final (11pm, ESPN2) features some of the league's best talent, and is loaded with juicy individual match-ups both on the field and on the sideline.

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While newly-minted MLS coach of the year Bruce Arena has assembled an LA Galaxy team largely from scratch (outside of its two superstars of course) the squad they host in the Western Conference final tomorrow night counts on a core of players that has played together for years. "You kind of know when you need to step it up and raise your game," said Brian Ching said. Click to continue reading...

The Galaxy are one victory from reaching MLS Cup 2009 thanks to 2009 Coach of the Year Bruce Arena

The Los Angeles Galaxy began the 2009 season at best as a team in transition, at worst as a team in turmoil. Despite initial problems, the Galaxy now stands only one game from winning the Western Conference.

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- Photo by Nigel Brooks
On Sunday November 8th, a crowd of over 27,000 football fans watched the Houston Dynamo battle Seattle Sounders F.C. to a 1-0 victory, giving the Dynamo their first playoff victory since winning the MLS Cup in 2007. The goal came from Dynamo's Brian Ching in the 6th minute of extra-time. Click to continue reading...

The Conference Championships are now upon us, and I must say: "Could we have asked for anything more?" After all, these two games have more storylines than a Tarantino film (and they could end up being as violent). But, before I further tease this week's monumental matchups, I want to first take a look back at last week's amazing results.

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The Houston Dynamo announced their 2009 team awards Monday night at Dynamo Charities' Dynamo Awards 09, presented by Audi, held at the House of Blues.

Newcomer of the Year: Cam Weaver
Goal of the Year: Brad Davis, September 19 vs. Real Salt Lake
Dynamo Academy Player of the Year: Sebastien Ibeagha
Dynamo Academy Players' Player of the Year: Reagan Haisler
Game of the Year: May 30, Dynamo 3, Toronto FC 0
Defender of the Year: Geoff Cameron
Fan of the Year: Jason "Sarge" Milner
Save of the Year: Pat Onstad, April 19 vs.

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The season has got to end sometime. And for the Seattle Sounders, the script could have had a better ending on a dream season -- one that would have culminated hoisting the MLS Cup in front of the Sounders faithful at Qwest Field on November 22. Unfortunately for the Emerald City, it was not to be, as Brian Ching and the Houston Dynamo had other plans.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo have combined for four MLS Cup titles this decade, and one of them will move a step closer to trying to claim Team of the Decade honors when they meet in Friday's Western Conference Final (11pm, ESPN2).

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo have combined for four MLS Cup titles this decade, and one of them will move a step closer to trying to claim Team of the Decade honors when they meet in Friday's Western Conference Final (11pm, ESPN2).

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The United States has already qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa. They will be playing two friendly matches in Europe in the upcoming international break. The first will be at Slovakia on Saturday, November 14, 2009 and on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 against Denmark. Manager Bob Bradley has called up 22 players for the Slovakia match.

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It happened right in front of me, and by the lack of reaction on Keller's face it took me a sec to even realize what had happened!
If you check the highlights page on the Dynamo site, you get the Telefutura call ("QUE GOLAZO!!") and then the Dynamo radio call, with James Clarkson yelling so loud I think it knocked them off the air for a second or two. Click to continue reading...

Jeff Cunningham ... the recent MLS Golden Boot winner gets his first chance under U.S. manager Bob Bradley

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Sometimes in life, when you lose, you win.

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Pat Onstad deserves a medal. Keeping two own goals out. The second one was a sequence of goal line saves in the 42nd minute as Freddie Ljungberg's free kick was helped along by Ricardo Clark with Onstad backpedaling to parry it out before it crossed the goal line and then falling down to bat the ball away from Fredy Montero's opportunistic foot.

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I spent yesterday morning/early afternoon with my missus & our offspring taking in the rare 70+ degree November day at Coney Island; we hit the aquarium, at funnel cake, listened to a random psycho-surf blues band, decided to learn Russian (Coney Island is Mini-Moscow) and watched crazy people swim in what is essentially the ass-end of New York harbour. Click to continue reading...

MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham, veteran goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann and Fulham striker Eddie Johnson are three of the 22 players called up by Bob Bradley for Saturday's friendly against Slovakia.

Bradley called in a mostly full-strength squad of available players, with Tim Howard and Landon Donovan among those not called in for this match.

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MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham, veteran goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann and Fulham striker Eddie Johnson are three of the 22 players called up by Bob Bradley for Saturday's friendly against Slovakia (10am, Fox Soccer Channel).

Bradley called in a mostly full-strength squad of available players, with Tim Howard and Landon Donovan among those not called in for this match.

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