The Houston Dynamo went winless in their first six games last season before eventually recovering in time to make the playoffs. They hope to avoid another slow start in 2009.
The short-handed Dynamo look for their first win of the season Saturday when they visit the San Jose Earthquakes.
Last Saturday, Houston was unable to protect a one-goal lead in its season opener against defending MLS cup champion Columbus, coming away with a 1-1 draw. The Dynamo had gone ahead on forward Brian Ching’s goal in the 53rd minute, but the Crew tied it late in the second half.
“It was frustrating a little bit because I don’t think they had much,” coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We had them. We didn’t attack and put a body on somebody … It’s frustrating because you work hard enough to get the three (points) but a little lapse in concentration, some hesitance and you only come out with one.”
Kinnear and the Dynamo failed to defend their back-to-back MLS Cups last season, losing in the first round to New York.
Houston, which opened the 2008 season 0-2-4, goes into this match without Ching, the team’s leading scorer last season who will be away for international play. The Dynamo will also be missing forward Kei Kamara, who will conclude his two-game suspension for a preseason altercation with an officiating crew, and veteran defender Eddie Robinson, who continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.
“Some teams have already got three points, and from here we’re playing catch-up. When you go in undermanned a little bit because of silly reasons, you hurt the team more than you think, and we had a player out tonight who shouldn’t have been out tonight,” Kinnear said. “That hurts our quality on the field and that hurts the depth on our bench.”
Like the Dynamo, the Earthquakes are also trying for their first win of the season. They lost 1-0 to New England last Saturday at home.
San Jose scored a league-low 32 goals in its expansion season in 2008, but it did show plenty of energy in the season opener, outshooting the Revolution 16-7.
“It’s a different team now, it’s our first game, and for us, it’s just a matter of making those imperfect things perfect,” defender Nick Garcia told the Earthquakes’ official Web site. “It’s not going to be perfect out of the gate, and for us, I thought it was a decent showing.”
Bobby Convey, who the Earthquakes acquired in hopes of helping the offense, may have been slowed by a quadriceps strain as he attempted just one shot against New England.
San Jose is trying to take advantage of a favorable start to its schedule. It plays three of its next four at home.
“We’ve just got to keep persisting and stay consistent and things are going to happen,” Garcia said.
In last season’s series, each of these teams won once at home and they also played to a 1-1 draw in San Jose.