Dynamo Lose Ching, Advance To MLS Final

The Dynamo Dynasty? Yeah, that sounds pretty good. The Orange are headed for their second consecutive MLS Cup appearance after shutting out the Kansas City Wizards at Robertson Stadium on Saturday night. However, the win did not come without a high cost.

Forward Brian Ching, who has been one of the cornerstones of the franchise since its arrival in Houston last year, went down with a calf strain in the 69th minute with the game already 1-0 in the Dynamo's favor. By the time Dwayne De Rosario scored an insurance goal in the 81st minute, Ching was already receiving attention by the Dynamo training staff. It was announced today that Ching was "unlikely" for the MLS Cup on the 18th, and while the team did not rule out the possibility of him playing, the Orange will have to prepare for the championship game as though their leading playoff scorer won't be a part of the game plan.

Still, it would take something like an injury of this magnitude to overshadow the Dynamo's accomplishments against KC this weekend. Facing a hot Wizards team fresh off of stuffing the heavily favored Chivas USA, the 'mo scored two goals against the typically stifling Kansas City defense to advance. Eddie Robinson kept Wizards' star Eddie Johnson from scoring at least two different times en route to the shutout in front of a standing-room-only crowd of more than 30,000 at Robertson.

The MLS Cup will be played at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC on the 18th, and will be televised nationally on ABC. Of course, it's on a Sunday afternoon and will be running against American football, so good luck finding a sports bar with more than one small, crappy TV showing the game. As usual, the official away game watching party will be at the Bull & Bear Tavern on Westheimer. Get there early, wear Orange, and rest confident in the knowledge that at least one Houston football team is good.