HOUSTON, TEXAS (Saturday, November 7, 2009) -- The Houston Dynamo and Seattle Sounders meet in a winner-take-all second leg of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Robertson Stadium. The teams are tied 0-0 after the first leg of the home-and-home, total-goals series.Tickets will be available at the Robertson Stadium gates on Sunday, with the stadium box office opening at 11:00 a.m. near Gate 8, located on the Cullen Blvd. side of the stadium.
Fans are advised that Interstate 10 East is closed shortly before its intersection with Interstate 45, so alternate routes to the stadium are recommended.
The winner of the series will advance to the Western Conference championship game against the winner of Sunday night's Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy game. If the Galaxy win, they will host the conference final on Friday night at 10 p.m. CT. If Chivas USA wins, the Seattle-Houston winner will host, Seattle on Thursday and Houston on Sunday (3:30 p.m. CT).
The Dynamo and Sounders played to a 0-0 tie in the first leg of the semifinal series on October 29 at Qwest Field in Seattle. The teams have met four times this season, with Seattle holding a 2-0-2 advantage thanks to a controversial goal (July 11, MLS regular season) and an overtime win (July 21, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal). The teams' only meeting in Houston ended in a 1-1 tie (August 23, MLS regular season).
The Dynamo are 2-0-3 in their last five games against MLS opposition and have the best home record in Major League Soccer over the last four years. Houston is trying to return to the MLS Cup final after winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 but suffering an upset loss in the 2008 playoffs. The Dynamo finished tied for first place in the Western Conference during the regular season, one point behind Supporters' Shield winner Columbus.
Seattle is in its first year at the major-league level and finished third in the Western Conference during the regular season. The Sounders are led by Swedish international midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and former United States international goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
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