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Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo Seek Berth in CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals in Tonight's Deciding Match agains

March 13, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON, TX (Wednesday, March 13, 2013) - The Houston Dynamo will attempt to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal stage for the third time in team history tonight, taking a 1-0 lead into their quarterfinal second leg against Santos Laguna. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT from Estadio Corona in TorreÃ"n, Mexico. The match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer and can be heard on La Ranchera 850 AM (Spanish).

The Dynamo hold the 1-0 aggregate lead after securing a 1-0 home win over Santos Laguna last Tuesday in Houston, as Brad Davis scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. The club with more total goals from the two games will advance to the semifinals to face the Seattle Sounders in a two-game series beginning April 2-4. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League will qualify for the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, to be held in December in Morocco.

The Dynamo last reached the tournament's semifinal stage in 2008, when they fell to Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica by a 3-0 aggregate score. Houston also reached the semifinals in 2007 and fell to Pachuca of Mexico, 5-4, in a memorable two-leg series.

Santos Laguna is currently in fourth place in the Mexican League (5-2-3, 18 points), six points behind first-place Tigres. Los Guerreros are led by Mexican international Oribe Peralta, who has scored six goals in eight games this season. United States international Hercules Gomez has four goals in ten games this campaign, including three goals in his last two league games. Colombian forward Carlos Quintero has two goals and an assist in his last five games.

The Champions League is an annual 24-team tournament featuring the best club teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean. The winner of the Champions League earns a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup, a competition between the club champions of all six continental federations. Previous FIFA Club World Cup winners include: Barcelona (2011, 2009), Inter Milan (2010), Manchester United (2008) and A.C. Milan (2007).

Following tonight's game in Mexico, the Dynamo resume MLS play on Sunday when they meet FC Dallas in this season's only edition of the Texas Derby. The rivals kick off at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday from FC Dallas Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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