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Dynamo-Crew Preview

Sep 12, 2009 - 10:51 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Houston (11-7-7) at Columbus (10-4-9), 5:00 p.m. EDT

The Columbus Crew won their first MLS Cup last year after the Houston Dynamo took the previous two. Both clubs are considered favorites to meet in November's final, but they haven't looked the part recently.

The Crew and Dynamo hope long layoffs can help them rebound from losing performances Sunday night when they conclude their season series.

Columbus (10-4-9) and Houston (11-7-7) are vying for their respective conference titles while trying to improve their chances at the Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Crew are coming off a 13-day layoff following a surprising 1-0 loss at league-worst New York on Aug. 30, halting their five-game MLS winning streak. That defeat came four days after a 5-0 loss to Mexico's Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League.

"We're going to throw those games in the trash can and move on," midfielder Eddie Gaven said. "We didn't play our best. We can play so much better. It's a long season. It's nice to be able to take a week where guys can rest their bodies. It's also just as important to rest their minds as well."

Columbus will play 11 games in the final six weeks of the season with four coming in the Champions League.

"It's going to be very hard, a really grueling time for us but we have a very deep team," Gaven said.

The Dynamo also haven't played since Aug. 30, when they lost 1-0 at Colorado to fall to 3-5-4 following an 8-0-2 stretch.

"We have slipped up and it's been disappointing," defender Andrew Hainault told the Dynamo's official Web site. "Especially (against the Rapids), it was a game where we really felt we should have gone there and gotten some points, but we didn't play well.

"If we can get our heads right and play our best, the ball is in our court and if we take care of what we need to do, we can still win the Supporters' Shield."

Houston is also participating in the Champions League and has 10 games in six weeks leading up to the playoffs. Despite the difficult schedule, coach Dominic Kinnear has made the team's priorities clear.

"First goal is to make the playoffs, second goal is to try to finish as high as we can," Kinnear said. "We control our own destiny because we play a lot of these teams face to face and that is the way you want it."

The Dynamo could use some improved production from forward Brian Ching, who hasn't scored in his last five games after netting all of his team-leading seven goals in his first 11.

A member of the U.S. national team, Ching has four goals in eight games against Columbus, scoring in a 1-all tie at Houston on March 21.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored for the Crew in that meeting, and he's expected to be back in the lineup Sunday. The reigning league and Cup final MVP has been hampered by a strained left hamstring which caused him to miss four games before being used as a late substitute in the last two.

The Argentine international leads Columbus with 10 goals after scoring seven with a league-high 19 assists last year.