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Revolution-Dynamo Preview

Oct 9, 2010 - 5:51 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Writer

New England (7-15-5) at Houston (7-14-6), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo have twice faced each other for the MLS Cup over the past four seasons, but there won't be another rematch in late November.

Two teams eliminated from playoff contention square off Sunday night at Robertson Stadium, where the Dynamo try to extend their unbeaten streak to three in a matchup of the league's worst defensive sides.

Houston (7-14-6) made the playoffs in the franchise's first four seasons, knocking off New England (7-15-5) for championships in its first two.

The Revolution have been a postseason fixture for even longer, qualifying for eight consecutive seasons and playing for the MLS Cup four times.

The 2010 playoffs won't feature either club, though, primarily thanks to shaky defense. New England has allowed a league-high 47 goals, with Houston (46) right behind.

Since a 4-3 loss at Kansas City on Sept. 22, however, the Dynamo have played better defensively - and that's led to some better results. They trailed early at D.C. on Sept. 25 but rallied for a 3-1 win, then played to a 1-all draw Oct. 2 at Philadelphia, earning points in consecutive games for the first time since early July.

Still, for a team that's used to jostling for postseason position at this time, coach Dominic Kinnear said his squad was dwelling on its missed opportunities.

"I think they are a little frustrated in the locker room right now," Kinnear said after his team outshot the Union 15-6. "I think at the end of the game, we had a couple chances that we let slip away."

Even with nothing of subsequence to play for, Houston will still be eager to pick up three points Sunday. Besides being 3-0-1 at Robertson Stadium, New England won the teams' Aug. 14 meeting in Foxborough 1-0 on Ilija Stolica's goal.

"That's some extra incentive, certainly," defender Andrew Hainault told the Dynamo's official website. "We are playing for pride and our fans."

They'll be without Brian Ching, whose apparent season-ending knee injury will leave Cam Weaver as the team's target striker. That's good news for the Revs, whose 2-1 home loss to Real Salt Lake on Oct. 2 extended their winless streak to five games.

Ching's injury is a break for a New England team that will be without defender Kevin Alston and midfielders Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi, both of whom are on national team duty with Gambia.

Defender Cory Gibbs isn't concerned about those absences - or the fact that the playoffs are out of reach.

"We just have to work with what we have and just keep going from here on out, and just look forward to playing well these last couple games," Gibbs said. "It's important for us, for our morale and just building for the offseason."