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Houston searching for consistency ahead of Seattle match

Jul 29, 2011 - 6:16 PM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - A pair of teams headed in opposite directions get set to square off at Robertson Stadium on Saturday as the Houston Dynamo hosts Seattle Sounders FC.

Seattle brings a nine-game unbeaten streak in league play into the match, while Houston has won only one of its last six games and continues to struggle with consistency.

The Sounders last played a game in the league two weeks ago, which ended in a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rapids, and it was the second successive match in the which the team's attack was hitting on all cylinders.

Over the past two games Seattle has tallied seven goals, with Fredy Montero finding the net three times, while four other players have each scored once.

After scoring just one goal in its first three games to open the season, Seattle's attack has started to click, and head coach Sigi Schmid believes the key is balance.

"You can't concentrate on one player," Schmid said of trying to defend his team. "If you focus on one guy hopefully another guy is going to come along and hurt you. That's what's important about our team. We got four goals from the run of play, which was also good. We've got some goals from set pieces so if we can get goals from set pieces and the run of play and goals from different players that makes us a more difficult team."

Houston is not interested in facing any difficult teams right now, they simply want three points.

The Dynamo is coming off of a 3-0 defeat at Chivas USA last weekend, a result that only further illustrates the team's inability to put together good performances.

"It's very [frustrating]," midfielder Brad Davis told MLSsoccer.com when asked about Houston's inconsistency. "It's hard to put the feelings into words right now. We're upset because we train well and do well together, and then in games, we get out there and it all falls apart."

The loss dropped Houston's away mark to 0-4-6 on the season, but fortunately for Dominic Kinnear's team, Saturday's match is at home, where the Dynamo is a much more respectable 5-3-3.

Houston is still only seven points back of the top spot in the Eastern Conference despite its spotty play this season, but Davis knows that if something doesn't change soon, his team will be watching the postseason from home.

"It's been a bit of a tough go this year," Davis said. "It's up to us to dig ourselves out of the hole we've put ourselves in. We need to come out and show fight and show pride and turn it around real quick if we want to do anything."