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Jaqua helps Dynamo reach Finals

Nov 11, 2007 - 5:34 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Houston Dynamo are one step away from another MLS title.

Nate Jaqua scored in the 35th minute and midfielder Dwayne de Rosario added a second-half goal as the defending champion Dynamo went on to a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday in the Western Conference championship game.

The Dynamo will meet the New England Revolution next Sunday at RFK Stadium in Washington in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup Final, won by Houston in a shootout.

"I'm not going to sleep tonight," Houston head coach Dominic Kinner said. "I'm just going to sit down, smile and applaud these guys. When we came out here today, I just felt it was going to happen."

New England, making its third straight finals appearance, advanced to the championship Thursday night with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in Foxboro, Mass.

De Rosario and Dynamo forward Brian Ching helped keep constant pressure on the Wizards for most of the game, while the Houston defense helped create those opportunities.

"Our guys played pressure defense the whole night," de Rosario said. "(Kansas City) has great forwards, and we knew we had to limit their chances. We kept a tight unit all night. Nate had a great header, and that allowed us to turn the pressure up a little more."

Jaqua gave Houston a 1-0 lead when he headed Richard Mulrooney's corner kick past Kansas City goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. It was all the offense the Dynamo would need.

"I think we did a great job of holding the ball up top and having Dwayne come in and get those second-balls and so did Brian (Ching)," Jaqua said. "From there, we swung the ball wide to (Brian) Mullan and Brad (Davis), who did a great job whipping the ball in."

Pat Onstad's shutout could not have come much easier as Houston did not allow a shot on goal all night. de Rosario sealed the win, scoring his goal in the 81st minute on an assist from Craig Waibel.

"Our guys on defense did a great job on (Davy) Arnaud," de Rosario said. "You know Eddie Johnson's going to get a couple of chances, but we limited him about as well as you can.

"I'm totally offensive-minded, and I was lucky to find it there late. Now, we've got one more step to take, and then we can celebrate."

The Dynamo dominated the first half with nine shots to just one for the Wizards. They also had four shots on goal, while not allowing any.

"It was a very physical game out there," Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad said. "This was a good learning lesson for us. Houston's a physical team, and they did what they needed to do to to win."

The Dynamo will be seeking their second MLS title in as many seasons in MLS after moving to Houston from San Jose.

"Coming into the playoffs, I felt we were very dangerous and could make life difficult for the other team," Kinner said. "I'm happy Nate got a goal because he's worked hard, as have all these guys. And to have two 30,000-plus crowds...it's nice for these guys to get that reward."

Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo knew his team was facing a difficult task after falling behind 1-0.

"When we were losing 1-0, we took out a defender and put in another forward," Onalfo said. "Your counting on offense then. In our case, we got opened up and they scored their second goal.

"I don't think we played as well in the first half, but I thought the change of pace in the second half helped us to keep more possession of the ball and I thought we were a little bit better in the second half."