The Dynamo fox mascot has a fake beard on, playoff beard.

Sounders FC gathers n a circle, Ljungberg with hugs and taps on the chest for his mates, and they take the field.

No sellout today. Plenty of empty seats up high and in upper end zone.

2:06 kickoff. 70 degrees.

3rd -- Ching with a bicycle kick off a good cross and Riley has to clear it out with Keller out of the net.

Sigi Schmid looks like he is going to a barbecue after the match. Dressed casually. It's muggy out.

7th -- Leo blocks Mullan's shot after good cross from Oduro.

12th -- Boswell inexplicably kicks ball over end line for a corner, and Tyrone Marshall's header is too high but Seattle's best chance thus far.

15 -- Ball gets through and somehow no Dynamo player gets a good foot on it, close one.

16 -- Clark with a ball in to Oduro and his shot is saved by Keller, right on point. Dynamo
knocking at the door.

23 -- As a balloon flew in front of Keller, Oduro fired off a blast that hit the post. Third good scoring chance for Oduro alone.

24 -- Marshall with aggressive tackle on Oduro and he had to, or Oduro was going to be on his own. Yellow for Marshall.

27- Montero beats his man and has a great chance but somehow shoots it wide. That has happened too many times this season. At the other end, Keller has to make a save as Seattle doesn't get back fast enough.

30 -- Holden up to Oduro, who beats Marshall down the side and Hurtado has a bad angle, shot to the far post has Keller beat, but it's wide.

31 -- Ching with a good chance and shoots it wide. This has not been a good first half for Seattle at all.

33 -- Just a bad call there as Gonzalez get called for a push on Ching, and now a free kick for Dynamo at top of the arc.
Into the wall and blocked.

36 -- Zakuani crosses and Cameron almost heads it in for an own goal. Sounders' second-best scoring chance of the game so far, that's how it's gone.

42 -- Ljungberg took an elbow and then Cameron tackles Ljungberg hard. It's a foul on Houston. Freddie hears it from the crowd as Sigi protests.

43 -- The free kick is headed by Clark back to Onstad who has to jump for a save as the ball was going in. Montero with the follow but its saved again.

Yellow to Chabala, he will miss next match if Houston advances.

HALF 0-0.

Back to action, Ljungberg fouled and Houston complains.

Sounders FC in blue kits. Dynamo walked out to a fog machine

A good 100 strong Sounders FC supporters in the corner of the upper deck on the sideline.
They were pretty excited, a couple even said hi. Nice to meet you! Dynamo player Richard Mulrooney was just introduced and walked onto the field with two Scottish bagpipers.

A shot at two Sounders FC players and a supporters group with this sign.

SEATTLE

GK: 18-Kasey Keller

RD: 7-James Riley

CD:14-Tyrone Marshall

CD: 34-Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

LD: 19-Leo Gonzalez

RMF: 21-Nate Jaqua

CMF: 6-Osvaldo Alonso

CMF: 3-Brad Evans

LMF: 11-Steve Zakuani

FW: 10-Freddie Ljungberg

FW: 17-Fredy Montero

SUBS:

DF: 4-Patrick Ianni

DF: 5-Tyson Wahl

MF: 8-Peter Vagenas

MF: 9-Sebastien Le Toux

MF: 23-Sanna Nyassi

MF: 24-Roger Levesque

GK: 28-Terry Boss

HOUSTON

GK: 18-Pat Onstad

RD: 17-Mike Chabala

CD: 32-Bobby Boswell

CD: 20-Geoff Cameron

LD: 31-Andrew Hainault

RMF: 9-Brian Mullan

CMF: 13-Ricardo Clark

CMF: 22-Stuart Holden

LMF: 11-Brad Davis

FW: 23-Dominic Oduro

FW: 25-Brian Ching

The field doesn't look too nice and the Univ. of Houston football lines and logo are still quite visible, and from up above where I am the soccer lines aren't super clear. But it's not so bad, to me anyway. The grass is brown and faded in spots. See what FL said about it yesterday in his blog.

I got here after a nice breakfast with my friends the Carters and there was a nice tailgate crowd. It's gloomy/cloudy but muggy and probably around 72 degrees, looks like it could rain.

Here's some photos from before the game.

The game will be on in less than 12 hours and while I still have some energy, wanted to share with you the game advance for today. It's about how officiating could play big part in the match.

So we have Chicago vs. Real Salt Lake on the East side of the bracket, and today we will know the West half.

Dynamo chief operating officer Chris Canetti had a little message for Seattle soccer fans. Shows how formidable the support for Sounders FC is and the fact that it is to be respected when an exec from another team -- see Kevin Payne from DC United -- singles out Seattle. Nothing big, but to say that "We think that we've set the bar for what it means to have a home playoff environment in Major League Soccer," might be going a bit too far. The bar is set at 35,700-plus, all but maybe a dozen who were there for the Rave Green. The bar is set at the best attendance in the league and a conference semifinal record. Houston does deserve credit for getting good crowds for previous playoff games.

But we'll see. Maybe that atmosphere will be right there with Seattle's. And maybe the game will sell out.

Speaking of atmosphere...one of the best parts about an Ozomatli show is the end, when they go out into the crowd. Enjoy my favorite band.

Tickets will be available at the Robertson Stadium gates on Sunday, with the stadium box office opening at 11:00 a.m. near Gate 8, located on the Cullen Blvd. side of the stadium.

Fans are advised that Interstate 10 East is closed shortly before its intersection with Interstate 45, so alternate routes to the stadium are recommended.

The winner of the series will advance to the Western Conference championship game against the winner of Sunday night's Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy game. If the Galaxy win, they will host the conference final on Friday night at 10 p.m. CT. If Chivas USA wins, the Seattle-Houston winner will host, Seattle on Thursday and Houston on Sunday (3:30 p.m. CT).

Regarding Reda Doulyazal, he indeed did have a trial here, I actually blogged it way back when. Seemed like one of those "feeling out" trials, but perhaps Sounders FC really liked him and no doubt the club kept him on file.

I didn't get to see much of him while he was in Seattle, to be honest, but he looked like he had potential and could hang with the other guys.

"My trip to Houston."

It's about to begin, after a little hassle with Southwest Airlines. The plan is to write an extra story from the game on Sunday so there will be the game report and another story.

Could have sworn I heard someone at the Ozomatli show last night at the Showbox chanting "Ole...ole, ole, ole....Sounders, Sounders." The band played that riff at the end of the performance.

Anyway if you haven't seen today's article, here it is. I'm glad to have had firsthand knowledge of how fans travel because I have been able to go to a lot of road games.