Canetti's Corner - October 1

Our current slogan is, “EVERY GAME COUNTS!” That could not have been more apparent if you were at BBVA Compass Stadium for Saturday’s 2-0 win over New England.

If you’re like me, your heart was in your throat until Warren Creavalle found Boniek Garcia in stoppage time, effectively sealing the three points. It was a must win, and the team came through on a rain-drenched night.

This is what playoff soccer feels like. There will be three more heart-pounding games to come. Actually, make that four, because the Champions League match vs. Olimpia will be much of the same.

Here is a quick look at the MLS Eastern Conference Standings

As you can see, we are only one point ahead of Columbus for the last spot, but just four points behind New York and Chicago for the second spot. If the season were over today, then we would go on the road to play D.C. United in a one-game wild-card match. The winner moves on and the loser goes home. There is huge value to finishing second or third because you avoid the wild-card game. There is big value to finishing fourth because you host the wild-card match. We want to clinch a playoff berth and rise up the standings for a better seeding.

Every game counts!

Aside from MLS play, we have the chance to advance in the CONCACAF Champions League when we play Olimpia on Oct. 23. If we win or draw, then we advance to the quarterfinals. If we lose, Olimpia will go through on the head-to-head tie-breaker.

I want to thank the fans who came out on Saturday to witness the 2-0 win over New England in terrible weather conditions. It rained as hard as it could for parts of the match. I am happy that we could reward you with a victory.

Unfortunately, our work is not done and we need to re-create that home-field advantage this weekend when Montreal comes to town. If you are already planning to come and have your tickets, please consider bringing some friends. We have some great seats available and we want to make sure we fill the house once again and give the boys the support they deserve.

Here are a few quick things to note:

• The New England game was our 8th sellout of the year.
• Average attendance is 20,650 for all 17 Dynamo games at BBVA Compass Stadium this year.
• Dominic Kinnear passed Steve Nicol to move into a fourth-place tie with Frank Yallop on the MLS all-time win list.
• Tally Hall recorded his 12th shutout of the year, passing Pat Onstad for a new single season record.
• Brad Davis got his 92nd career assist, passing Cobi Jones for 7th on the MLS all-time list.
• Brian Ching got his 20th career assist as a member of the Dynamo, passing Brian Mullan for 2nd on the club’s all-time list.
• Warren Creavalle recorded his first career assist on Garcia's goal.
• We are unbeaten in 25 straight home games, dating back to June of 2011, including last year's playoff win over Philadelphia and this year's CCL win over FAS.
• With the win over New England, we surpassed last year’s win total of 12.

Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter @chriscanetti for more frequent updates and remember, EVERY GAME COUNTS!