The Houston Dynamo will continue their run in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs on Monday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium against the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference Semifinals, presented by McDonald’s. The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. CDT.
Tickets for Monday’s match are on sale now at HoustonDynamo.com/Playoffs, with prices starting at $28. Fans can also call 713-276-GOAL to purchase tickets from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or purchase tickets at the BBVA Compass Stadium box office (Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m.).
This will be the first meeting between Houston and Portland in the postseason. The Dynamo and the Timbers have met 12 times in regular-season action, and the series is level at 4-4-4. The teams met twice this season, with Portland taking a 4-2 victory in the third week of the season and the teams battling to a 2-2 draw in Houston on July 29.
The Dynamo closed the regular season with a record of 13-10-11 and 50 points, good for fourth in the Western Conference table. That record puts the Dynamo back in the postseason for the eighth time in 12 seasons and first since 2013.
The Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, becoming the second team in league history to repeat as champions. Their 29 games played in the postseason are the most by any club since 2006 and their four MLS Cup Final appearances are tied for the most in the league over that time span. The club’s 62.1 winning percentage in postseason play is the fourth-highest in league history among teams with at least 10 playoff games played.
The Dynamo have been one of the league’s toughest teams at home this season, with a record of 13-1-4 at BBVA Compass Stadium, including the playoffs. The 13 home wins this year (including postseason) matched the total posted in 2012, the club’s first year in the new stadium. Houston has been particularly prolific in front of goal at home this season, scoring 44 goals while only conceding 17, giving them the best home goal differential in the Western Conference this year.
Thursday night, the Dynamo defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0 thanks to Alberth Elis’ goal in the fourth minute of added extra time, coolly finishing from the top of the six-yard box. The goal was created by the work of forward Vicente Sánchez, who beat a Kansas City defender on the right flank, raced to the byline and pulled the ball back to an unmarked Elis.
