Tonight’s game is a clash of the titans.  As I said on KUOW this morning, I think Houston is second strongest team in the league only to Columbus.

Two MLS Cups, three US Nat starters (Ching, Holden, Clarke), and a bucketful of silly stats, like “seven active players who have started at least 10 play-off games”
But success comes with a price: With a CONCACAF Champions League last week, this will be their third game in eight days. And they’re playing in cold, rainy Seattle at an expanded Qwest Field now holding 36,000 fans.
Early in the season, I wrote that “Our goal is to learn from our mistakes now and continue to improve for the games that matter.”

Done.
Mid-season we were plagued with red cards and ejections; but aside from Jaqua’s inconsequential suspension earlier this month (when he needed the time off), we haven’t had one since August.

A weak left D, massive defensive breakdowns and own goals haunted us the first half of the season. Leo Gonzalez has sewn that wound up.

A 15-week at-home scoreless span (and the consequential non-wins) was broken on Saturday.

And the same game, barely a month after I roasted him for his lack of presence, marked the return of Brad Evans: A recalled offsides goal in the first half, a winning goal in the second, and all over the place in between.

All the buzz agrees: This ain’t your father’s inaugural-season team.

This ain’t one game, but one of two intense halves.  I suspect it’ll be “calmer” tonight, paving the way to a bloody round two in Houston next week.