Houston rules MLS again
WASHINGTON - Long after the final whistle, chants of “Thank you, Dynamo!” thundered from hundreds of fans with orange shirts and orange hair as they made the stands bounce at RFK Stadium.
The fans were thankful because the Houston Dynamo beat the New England Revolution 2-1 Sunday in the MLS Cup, a rematch of last year’s Major League Soccer final.
The Dynamo is the first team to earn back-to-back titles since D.C. United won the league’s first two championships in 1996 and 1997.
On the field in the middle of the celebration, Houston defender Eddie Robinson clutched the MLS Cup trophy and soaked in the fact he has earned four championship rings.
“This is ridiculous, man,” said Robinson, who also was part of championships won by the franchise in 2001 and 2003 when the team played as the San Jose Earthquakes. “I don’t know what to say. To be so fortunate is unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, downtrodden New England players already were in the locker room dealing with the burden of knowing the Revolution is 0-4 in MLS Cup finals. The team also lost title matches in 2002 and 2005.
“How cruel can it be?” New England midfielder Steve Ralston said. “We’re all devastated right now.”
Teammate Taylor Twellman, who scored in the 20th minute, said, “I’ve absolutely lost every final, every which way you can.”
Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario assisted on Joseph Ngwenya’s goal in the 61st minute and scored the winner on a powerful 12-yard header off Brad Davis’ cross in the 74th minute. De Rosario was voted the match’s most valuable player and is the first two-time MVP; he also won in 2001.
A crowd of 39,859 watched.
Houston’s Brian Ching, a former Gonzaga and Seattle Sounders standout who was the MVP in last year’s MLS Cup, missed this match because of a strained left calf. He was injured in the West final.