Houston Dynamo motivated by earlier loss to Union

The Union's opening 1-0 Major League Soccer victory in Houston on March 19 against the Dynamo seems like a long time ago, back when the Phillies were still competing in Clearwater, Fla.

Saturday, the teams will meet for a rematch when Houston visits PPL Park in Chester at 8 p.m. The Union are 8-5-8 and in second place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points. Houston (6-7-9) is just five points behind the Union, but has played one more game.

"I feel last time we outplayed them, but they scored the goal," Houston midfielder Brad Davis said in a phone interview. "We had tons of opportunities to score."

The Union received a goal in the fifth minute from Danny Califf and rode it to the win, one that set the tone for a season in which they already have matched last year's win total.

It will be a short week for the Union, coming off Wednesday's 1-1 draw against the host Chicago Fire.

Davis said Houston has yet to play consistently, but he added that the positive aspect is that the Dynamo are still in a serious playoff race. In MLS, the top three teams in each conference and then the teams with the next four best records will qualify.

While the Dynamo haven't been consistent, Davis has been on top of his game. Davis, who this year earned his fourth MLS all-star berth, has three goals and a league-leading 10 assists. It is his third straight season with double figures in assists.

"My job is to create opportunities for our midfielders and forwards," Davis said.

The Dynamo are 0-4-6 on the road this season. Davis understands how difficult it is to win on the road, especially at PPL Park, where the Union are 5-1-4. Houston is coming off a 3-1 win over visiting Seattle on Saturday, and Davis hopes the Dynamo can carry that momentum into this weekend.

"That Seattle game was our best of the year, and the confidence was there, and we had the proper attitude," Davis said. "That is what we need to bring to set the bar for the rest of the year and how we need to play on Saturday against a very talented Union team."