Its cancellation Wednesday night has set up an impressive doubleheader Thursday evening for Fox Soccer Channel, as the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal between MLS champ Houston Dynamo and Mexican powerhouse Pachuca will be followed immediately by the other semi between D.C. United and Chivas de Guadalajara.
The Houston Chronicle says tonight’s match-up is easily the biggest-ever international battle for the Dynamo, which plays tonight without last year’s team MVP Dwayne De Rosario, out with a hamstring pull. The Dynamo made difficult work of far more modest opposition in the quarterfinals against Costa Rican club Puntarenas, and Coach Dominic Kinnear understands it will take an organized team performance to see the MLS champ take the first leg in Houston.
Even so, the former U.S. international says that to Houston’s advantage, “the pressure is on them to come out at us… They’re expected to probably win this series, so it’s up to us to take advantage of this and play within ourselves.” Pachuca is one of Mexico’s two First Division champions in 2006 as well as the winner of last year’s Copa Sudamericana. Unlike Puntarenas, this is “a handsomely financed Mexico side,” the Chronicle says.