Champions League
When the Major League Soccer schedule was released in January, fans took to analyzing the Dynamo's matchups, both home and away. But it was the Dynamo's bye weekend that might prove to be the most valuable for the club.
Following Tuesday's 1-0 win over Santos Laguna in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series, the Dynamo will have the weekend off before traveling to Mexico for the second leg.
Houston is not the only team in MLS with such an advantage. Both the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy, who are also competing in the CCL quartefinals, will have this coming weekend off from league play. It's another design by the executives at MLS to give their teams an advantage in the region's premier tournament.
On the flip side, schedule makers for LigaMX did not do Santos Laguna any favors. Santos played last Friday night against Jaguares de Chiapas before Tuesday's first leg at BBVA Compass Stadium. Los Guerreros will host Atlante on Friday, March 9 before hosting the Dynamo in the second leg on Wednesday, March 13.
Will the Dynamo's off weekend give them a leg up in game two? Is Santos a deep enough team to overcome four games in 13 days? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below.
In the latest Xs and Os with Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo head coach discusses the team's upcoming match vs. Santos Laguna and the possible inclusion of Andrew Driver in the lineup.
Following Tuesday night's training session, Santos Laguna manager Pedro Caixinha and forward Herculez Gomez discussed the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series with the Houston Dynamo.
Tickets are still available for tonight's match and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling (713) 276-GOAL.
On last week's episode of Dynamo Weekly, CSN Houston's Sebastian Salazar and Dynamo broadcaster Glenn Davis broke down Houston's upcoming series with Santos Laguna in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Now that the Dynamo have completed their first mission - a 2-0 defeat of D.C. United in their MLS opener - they can now turn their attention to their second mission.
On Tuesday, Houston will play its first of two CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matches against Mexican club Santos Laguna. The two teams will square off at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday, before concluding the series at Estadio Corona in Torreon on Wednesday, March 14.
BUY TICKETS FOR TUESDAY'S CCL MATCH
After a sluggish start to their LigaMX campaign, Santos has rebounded of late to the tune of back-to-back wins and a three-game unbeaten streak.
Los Guerreros followed up their win over second place Club America with a 3-1 win over Jaguares de Chiapas. U.S. men's national team striker Herculez Gomez scored two goals for Santos, while Mexican national team striker Oribe Peralta added a third. Peralta currently leads Santos with five goals on the season and is tied for third in LigaMX.
With the win, Santos improved to 4-3-2 and sits in sixth place in the league, only six points behind first place Tigres UANL. If the Dynamo advance past Santos in the two-game series, they will face the winner of the Tigres / Seattle Sounders quarterfinal series.
It's important to note that while the Dynamo have a bye from MLS play next weekend, Santos will host Atlante on Friday night.
Here is a list of their upcoming fixtures:
| Date / Time (CT) | Opponent | Location |
| Tuesday, March 5 - 7 pm | at Houston Dynamo | BBVA Compass Stadium |
| Friday, March 8 - 9:30 pm | vs. Atlante | Estadio Corona |
| Wednesday, March 13 - 7 pm | vs. Houston Dynamo | Estadio Corona |
As the Dynamo closed out their preseason campaign on Saturday, CCL foe Santos Laguna continued their trek through the 2013 LigaMX Clausura.
On Friday, Santos upset second-place Club America at Estadio Corona, defeating the Mexico City-based club 1-0 behind a first-half goal from Darwin Quintero. The goal was Quintero's second of the season and his second in as many games.
Friday's match was a chippy affair between the two Mexican clubs, as seven yellow cards were handed out. Former Mexican national team goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez made three saves for his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Current men's national team striker Herculez Gomez played 62 minutes for Los Guerreros, while current Mexican national team striker Oribe Peralta played the full 90 minutes and assisted on Quintero's goal.
Following the win, Santos now sits in sixth place in the LigaMX standings. Here is a list of their upcoming fixtures:
| Date / Time (CT) | Opponent | Location |
| Friday, March 1 - 7:30 pm | at Jaguares | Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna |
| Tuesday, March 5 - 7 pm | at Houston Dynamo | BBVA Compass Stadium |
| Friday, March 8 - 9:30 pm | vs. Atlanta | Estadio Corona |
| Wednesday, March 13 - 7 pm | vs. Houston Dynamo | Estadio Corona |
Although we are only three-and-a-half weeks away from opening day, we are also just four weeks away from the Dynamo's first CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Mexican club Santos Laguna (March 5, 7 pm, BBVA Compass Stadium).
Houston will host Santos in the first leg of their home-and-home series, with the winner advancing to the semifinals to face the winner of Seattle Sounders / Tigres UANL. That match will be broadcast nationally on FOX Soccer and can be heard locally on 1560 AM (English) and 850 AM (Spanish).
SECURE YOUR SEATS FOR THE MATCH VS. SANTOS AT BBVA COMPASS STADIUM
To get you in the mood for Champions League soccer, each week, we'll provide you an update on how Santos is performing in Liga MX.
Despite transfering Argentinian midfielder Daniel Ludueña and Ecuadoran midfielder Christian Suárez to Pachuca in the offseason, Los Guerreros have had a strong start to the 2013 Clausura campaign. Santos is currently 2-1-2 (8 points) through their first five games and sit in sixth place in Liga MX.
Mexican national team striker Oribe Peralta leads the club with four goals and former Mexican national team goakeeper Oswaldo Sanchez has three shutouts in the first five matches.
Last week, Santos played Pumas to a scoreless draw at Estadio Olimpico Universitaro in Mexico City. The match included a header off the post by U.S. men's national team forward Herculez Gomez and s penalty kick save by Sanchez.
This is the best 0-0 game I've seen in a while. Penalty saved, two goal line clearances, and several other good shots and saves. #LigaMX
— Ordinary Orange Fan (@OrangeFanBlog) February 3, 2013
Santos returns to action this weekend when they host Pumas on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT
HIGHLIGHTS: SANTOS VS. PUMAS