Things are far from accomplished for the Houston Dynamo.
With Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union, the Dynamo clinched a playoff spot for the sixth time in seven years. While the Dynamo feel good about taking care of business, players know that the job is far from complete.
“We didn’t accomplish anything beside the halfway point, which is the way we’re looking at it,” goalkeeper Tally Hall said. “It is one of our goals but it’s not just about getting in the playoffs but it’s about making that run to the Cup.
“At the beginning of the year we would’ve pictured ourselves at a higher spot but when you’re in anything can happen,” Hall continued.
Frequent visitors to this stage of the season, the Dynamo know what it takes to achieve their ultimate goal, winning a third MLS Cup. To do that, they will have to go into the playoffs ready to engage in several battles, which will include some road tests along the way.
With a tough playoffs on the horizon, the Dynamo at least get a brief spell to enjoy the accomplishment of getting to the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.
“One of our short-term goals is to make the playoffs and now we can say we’ve got that off our back,” said midfielder Ricardo Clark after the win. “It just takes us one step closer and hopefully there are many more to come.”
Houston has clinched both a spot in the playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals this week. While the Dynamo are looking forward, the hope is to carry the momentum from last week's success against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
“It’s a lot of momentum built in with clinching playoffs and clinching quarterfinals in just a couple of days," goalkeeper Tyler Deric said. "It's a great feeling and all the guys are flying high right now. Our next focus is on Colorado this weekend and hopefully we can get a result there and keep the momentum going.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @DarrellLovell.
