including a ten-match unbeaten streak that lasted from May to late July, and only trailed in-state rivals FC Dallas in the Western Conference standings. Prior to the unbeaten run, Houston were without starting forward Brian Ching, who was called up to the U.S. national team at the World Cup and missed six league matches. He later missed five more matches due to knee surgery in August, leaving the team without their top goalscorer as it lost against several Western Conference rivals. To mitigate the loss of Ching, the Dynamo signed Scottish striker Paul Dalglish and relied more heavily on attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who recorded ten goals and five assists by late September. After a four-match winless streak in September, which still left the Dynamo in second place, Houston went unbeaten in their remaining six league matches (with two wins) to secure a playoff berth, with 46 points. The team also made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Galaxy. De Rosario and defensive midfielder Ricardo Clark were named to the MLS Best XI for their regular season performances. Houston played against third-seeded Chivas USA, themselves a first-time playoff team, in the Western Conference Semifinals and lost 2–1 in the first leg at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. After conceding twice before halftime, Brian Ching scored for the Dynamo and Dwayne De Rosario took a penalty kick in the 86th minute that was saved by Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan, denying an equalizing goal. In the second leg at home, Houston took advantage of a red card shown to Chivas striker Francisco Palencia and pushed for a series-equalizing goal, which came in the 64th minute on a penalty kick scored by Brad Davis. Ching then scored a header in the third minute of stoppage time to give the Dynamo a 2–0 win, clinching the series with an aggregate score of 3–2 without going to extra time. In the Western Conference Final, the Houston Dynamo hosted the Colorado Rapids, who had defeated conference-leading Dallas as the fourth seed and were appearing in their second consecutive conference final. Colorado took an early lead on a fourth-minute penalty kick scored by Jovan Kirovski that was awarded after a handball by defender Adrian Serioux in the box. The Dynamo responded with two goals in quick succession by Paul Dalglish: a shot in