Monday Morning Centre Back: A Victory for Association Football!

While monday morning finds Houston sports fans licking their wounds from the Houston Texans loss to the hated Cowgirls from Southern Oklahoma, all is not lost.

The Houston Dynamo won this weekend!

Sure, it was against the worst team in MLS this season...and yeah, the team isn't making the playoffs, but a win is a win and today Houston soccer fans, you can be proud of your team. After another heart wrenching defeat in the midweek to Kansas City, a lesser team might up picked up camp and mailed in the rest of the season, but not your Dynamo.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the Dynamo fought back for three goals (well two, the first was an own goal, but it counts) and survived a wild 11 minutes of stoppage time to get the victory. It was a deserved win and showed just how much heart and pride this team really does have.

Now I'm sure there are many people in Houston who would gladly trade the Dynamo win for a Texasn win in a heartbeat, but in the opinion of this humble writer, it just proves once again that while the American football team may be more popular, it's the Association football team that comes through for you...and the season tickets are much more affordable.

The victory moves Houston back in to 7th place in the West, one point ahead of Chivas USA.

The big controversey from the game was the ejection of both head coaches late in the second half. After DC United defender Julius James crashed in to Dominic Oduro, there appeared to be a bit of handbags on the sideline. What actually happened and how the officials mucked things up, is explained far more expertly than I ever could by Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

The incident had Ben Olsen and Kevin Payne in an uproar post match and rightfully so.

Olsen suggested referees should have to face a post-match press conference, while Payne called the ejections a travesty. I agree with both men. The ejections were a travesty and referees should be held accountable for these kinds of unnecessary and obviously wrong decisions.

As for match referee Alex Prus' expalnation of the incident, well it was shorter, "irresponsible behavior for leaving the technical area." This of course, as well all know, is an incomplete sentence. Shame on you Alex.

I expect that MLS will review the tape and the referee's report and decide that the ejections were more than enough punishment and move on with things. If there is any additional action by the league towards either head coach, you can expect an uproar from me and many others with a more respected voice and greater power.

The Dynamo head to Philly to face the Union on Saturday. I'll have a preview up later in the week.