Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - Just over a month ago, the Houston Dynamo had just two losses and clearly looked like the best team in MLS.
Houston has faltered since, losing three of its last five matches - but still has the best record in MLS.
Now, U.S. national team players Brian Ching and midfielder Stuart Holden are back, and Houston could easily return to previous form for Saturday's clash at Robertson Stadium against D.C. United.
Houston coach Dominic Kinnear admitted he hated to use excuses, but obviously the Dynamo are a much better squad with Ching and Holden - two players likely to be on the U.S. World Cup squad next year.
The Dynamo played without Ching and Holden during July, and just got defender Andrew Hainault back from the Canadian national team last week - a rare home loss to the New England Revolution.
Houston (9-5-5) will try to rebound from its first regular season home loss in more than a year against D.C. (6-3-10), another team that has struggled in the last month.
The Dynamo are 5-1-3 and have allowed an MLS-low four goals at home.
Hainault, who Houston needed to get back with defenders Richard Mulrooney and Eddie Robinson and midfielder Brian Mullan out injured, thought the team could learn from the loss.
"You learn more from your losses than you do for your wins. We can't let this happen again," Hainault said.
Houston goalie Pat Onstad, who leads MLS with a 0.74 goals against average, is also confident the team can learn from the loss.
"Certainly not our best performance," Onstad said. "I thought it was a C-plus game. We didn't play particularly well or with a lot of energy. It wasn't from a lack of effort, we just were a little flat.
"We didn't play well and we got punished for it."
D.C. has just one win in its last five, and is coming off a 2-2 tie at the San Jose Earthquakes last week. United has slipped to third in the East.
United coach Tom Soehn called the second half last week's game "the worst half of soccer I've seen us play."
D.C. had a quick turnaround with a CONCACAF Champions League qualifying match, a 1-1 draw against CD Luis Angel Firpo on Tuesday at RFK Stadium, and needs a win in the return leg in El Salvador to advance.
United has to focus on Houston, though. D.C. beat Houston 1-0 on April 4, with Luciano Emilio scoring the lone goal two minutes after halftime.
D.C. is just 1-3-6 on the road, and another draw is likely what the team hopes to accomplish this weekend.
United has injury concerns with Clyde Simms and Thabiso Khumalo out, but has Danny Szetela in the mix now to add another exciting option. Szetela made his D.C. debut in the mid-week game against Firpo. Szetela was in Italy with Serie B side Brescia.
"He's certainly going to get time," D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen told the MLS website. "He's going to have a great opportunity to come in and impress and put a stamp on this team."
