Brian Ching

It was evident in the fist-pumping reaction of forward Brian Ching. Plenty of emotion there. It was obvious in the delirious, arms-spread-wide run to the sideline by midfielder Sacha Kljestan. All sorts of relief there. Wednesday night's 2-1 international soccer victory over El Salvador in Tampa, Fla., was more than a game for the U.S. players. It was about keeping alive the dream of being on the plane when the team heads to the World Cup in June. Ching's tying goal in the 75th minute and Kljestan's winning goal in the second minute of injury time very well could have secured the two a trip to South Africa.

Look past David Beckham's glamour, past the scoring exploits of Landon Donovan, and the truth is that the Galaxy has a working-class soul. Beneath their glitz is an outstanding defensive foundation, installed and nursed along by Coach Bruce Arena to the point where the Galaxy is favored to defeat the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at the Home Depot Center and earn its third MLS Cup championship. Beckham might win international headlines but defense wins championships no matter the sport.

Galaxy forward Landon Donovan finished the regular season Sunday as Major League Soccer's leading scorer with 20 goals, finishing two ahead of Dallas' Kenny Cooper. -- Player, Team G Landon Donovan, Galaxy 20 Kenny Cooper, Dallas 18 Edson Buddle, Galaxy 15 Juan Pablo Angel, N.Y. 14 Brian Ching, Houston 13 Luciano Emilio, D.C. 11 Conor Casey, Colorado 11 Jaime Moreno, D.C. 10 Chris Barrett, Toronto 9 Chris Rolfe, Chicago 9 --

Galaxy tonight AT HOUSTON When: 5:30 PDT. Where: Robertson Stadium. On the air: TV: FS West (delayed until 10 p.m.); Radio: 1150, 1330. Records: Galaxy 2-0, Dynamo 1-0-1. Record vs. Dynamo (2009): 1-0-1. Update: The Galaxy plays on the road for the first time this season. Last year, the teams met in the Western Conference final after tying for the conference lead during the regular season. But the Galaxy is catching the Dynamo at a good time since Houston, already missing Brian Ching (hamstring strain)

Galaxy tonight AT HOUSTON When: 5:30 PDT. Where: Robertson Stadium. On the air: TV: FS West (delayed until 10 p.m.); Radio: 1150, 1330. Records: Galaxy 2-0, Dynamo 1-0-1. Record vs. Dynamo (2009): 1-0-1. Update: The Galaxy plays on the road for the first time this season. Last year, the teams met in the Western Conference final after tying for the conference lead during the regular season. But the Galaxy is catching the Dynamo at a good time since Houston, already missing Brian Ching (hamstring strain)

The Galaxy and Houston Dynamo played to a scoreless draw Sunday, creating a three-way tie atop the Western Conference. Donovan Ricketts made four saves for the Galaxy (11-6-12), and Pat Onstad had three for Houston (12-8-9) to help the team match Chivas USA with 45 points. The Galaxy and Dynamo each have one match remaining, while Chivas has two. Chivas plays at Chicago on Thursday before hosting the Dynamo next Sunday, and the Galaxy completes its schedule at home against San Jose on Saturday.

Talk about your high-voltage games. On a night when the power failed twice at the Home Depot Center, Gregg Berhalter came up with just enough energy to score the winning goal in overtime Friday night to put the Galaxy into Major League Soccer's championship final. The final score read: Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 0, but it was Berhalter's name that went up in lights. The long-awaited goal came in the 103rd minute when David Beckham sent a free kick into the penalty area, Galaxy teammate Omar Gonzalez got a head to it and the ball bounced off defender Eddie Robinson.

Look past David Beckham's glamour, past the scoring exploits of Landon Donovan, and the truth is that the Galaxy has a working-class soul. Beneath their glitz is an outstanding defensive foundation, installed and nursed along by Coach Bruce Arena to the point where the Galaxy is favored to defeat the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at the Home Depot Center and earn its third MLS Cup championship. Beckham might win international headlines but defense wins championships no matter the sport.

Brian Ching scored six minutes into overtime and the Houston Dynamo advanced to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years with a 1-0 win against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday. The teams dueled to a scoreless tie in the first leg of their two-game semifinal on Oct. 29, setting up the winner-take-all match in Houston. Fittingly, the league's top two defensive teams during the regular season played 90 more minutes without a goal before Ching's game-winner. The Dynamo advance to the single-game Western final.

at San Jose, 7, Channel 9 Site -- Spartan Stadium. Radio -- KMPC (1540), KTNQ (1020, Spanish). Records -- Galaxy 0-0-3, Earthquakes 1-0-1. Record vs. Earthquakes (2002) -- 3-1-0. Update -- Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos (flu) did not make the trip. Three former Galaxy players -- forward Brian Ching, midfielder Brian Mullan and defender Craig Waibel -- now start for the Earthquakes.

It was evident in the fist-pumping reaction of forward Brian Ching. Plenty of emotion there. It was obvious in the delirious, arms-spread-wide run to the sideline by midfielder Sacha Kljestan. All sorts of relief there. Wednesday night's 2-1 international soccer victory over El Salvador in Tampa, Fla., was more than a game for the U.S. players. It was about keeping alive the dream of being on the plane when the team heads to the World Cup in June. Ching's tying goal in the 75th minute and Kljestan's winning goal in the second minute of injury time very well could have secured the two a trip to South Africa.

Talk about your high-voltage games. On a night when the power failed twice at the Home Depot Center, Gregg Berhalter came up with just enough energy to score the winning goal in overtime Friday night to put the Galaxy into Major League Soccer's championship final. The final score read: Galaxy 2, Houston Dynamo 0, but it was Berhalter's name that went up in lights. The long-awaited goal came in the 103rd minute when David Beckham sent a free kick into the penalty area, Galaxy teammate Omar Gonzalez got a head to it and the ball bounced off defender Eddie Robinson.

Brian Ching scored six minutes into overtime and the Houston Dynamo advanced to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years with a 1-0 win against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday. The teams dueled to a scoreless tie in the first leg of their two-game semifinal on Oct. 29, setting up the winner-take-all match in Houston. Fittingly, the league's top two defensive teams during the regular season played 90 more minutes without a goal before Ching's game-winner. The Dynamo advance to the single-game Western final.

The Galaxy and Houston Dynamo played to a scoreless draw Sunday, creating a three-way tie atop the Western Conference. Donovan Ricketts made four saves for the Galaxy (11-6-12), and Pat Onstad had three for Houston (12-8-9) to help the team match Chivas USA with 45 points. The Galaxy and Dynamo each have one match remaining, while Chivas has two. Chivas plays at Chicago on Thursday before hosting the Dynamo next Sunday, and the Galaxy completes its schedule at home against San Jose on Saturday.

Galaxy forward Landon Donovan finished the regular season Sunday as Major League Soccer's leading scorer with 20 goals, finishing two ahead of Dallas' Kenny Cooper. -- Player, Team G Landon Donovan, Galaxy 20 Kenny Cooper, Dallas 18 Edson Buddle, Galaxy 15 Juan Pablo Angel, N.Y. 14 Brian Ching, Houston 13 Luciano Emilio, D.C. 11 Conor Casey, Colorado 11 Jaime Moreno, D.C. 10 Chris Barrett, Toronto 9 Chris Rolfe, Chicago 9 --