Heineken Rivalry Week has returned to Major League Soccer for a third consecutive season, with a number of clubs set to square off this weekend against the kind of opponent the very mention of which riles players and supporters alike.
On Saturday, the Chicago Fire will be hosting the Houston Dynamo (4 p.m. CT, CSN Chicago Plus), and while the Dynamo may not be a historical rival for the Fire in the traditional sense, that doesn’t mean the clubs haven’t had their fair share of memorable clashes in their 22 all-time meetings. Plus, news out Thursday suggests Houston could surpass Chicago as the nation's third-most-populous city within the next decade, so it remains to be seen how that development factors into the action on the pitch Saturday...
With that in mind, here's a look back at five of the more notable Chicago-Houston fixtures over the years:
May 20, 2006: The Dynamo entered MLS in time for the 2006 season when the San Jose Earthquakes made the move to the Space City, leaving behind the Quakes' club history and competitive records. In the first-ever meeting between the Fire and Dynamo, Chicago’s Thiago netted a 50th-minute goal to lift the Fire to a 1-0 win over the eventual MLS champion Dynamo. The win ran Chicago’s unbeaten streak to six matches, despite the Fire being in the midst of a stretch of nine straight road games to open the year while awaiting the completion of Toyota Park.
April 29, 2007: Just as they did the previous year, Chicago went on the road to grab an early-season 1-0 victory over a Houston side that was once again destined to claim an MLS Cup championship. This time it was Chris Rolfe providing the game’s lone goal, the second match in a run of four consecutive games with a goal for Rolfe, which remains his longest goal-scoring streak to date.
Oct. 31, 2012: The only MLS Cup playoff meeting between the two clubs, the Fire hosted the Dynamo in a Wild Card game on Halloween Night in 2012. A Dynamo goal within 20 seconds of the second half opening whistle gave the visitors a 2-0 lead, and although Brazilian midfielder Alex -- who will make his return to Toyota Park Saturday as a member of the Dynamo – pulled one back late, Houston held on for a 2-1 win en route to an appearance in the MLS Cup championship match.
September 1, 2013: The two teams played another hotly contested late-season match at Toyota Park the following year. With both teams eyeing one of the East’s final playoff positions, Chicago held a 1-nil lead and looked poised to grab three points and jump ahead of the Dynamo in the table and into a playoff spot for the first time all season. But Houston’s Adam Moffat blasted a shot past Sean Johnson in the game’s waning minutes to send the match to a 1-1 draw and a share of the points. Although the Fire posted a 4-3-2 record the rest of the way, Chicago narrowly missed out on a playoff spot, finishing on 49 points while the Dynamo were safe with 51.
October 24, 2014: Despite being the final game of the season for two teams without postseason aspirations, the Bridgeview-set matchup held plenty of significance on both sides. Fire faithful spent the night saying goodbye to retiring 12-year club veteran Logan Pause, while the Dynamo were playing their final game under nine-year head coach and the architect of two MLS Cup titles, Dominic Kinnear. The Fire’s Florent Sinama-Pongolle provided the season’s final spark, coming off the bench to score a 91st-minute game-winner in a 2-1 win for the Men In Red.
