by Greg Seltzer for Soccer365

As they prepare to host New York in the second leg of their first round MLS Playoff tie, Houston strike ace Brian Ching has chalked up the team's continued success to their competitive flame, clubhouse unity and coach Dominic Kinnear.

Some observers may scratch their heads in wonder at how the two-time defending champions manage to sustain a voracious hunger for victory after so much success, but the Hawaii native says it's very simple.

"We're just a team that doesn't like to lose," Ching told Soccer365. "We want to win every game that we step on the field for."

"If you look at our record for the last four years as a franchise, and you'd see every year we probably have the least amount of losses. I think it's just a mentality that we bring day in and day out."

Sure enough, a quick check shows that the Dynamo had the fewest defeats in the league this seasom, were one loss worse than the best total the two previous years, and also dropped the lowest amount of games during their last season in San Jose in 2005.

This time, of course, Houston has a fresh motivation to succeed: becoming the first three-peat artists in MLS history.

Said Ching, "We know there's a tremendous opportunity here for us to create history, to be the first back-to-back-to-back champions."

For the striker, reaching the top of the mountain took long enough that he may not be willing to cede the place. The 30-year old didn't establish himself as a top flight regular and U.S. international until the age of 24, a late bloomer status he relates to a limited soccer environment in Hawaii. 

"There wasn't as much competition there, and I didn't really develop until I got into college," said Ching, who scored 24 goals in four years at Gonzaga.

"My mentality was wanting to be one of the best at my age level, but I didn't really understand what it took until I got into a more competitive environment.

Once Ching reached MLS for good in 2003 - he scored once in eight games for the Galaxy two years prior - he was fortunate enough to link up with Quakes assistant Kinnear, who has now been his head coach for five seasons.

It is the Scottish-born former USMNT midfielder that completes the Dynamo picture of continued ambition, says the forward. He credits Kinnear not only with aiding his growth as a player, but more to the point, for acquiring all the right pieces to the championship puzzle.

"It's pretty much 100% Dom, bringing in the guys he wants, that he knows will fit," said Ching, assessing team character as a key to their success.

"And bringing them into a team that understands how to win and understands what it takes to win. I think it's the environment Dom creates in the locker room - everybody likes each other and gets along." 

All of which eventually leads to Saturday's return showdown with the Red Bulls, a club whose main threat Ching doesn't hesitate to identify.

"I think the most dangerous thing about them is Juan Pablo Ángel," he says flatly. "He scores goals. You give him one chance and he scores a goal, that's it."

While it may seem obvious for a striker to pick out one of his kind, Ching has a good eye in this matter.
Ángel has bagged 34 goals in two MLS seasons and his stopping header put New York up in game one before Kei Kamara leveled it late.

However, as frightening as the Colombian may be on an individual level, Ching claims the Dynamo will be ready all 11 players they must account for at Robertson this weekend.

"We're confident in our home record from this year," he stated. "We're a good veteran group of guys who knows what it takes and have been there before. We're looking forward to getting on a grass field."

After struggling a bit on the artificial turf at Giants Stadium, Ching says the home fans should see a little more "beautiful game" out of their boys in the decider.

"They can expect to see a lot more possession from us," he boldly predicted. "I think they'll see us play more."

"I think the field last week made it really difficult for us, and they made it difficult for us as well," recalled Ching. "They constantly bypassed the midfield, playing long balls up to the front, and it made for an ugly game I thought."

"If we match their intensity and keep the ball a little bit better than we did in New York, we have a good chance of winning."

Soccer365 reporter Greg Seltzer blogs daily over at No Short Corners.

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