The Philadelphia Union’s first ever playoff game ended in defeat Sunday but they will have a chance to redeem themselves later in the week.
Andre Hainault and Calen Carr scored in the first half to lift the Houston Dynamo past the Philadelphia Union 2-1 in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday night.
Carr's goal in the 30th minute snapped a 1-all tie and ultimately gave the Dynamo the edge in this series heading to Thursday night's matchup in Houston. The two-game series is based on aggregate goals between the two teams.
It was the Dynamo's first victory in five tries against the second-year Union.
Sebastien Le Toux, who led Philadelphia with 11 goals in the regular season, scored the tying goal in the seventh minute.
Hainault gave the No. 2-seeded Dynamo a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute on a header. Brad Davis, who led the league with 16 assists, set up the score with a crisp pass into the box.
Houston, which has won the MLS Cup in 2006 and '07, entered the playoffs as one of the hottest clubs in the league with a 4-0-2 record in its final six games.
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The game began with a sellout crowd of 18,539 fans waving rally towels. Before the game, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Scott Hartnell and James van Riemsdyk of the Flyers were named as honorary captains.
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