By Ivan Orozco

It was a day Pachuca will like to forget. And the Mexican side wants to forget it quickly.

Pachuca probably still will have its 4-0 Mexican league loss to Santos Laguna on Sunday in mind when it takes on Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo Wednesday in a CONCACAF Champions League Group A matchup.

The game could serve as a distraction for Los Tuzos after two consecutive losses in the Apertura.

Facing Houston could serve as a focal point to rebound from the defeats. After all, "Los Tuzos"(Gophers) lead Group A and could put themselves in a position to finish atop the standings and clinch a slot in the next round with a win against the Dynamo.

It will be a brief distraction from the fact Pachuca sits in fourth place with 16 points in the Mexican league's Group Two standings and an America side, unbeaten in its last eight, next on the schedule.

"I think it's important to finish in first place in the tournament," said Pachuca's Ulises Mendívil, who scored twice in the Tuzos' 4-0 win against Metapan last week. "There are still two games two play and we have the opportunity to close (group play) playing well."
("Yo creo que ponernos en primer lugar en este torneo es importante, todavía quedan dos partidos y tenemos la oportunidad de cerrar bien.")

In other words, the Champions League serves as a consolation for Pachuca, which has nine points, two better than both Houston and Panamanian side Arabe Unido, which faces Metapan of El Salvador on Tuesday.

But the Dynamo are hungry for a win and know the chance to take the group lead is an achievable task. And Houston will also be looking for some retribution. Pachuca beat the Dynamo 2-0 with goals by Edgar Benitez and Paul Aguilar at Estadio Hidalgo.

Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad had said Houston has to beat Pachuca to be "considered one of the better teams in CONCACAF."

They'll have their opportunity this time in front of their home Robertson Stadium crowd.

The Dynamo, who lead the MLS Western Conference standings with 43 points, will also have momentum.

Houston is coming off what has been one of the club's better performances in the Champions League: a 5-1 win against Arabe Unido.

Stuart Holden scored twice and Corey Ashe, Eddie Robinson and William Weaver also had goals.

Robinson, who had surgery on his knee earlier this season, made his 2009 debut with the Dynamo in the match.

It was his first game since November 26 when the Dynamo played El Salvador's Luis Angel Firpo's in last year's Champions League.

He was ejected late in that match and had not played since.
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"This was a perfect night to come back," said Robinson after playing against Arabe Unido last week. "It wasn't hot, it was a fun game. I enjoyed it and I just have to keep working.

"I wasn't sure a couple months ago if I was going to be able to contribute to the team this year in any capacity. But now, I am definitely going to push the guys that are on the first team."

Expect for Robinson to contribute against Pachuca. He is considered to have the capability to change the pace of a game.

And a change of pace is what Pachuca is hoping for. But first it must forget its most recent outing, despite its proximity.

Arabe Unido will be looking to rebound from the one-sided loss to Houston. Tuesday's defeat was only the second this season - the other being to Olimpia of Honduras in the Preliminary Round - and it has won eight of its other 12 games to sit comfortably atop the Panamanian league by four points.

The five goals allowed against the Dynamo equaled the number of goals it permitted in its other 10 games combined since August 9 - including Sunday's 2-0 victory over Tauro.

By contrast, Metapan has been in a tailspin that has seen it eliminated from quarterfinal contention in the Champions League and fall to seventh in the Salvadoran league. At least Emerson Unama scored in the 42nd minute of a 2-1 loss to Municipal Lemeno on Sunday to end a nearly 3½-game goalless streak.