Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat inching back for Houston

Last Sunday, Dominic Kinnear was forced into a handful of changes, with starters Calen Carr, Ricardo Clark, and Jermaine Taylor unable to go during the first leg of the Dynamo’s conference final against D.C. United. When Adam Moffat went out early with a concussion (and chest injury), Houston was approaching depletion. With D.C. suffering a series of injuries of their own (most notably, Chris Pontius leaving after 12 minutes), the Dynamo were able to take a 3-1 lead, though the team was still left with a series of question marks ahead of tomorrow’s Eastern Conference decider (4 p.m. Eastern, NBC Sports Network).

Yesterday, Dynamo fans got some good news, with MLSSoccer.com’s Darrell Lovell noting the team’s first choice midfield had resumed training:

It’s hard to overstate the importance of that Clark-Moffat combination. Against a D.C. side that’s adjusted to play three in the middle, the ability of Houston’s two destroyers to hold their own in an out-numbered battle gives Kinnear a chance to create advantages elsewhere. Looking forward to a probable MLS Cup Final rematch against Los Angeles, a Clark-Moffat duo should give David Beckham and Juninho fits.

That, however, is a long way off. Both players are likely to have fully recovered by then, should Houston advance.

If one or both of Houston’s starting midfielders can play on Sunday, the Dynamo stand a much better chance of holding off D.C.