For one thing, more people seem to care.

The Dynamo host Kansas City tomorrow in the Western Conference final and 30,000 fans are expected at Robertson Stadium. Last Saturday, Houston's 4-1 first-round win over FC Dallas drew 30,088 fans, the second-largest crowd in team history.

"It was electric," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said. "As far as me being at a live soccer game, it was the best atmosphere I've ever seen."

The attendance figure easily surpassed the 23,107 that watched Houston beat Colorado 3-1 in last year's Western Conference final.

The team was still largely a curiosity then, in its first season since relocating to Texas from San Jose. A year later, the Dynamo is the only professional team that can claim a recent championship in a city starving for a winner.

"We really feel like we're a part of the community now. The city has really gotten behind us," goalkeeper Pat Onstad said. "It's a really unifying feeling when you walk out of that tunnel and you hear and see all those people dressed in orange. It's absolutely fantastic."

Onstad is one reason the Dynamo is a win away from returning to the championship match. He gave up only 22 goals during the regular season and his 0.82 goals against average was an MLS record. He also recorded 11 shutouts and led the league in save percentage (78 percent).

Brad Guzan, of Chivas USA, was named the league's top goalkeeper, and that was fine with Onstad.

"I would rather be playing at this time of year and not win any awards, than have my trophy case be full and be watching the playoffs on television," Onstad said.

Kinnear said Houston's defense deserves as much credit as Onstad. During an eight-game stretch in June and July, the Dynamo didn't allow a goal for 727 consecutive minutes, another league record.

"We've got a good back four," Kinnear said. "They all make life difficult for teams trying to get the ball back there. And then you have guy in Pat, who guides things well and has very good positional sense."

The Wizards will counter with Eddie Johnson, Scott Sealy and Davy Arnaud, a speedy trio that's combined for 27 goals and 17 assists in 2007. A member of the 2006 U.S. World Cup team, Johnson scored 15 goals, including six game winners, during this regular season.

"Extremely dangerous," Houston forward Brian Ching said. "Most teams in the league would be happy to have those three guys as their attack."

But while the Dynamo was expected to advance this far, Kansas City is continuing a surprising postseason run. The Wizards only had the eighth-best record in the league (11-12-7) and didn't clinch a playoff berth until winning their final game of the season.

That hasn't dampened their confidence.

"This team has championship capabilities," Coach Curt Onalfo said. "You get to the playoffs, and everyone has a chance. We go into Houston thinking we have what it takes to get the job done and get through."

The Wizards averaged two goals per game through the first two months of the season. Lately, they've been winning with defense, shutting out FC Dallas in the regular-season finale and holding Chivas USA scoreless in two playoff games in the first round. Kansas City won the first game 1-0, then advanced by earning a 0-0 tie last Saturday.

"These last couple games were perfect examples of how to win playoff soccer," Wizards midfielder Kerry Zavagnin said. "We're not going to apologize for not scoring a lot of goals at this point. The objective is to get through. And, to do that, you have to be able to win 1-0 games."

The winner of Saturday's game will face New England, which defeated Chicago 1-0 in the East final on Thursday night. The Dynamo and Revolution played to a 1-1 tie in last year's championship match before Houston won on penalty kicks.

The Wizards won the MLS Cup in 2000. They returned to the championship match in 2004, but lost to D.C. United.