- (Sports Network) - The Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Major League Soccer Western Conference Semifinal Series on Saturday afternoon in front of 11,578 fans at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls' Juan Pablo Angel scored early in the second half before Houston's Kei Kamara equalized the home-and-home, total-goals series five minutes from time, leveling the series in advance of the deciding leg at Robertson Stadium on Nov. 9.

"We're going to come out and try to win the next game anyway, so if it's 1-0 or 1-1, you still have to win the game,' Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said. "So our approach will be to come out and try to put them under pressure right from the get-go. I think their approach is they have to win the game as well. So I don't think [the thought of] either team sitting back is even going to enter anybody's mind. So I think it's just one of those battle of attitudes and who takes advantage of their chances when they come up."

Despite being heavy underdogs as the second wild card team facing the Western bracket's top seed, the Red Bulls outplayed Houston for much of the game. New York outshot the two-time defending champs 14-8, but were unable to take the advantage to Houston.

"All right, [I'm] disappointed. I think we did just enough to have won the game against a very, very tough team," New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "[I'm] very proud of the boys today, we competed and we limited them to very few chances and at the end, I think there are more positives than negatives in this game. As I said to the guys, if we keep this team spirit and we bring this competiveness to their place, then I think we have a chance."

Red Bulls winger Dane Richards had the first chance inside five minutes when he broke down a defender in the Houston penalty area and cut inside, but was stuffed by Eddie Robinson before he could get a shot off.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic, starting as attacking midfielder for the ineffective Jorge Rojas, fired a chance just wide in the eighth minute for another close call by the Red Bulls.

The Dynamo didn't get their first chance until just after the break when Brian Ching collected the ball in the New York penalty area before cutting back to his left to set up a left-footed shot. New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero, starting his third consecutive game for the suspended Jon Conway, ate up the weak shot, however, and the game remained scoreless.

New York broke the stalemate less than a minute later when Angel scored the first goal of the 2008 MLS Cup playoffs.

Dave van den Bergh started the chance with a throw-in on the left wing to veteran forward John Wolyneic, who had just five starts in the regular season. Wolyneic collected the ball and played a near-post cross that Angel got his head on to knock home, past Houston 'keeper Pat Onstad.

"Great play from John Wolyniec, and I just went to the near post and the ball went right to me and I just headed it in the far post," Angel said.

The teams traded a weak chances the rest of the way before Houston scored the equalizer in the 85th minute.

Ching started the buildup by collecting the ball on the left side in the offensive third and played back to Wade Barrett, who played a cross into the New York area. The ball deflected off a defender to Houston attacker Stuart Holden, who nudged the ball to Kamara. The Sierra Leone international knocked home the loose ball to ensure the teams would return to Houston level at one.

"It was kind of a mad scramble in front of the goal," Cepero said. "The ball was getting batted around a little bit and it was unfortunate for us. But fortunate for them, it fell to Kei Kamara's feet and he was able to slip it in-between Diego [Jimenez's] legs. It's just a big mess in front and all of a sudden, the ball is shooting out. Its just a little bit unlucky I think."



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