AJ DeLaGarza demands respect for underdog Dynamo after Timbers upset

A.J. DeLaGarza - Houston Dynamo - solo shot

Did the Portland Timbers lose that Western Conference Semifinals series, or did the Houston Dynamo win it?


Much of the analysis of Houston's unexpected 2-1 second-leg and aggregate victory centered around the Timbers' crippling plague of injuries, which reduced Caleb Porter's side to a skeleton crew at the most crucial juncture of the season. 


But AJ DeLaGarza isn't having it. 


The Dynamo's veteran defender has been a huge element in La Naranja's dramatic rebirth under coach Wilmer Cabrera, and he himself can attest to the injury bug biting Houston, too: DeLaGarza sustained a torn ACL on Decision Day and faces as much as a year on the sidelines. 


So as he took in Sunday's road win at Portland at a watch party at a Houston pub, he made sure to stand up for his squad, demanding that they get their due in a response to journalist Ives Galarcep: