The Dynamo's hopes of reaching the MLS Cup took a serious blow Tuesday night when they lost to the Seattle Sounders 2-0 in the first leg of the two-part Western Conference Finals. 

Seattle got goals from Gustav Svensson and former Dynamo Will Bruin, and Houston was forced to play with 10 men for most of the match after Jalil Anibaba picked up a red card. The Dynamo created some chances late but could not overcome fatigue to get a goal. 

With the two road goals, Seattle is in prime shape to end the series next week and advance to the MLS Cup to face Toronto or Colombus. It will be a tall task for the Dynamo, who won one road game all season against D.C. United, one of the worst teams in the league. And Seattle has just one home loss all year, to Toronto FC, the team with the best record in the league.

The Dynamo and Sounders will play in Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, with Seattle holding a 2-0 aggregate lead, with two critical road goals.