The Houston Dynamo set up a repeat of last year's MLS Final as they downed the Kansas City Wizards 2-0 at Robertson Stadium to win the Eastern Conference.

Nate Jaqua sent the defending champions on their way with a 35th minute header off of Richard Mulrooney's corner kick and Dwayne De Rosario made sure nine minutes before the final whistle with a left-footed drive.

In a rematch with a New England Revolution entering their third successive final, Dynamo will aim to be only the second team to win back-to-back MLS titles, after DC United's triumphs in 1996 and 1997.

In front of a record crowd of 30,972 at Robertson, the home team dominated the 90 and ran out deserved winners.

The first sniff of goal for the orange jerseys arrived in the fifth minute when Wizards goalie Kevin Hartman just managed to punch a Brad Davis corner clear of a lurking De Rosario.

The visitors' best chance of the first half came in the 12th minute when Eddie Johnson ran on to Brian Mullan's flick-on, but the US striker blasted his fierce 10-yard volley over the bar.

De Rosario and Jaqua then came close for Dynamo before Brian Ching missed a pair of chances. De Rosario was denied again in the 35th, this time by a Hartman stop, as the Texans moved up the gears.

Moments later, they drew blood as the towering Jaqua powered his header into the net to send the home fans delirious.

Houston almost doubled their lead in first half injury time as Hartman failed to gather a Brian Mullan effort and De Rosario found the net with the loose ball, but an offside call denied the Canadian his goal.

The Wizards spurned a good chance to equalize moments after the restart as Jack Jewsbury fired a shot from distance into the side netting.

Johnson's 52nd minute break-out, ended by Eddie Robinson’s shrewd tackle, was the last time KC seriously threatened to equalize, and they finished the game outgunned 11-3 on shots and without a single one on target.

The industrious De Rosario applied the coup de grace in the 81st minute by latching onto Curt Waibel’s threaded pass 15 yards from goal and coolly picking his spot before beating Hartman at his near post.

"Our game plan was to go out there and get the first goal," said De Rosario afterwards. "We did what we do best, which is getting the cross and finishing it."

Wizards coach Curt Onalfo paid tribute to his conquerors: "They're a very good team and they're very hard to play against."

Dynamo boss Dominic Kinnear refused to comment on next week's showdown. "No thoughts right now," said Kinnear. "Tonight and tomorrow, I just want to sit down, smile, and applaud these guys."

Houston tackle New England for the 2007 MLS Cup at RFK in Washington DC next Sunday at 12:00 pm ET on ABC.

Scoring
HOU - Nate Jaqua 1 (Richard Mulrooney) 35'
HOU - Dwayne De Rosario 1 (Craig Waibel) 81'

Line-ups
KC - Kevin Hartman; Jack Jewsbury (Ryan Pore 75'), Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Michael Harrington, Davy Arnaud, Kurt Morsink, Kerry Zavagnin (Carlos Marinelli 46'), Sasha Victorine (Eloy Colombano 66'), Eddie Johnson, Scott Sealy

HOU - Pat Onstad; Brian Mullan, Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett, Dwayne De Rosario (Stuart Holden 85'), Richard Mulrooney, Brad Davis, Brian Ching (Joseph Ngwenya 70'), Nate Jaqua