First Kick 2011 for the Houston Dynamo is on three days away and to continue to prepare our
readers for the new season, myself and new writer Fuzion have been joined by Jordan Wise from SB
Nation Houston to offer our thoughts. We each give our preferred projected lineup, thoughts on
individual positions and answer some key questions about what to expect this year.
Real Salt Lake just can't win in Houston.
RSL has never won at Houston's Robertson Stadium, and on Saturday the Western Conference club
found a new, more painful way to drop points against the Dynamo as rookie Alex Dixon netted a
stoppage-time game-winning goal to give Houston a 3-2 victory.
Well this is going to piss off some Dynamo fans. Just days after protecting Bobby Boswell in the
expansion draft, the Dynamo declined his 2012 contract option. They could of course be hoping to
re-sign Boswell at a lower wage, but I doubt this is going to sit well with fans after the loss of
Brian Ching, who was left exposed in the expansion draft.
Here are some photos from today's groundbreaking ceremony on the Houston Dynamo's new downtown
stadium.
The following photos were provided and taken by Katy Umaña
Dynamo Diesel
Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell
Oscar De La Hoya
More photos after the jump
Future location of the midfield center circle
Danny Cruz
Brian Ching's ceremonial first goal
The following photos were provided and taken by Brian Zygo
Mike Chabala
Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com
According to the Castrol Index, Major League Soccer's latest metric for measuring individual
success, New York Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry is off to a stellar start in his first
full season in the league.
The Castrol Index is designed to analyze each player's every movement on the field and how those
movements impact a team's penchant for scoring goals and conceding goals.
I've been raising quite the verbal stink about the importance of the Dynamo's gauntlet run-like
stretch of games to end the month of May. It began Saturday night at Rio Tinto and despite the fact
Houston left some quality goal chances unfinished, I have to consider it a job well done. A road
point at Real Salt Lake is nearly like a victory and getting a clean sheet thanks to a very strong
defensive performance an added bonus.
After a winless month of May the Dynamo move on to June, a month where they'll play four matches
and will be missing some key players thanks to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The month kicks off tomorrow
night on the west coast as the Dynamo face the San Jose Earthquakes, a team also hit hard by the
Gold Cup.
Houston Dynamo players Will Bruin, Eddie Robinson and Bobby Boswell will be on hand at the
adidas store inside the Houston Galleria on Sunday, June 12 from 3-5pm to meet fans, sign
autographs and take photos with Dynamo supporters.
The players are supporting the launch of the all-new adiPower Predator cleat, the latest version in
the legendary cleat line.
Fallout from the Crew Loss:
- Dynamo slump to 2-0 home loss against Crew [MLS Soccer]
- Houston struggling for answers [MLS Soccer]
- "Flat" Dynamo get flattened at home by Crew [Houston 11 Soccer]
- Dynamo fall flat in loss to Crew [Houston Chronicle]
Everybody Loves a Contest!
I'm not really going to complain about getting a point on the road against one of the better
teams in the East, but it wasn't exactly fulfilling. The Houston Dynamo may of left PPL Park with a
1-1 draw thanks to a great goal from Geoff Cameron but considering how they controlled the flow of
play, you can't help but feel like they should have gotten more.
Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By IAN HOLIDAY
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Ryan Cochrane scored early and Bobby Boswell struck late as the New
England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo split the points in a 1-1 draw at Gillette Stadium
Wednesday night.
For the Revolution (4-11-10, 22 points), the result will feel like two points lost, as Boswell's
90th minute goal spoiled a superb individual effort from goalkeeper Matt Reis, who made seven saves
and single-handedly preserved the Revs' lead on multiple occasions.
The morning after losing a championship game is never enjoyable. Despite the fact that you tell
yourself ahead of time, it's just great to be here, no one expected us to make this run, we're
playing the best team in the league, all the things to try to prepare yourself mentally, it
sucks.
Fortunately for Dynamo fans, the 2011 season which at one point looked on the verge of being a
second straight season without playoffs, turned in to a magical run all the way to the brink of a
third MLS Cup.
Photo by Brad Smith/ISIPhotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
Fans expecting their team to nab that missing piece of the MLS Cup puzzle in the Re-entry Draft
on Monday shouldn't get their hopes up.
Last year, clubs used the mechanism to bolster their rosters with the likes of Juan Pablo Angel,
Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad and Cory Gibbs.
It's rather difficult to write up a report concerning a match you could only follow via a live
chat. I'm not complaining of course, just stating facts. Fortunately, the Dynamo have provided us
with some game notes that will at least give you an idea of what occurred in this morning scrimmage
against Sporting KC.
Despite my best efforts, my confidence and optimism about the 2011 Dynamo season was slightly
shaken after the loss to the Philadelphia Union last Saturday. Fortunately, with their next match
only two days away, there really isn't time to dwell on it...which is usually a good thing.
The Dynamo hit the road for the first time this season and travel to Seattle to face a Sounders
team that has twice as many reasons to be concerned as the Dynamo.
We started this feature with the idea that it would be a chance to have a less emotional
reaction to the game. A way to just be presented with the facts and make a more measured
assessment.
What I didn't count on was actually being more emotional about a game the next day than I was at
the time.
Sporting Kansas City 1 - 0 Houston Dynamo April 06, 2011 -- Aggie Soccer Stadium, College
Station TX
Attendance: 2,383
Scoring Summary:
KC -- C.J. Sapong (Teal Bunbury) 92
Sporting Kansas City -- Eric Kronberg, Michael Harrington, Matt Besler, Shavar Thomas, Roger
Espinoza, Luke Sassano (Davy Arnaud 91), Craig Rocastle (Birahim Diop 76), Milos Stojcev, Kei
Kamara, Omar Bravo (C.
The Houston Dynamo offense enjoyed its best day of the young season, rattling off three goals to
knock off the Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-1, on Sunday at Robertson Stadium.
Cam Weaver, Bobby Boswell and Will Bruin scored goals on a night when Vancouver's defense
struggled badly, particularly after the departure of veteran centerback Jay DeMerit at halftime
with a groin injury.
Houston picked up three points in Major League Soccer's Sunday game, beating Vancouver at Robertson
Stadium. Cam Weaver opened the scoring in the 36th minute, but Vancouver was level two minutes
later through Camilo. Bobby Boswell put Houston in front for good in the 42nd, and Will Bruin added
another goal in the 76th minute.
"Psycho" Rajko Lekic made his MLS debut but found himself frustrated by lack of service as the
New England Revolution fell to the Houston Dynamo 1-0 at Robertson Stadium tonight. Lekic went the
full 90 but only mustered one shot, spending most of the match marooned without the ball.
Hunter Freeman secured the win for the Dynamo late in the match by scoring a controversial goal
inside the six-yard box.
The New England Revolution lost a tough one to the Houston Dynamo last night 0-1, thanks to a
controversial goal from Hunter Freeman. The defeat dropped the Revs to a tie for 6th in the in the
Eastern Conference with only five goals scored in six matches.
New England struggled to create chances in the match and probably didn't deserve a positive
result anyway, despite the presence of their brand new finishing specialist, Rajko Lekic.
Houston Dynamo (2-1-2) at Chicago Fire (1-3-1) Toyota Park - Chicago, IL - 7:30pm CT
BROADCAST INFORMATION
KHOU 11.2 (ENG TV) SportsTalk 790 (ENG Radio) La Ranchera 850 (SPN Radio)
Dynamo Notes:
- The Dynamo enter Saturday's game on a five-game road unbeaten streak, dating back to a 3-1 win
at D.
By THOMAS FLOYD
For Real Salt Lake, there will be no time to dwell on its crushing home defeat in the CONCACAF
Champions League second leg on Wednesday, as it now faces another steep challenge: trying to get a
result at Jeld-Wen Field.
The Portland Timbers are undefeated at their boisterous home field and will be trying to keep it
that way Saturday against Salt Lake.
MLS released the fan balloting component of the 2011 All-Star Game voting. Fans have until
11:59pm ET on July 5th, 2011 to vote for their favorite players in hopes they will represent the
league against Manchester United on July 27th at Red Bull Arena.
Yay...that's a sarcastic yay since sarcasm tends not to show up well in written form.
- Photo by Katy Umaña
Prior to Saturday night's match against Chivas USA at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas, the
Houston Dynamo had gone seven matches without a win. After losing the lead to RedBull New York
three weeks ago and losing badly to the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, Dynamo fans were
starting to get very impatient with the Dynamo's seeming inability to hold onto a lead or shut down
inferior offenses.
- Photo by Katy Umaña
Prior to Saturday night's match against Chivas USA at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas, the
Houston Dynamo had gone seven matches without a win. After losing the lead to RedBull New York
three weeks ago and losing badly to the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, Dynamo fans were
starting to get very impatient with the Dynamo's seeming inability to hold onto a lead or shut down
inferior offenses.
Alright, so one win doesn't solve all the problems or suddenly make everything better...but it
sure feels nice to be looking back at a Dynamo victory after seven matches without one. There are
still some points that need to be discussed but this team needed a win and they went out a got it
on Saturday against Chivas USA.
It's going to be a late evening for Dynamo fans on Saturday as Houston travels to Los Angeles to
face Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center. While Houston will welcome new acquisition Adam Moffat, a
couple key players will be missing due to red card suspensions.
Brian Ching and Colin Clark will be unavailable after they both saw red last weekend against
Sporting Kansas City.
The 2011 Jack McInerney has been passive and tentative, clearly frustrated at himself.
In front of a packed house at PPL Park on Saturday night, McInerney looked frustrated for a
different reason. He wanted the ball. More, more, more. In the fifteenth minute: a goal. Moments
later: A brilliant finish called back for offsides.
New England 1 - Houston 1 New England scored early and couldn't hold on late, splitting the points
at Gillette Stadium. The Revs' Ryan Cochrane opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and that lead
held into stoppage time. Saving the bulk of the action for the 90th minute and beyond, Bobby
Boswell equalized for Houston and Dynamo goalkeeper Matt Reis and midfielder Adam Moffat were sent
off in the last act of the game,.
Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
When it comes to set pieces, few can contend with the Houston Dynamo.
That much has been true all season, and it was proved again Wednesday night. With Houston on the
verge of defeat at the New England Revolution, midfielder Carlo Costly skied to connect with Brad
Davis' corner kick and direct a shot on goal.
Bobby Boswell scored his third goal of the season in the 90th minute to claim a dramatic 1-1
draw for the Houston Dynamo against the New England Revolution on Wednesday night at Gillette
Stadium.
Former Dynamo defender Ryan Cochrane had given the Revs (4-11-10, 22 pts.) an early lead with
his first goal for the Revolution in the fourth minute, but Boswell broke through with Houston's
(7-7-11, 32 pts.
Joel Lindpere and the Red Bulls hope to help their playoff chances in New England. (Getty
Images)
It is finally Friday. Moving into the weekend phase of this week is something I've been looking
forward to since well...last weekend. In all seriousness though, Major League Soccer shifts into
their weekend phase after three decent midweek games.
Houston Dynamo (8-8-11, 35 pts.) vs. Sporting Kansas City (9-8-10, 37 pts.) LIVEStrong Park -
Kansas City, KS - 3:00pm
BROADCAST: TeleFutura (SPN TV) KPRC 950 (ENG Radio) La Ranchera (SPN Radio)
REFEREE: Mark Geiger. MLS Career: 84 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.
Philadelphia Union vs. Houston Dynamo
November 03, 2011 -- Robertson Stadium
Eastern Conference semifinals -- Game 2
Attendance: 24,749
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Brian Ching 1 (Brad Davis 2) 48+
Philadelphia Union -- Faryd Mondragon, Sheanon Williams, Carlos Valdes, Danny Califf,
Gabriel Farfan (Roger Torres 66), Michael Farfan, Brian Carroll, Veljko Paunovic (Freddy Adu 66),
Sebastien Le Toux, Jack McInerney, Danny Mwanga (Justin Mapp 66).
Houston won the Eastern Conference this year. (Getty Images)
Only two more teams to go in our look at each MLS club's potential expansion draft lists. Today
I start with the Eastern Conference champions, the Houston Dynamo.
The Dynamo shocked a lot of people this season with their late fall surge in the playoffs.
Galaxy center back Omar Gonzalez, seen here challenging for the ball with New York's Luke
Rodgers, is the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year (AP Photo).
Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, who turned 23 Oct. 11 and stands 6-5, has become the
youngest-ever winner of the MLS Defender of the Year award.
We are only four days from the culmination of the 2011 season and I don't know about all of you,
but I'm ready. Alas, we must be patient and in an attempt to give you something to focus on ahead
of the game, I figured it would be good to offer up my analysis of the two teams and who I see
having the advantage, at least on paper.
By ADAM SERRANO
The Houston Dynamo may be without their MVP candidate, but the Los Angeles Galaxy are keenly
aware that the Dynamo will still have another key weapon in their attack.
Dynamo captain Brian Ching has enjoyed a stellar season since battling back from injuries that
limited him to just 20 regular season games.
CARSON, Calif. – El LA Galaxy se consagró como el campeón de la Copa MLS 2011 con un apretado
1-0 ante Houston Dynamo frente una asistencia récord de 30.281 aficionados en el Home Depot
Center.El gol del campeonato fue anotado por el capitán angelino Landon Donovan, quien terminó
con una sequía de títulos de seis años a nivel individual y le brindó al Galaxy la tercera Copa
MLS de su historia.
