Stage 2 of the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft is done and there is a bit of Dynamo new to report. While Houston themselves passed with their selection, defender Hunter Freeman was selected by the Colorado Rapids in the second round. The Rapids now have seven days to offer a new contract to Freeman. Jason Garey and Eddie Robinson, the only other Dynamo players available for selection were not picked and the Dynamo declined the option to retain either player.

The Houston Dynamo did not select a player during today's first stage of the Re-Entry Draft. The 2nd stage will be held next Monday.

While 16 teams passed with their picks, three did make moves. Chivas USA selected forward Arturo Alvarez from Real Salt Lake, defender Carlos Mendes moves from the New York Red Bulls to the Columbus Crew and Danleigh Borman was selected by the New England Revolution from Toronto FC.

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 is the official list of protected vs. unprotected players the Houston Dynamo released. I like who's been protected and unprotected generally, but I have a few quibbles (below).

HOUSTON, TX. (Monday, November 21, 2011) - The Houston Dynamo have announced their 11-player protected list for the 2012 Expansion Draft to take place on Wednesday, November 23 at 2 p.

Here's a Tweet from Jose de Jesus Ortiz

@OrtizKicks Cam Weaver will have season-ending hip surgery to repair a labrum tear Thursday. More on chron.com later today.

This is a hit, but right now, we have so many forwards that I don't really think it's going to hurt too much.

I'm on the road today so expect plenty of reaction to this disaster tomorrow in Monday Morning Centre Back.

Houston Dynamo (8-9-11) vs. Sporting Kansas City (10-8-10)
September 10, 2011 -- Robertson Stadium
Attendance: 14,791

Scoring Summary:
KC -- Teal Bunbury 6 (Graham Zusi 5) 9
KC -- Teal Bunbury 7 (Julio Cesar 1) 73
KC -- C.

So Dynamo beat Monterrey tonight 3-0 in what was an all-too-predictable slugfest. Here are three links to game stories that detail the carnage:

Houston Chronicle: Friendly turns ugly as Dynamo rout Monterrey 3-0 (This was has a nifty photo gallery on it with images from Chron photog Smiley Pool.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Game time: Saturday, 8:00pm ET

TV: 6 ABC

Any time an old streak ends, a new one can begin and that is exactly what will be on the minds of the Union players when they square off against Houston this Saturday at PPL Park.

By CALEB SONNELAND

The Houston Dynamo bolstered its attacking corps with the acquisitions of Spanish striker Sergio Koke and Jamaican midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson on the final day before the early transfer window closes.

Koke joins the club from Greek outfit Aris, where the forward netted 38 goals in 175 appearances.

Real Salt Lake's Rocky Mountain victory wasn't limited to just Wednesday night's first-team action.

The RSL reserves topped those of the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, Thursday afternoon in the second reserve match for both clubs. Former New York Red Bull Conor Chinn and Collen Warner tallied the goals for RSL, which improved to 1-1 in reserve play.

The Houston Dynamo's search for a Designated Player appears to have come to a fruitful end.

According to a report from Greece, the Dynamo has agreed to a DP deal with Spanish striker Sergio Contreras Pardo, who goes by "Koke" and currently stars for Aris FC.

Koke, 27, previously played at Malaga and Marseille before joining Aris in 2006.

The Swope Park Rangers opened the 2011 reserve league season today down in Houston when they took on the Dynamo. The team has said this season that they like the depth that they have with this team, but all the injuries have piled up, as Sporting KC had to start two Juniors players (Nate Opperman and Wes White both from the U16s) up top due to injuries that have forced some reserves into starting roles.

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 Dynamo hit the road again in the second leg of their early season transcontinental adventure to face the New York Red Bulls. It's Houston's annual sojourn to play the team with a big city name that calls the land of Bruce Springsteen and "Waste Management" companies home.

Saturday's match will be all about the continued growth and development of this Dynamo team.

After last season's disappointment, the Houston Dynamo wanted nothing more than to erase the bad taste in their mouths and get 2011 off to a strong start. Instead, an anemic offense and a defensive mistake on an early set piece set the tone for what was a wholly frustrating night in Houston.

The game couldn't have started any worse for the Dynamo.

The big news for the Dynamo from the weekend wasn't the results of their final two pre-season matches in Atlanta. Instead, it was the re-injured hamstring of forward Brian Ching whose status is in doubt for the season opener on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.

Ching left Friday's 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew in the 28th minute after aggravating the same hamstring that had caused him to miss the past three matches.

Photo by Rick Osentoski/ISIphotos.com

Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew will play their first meaningful game in almost four months when Crew Stadium opens its doors for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal.

The Crew isn't being given much of a chance, considering the offseason moves the team has made and the amount of injuries that have piled up during the MLS preseason.

I noticed there seemed to be a severe lack of FanPosts, so I figured I'd drum up a worthwhile series to read and write some stuff myself. Who knows? Maybe someone will actually comment on it or gain some valuable insight they didn't otherwise have before. Or maybe not. More after the jump.

This series will take a look at the four basic positions – GK, D, M and F – and the players that the Dynamo currently have in those positions.

MLS announced today that the Houston Dynamo are moving to the Eastern Conference to make way for the inclusion of Vancouver and Portland in the West. The new conference alignment keeps the balance of power in the West, so not much has changed in terms of the Fire's standing in the East.

East : Chicago, Columbus, DC, Houston, New England, New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Toronto

West : Chivas, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles, RSL, San Jose, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver

Houston suffered through a down year last season and their current state is not much different than the Fire's.

For your enjoyment, a few photos from day one of the 2011 Houston Dynamo pre-season camp.

All photos are courtesy of Nigel Brooks, @waibelswarrior on Twitter

Lovel Palmer (22) and Hunter Freeman (21)

Alex Dixon (19), Will Bruin (12), Jordan Graye (16)

Jason Garey (9), Francisco Navas Cobo (13)

Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com

By AVI CREDITOR

In the half a decade that Jason Herrick spent in College Park, Md., he experienced the ups of winning a national championship and the downs of a long-term injury. The one thing that never wavered in that time was his work rate or professional mindset.

Posted by Jared Montz

This weekend is the Louisiana Soccer Association's winter meeting. The have asked my company CollegeRecruitingWebsite.com and I to speak on their "College Soccer How do I get there?" panel and I am very excited for the invite. I am a LSA alumni and their are some other really great people on the panel.

For those outside Seattle and Toronto who can consider the Columbus Crew in a context other than what city you think the team needs to relocate to, there's been quite an upheaval at Ohio Fairgrounds Soccer Park this winter. Technical Director Brian Bliss and Coach Robert Warzycha have taken the torch to the Crew's roster, leaving only 10 players from the 2008 Championship team.