Dynamo Press Release

CARSON, CA (Sunday, February 12, 2012) -- The Houston Dynamo lost their first match of the preseason, falling to the Portland Timbers 2-0 Sunday morning at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin provided the second-half goals for Portland.

Well it's just a preseason match and doesn't count for anything, but the Dynamo's 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy does give us the ever so slightest bit of retribution after last season. Nathan Sturgis scored his second goal of the preseason as the Dynamo defense continued it's streak of clean sheets with their fifth straight shutout of the preseason.

BY ADAM SERRANO

Friday's scrimmage between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy may have been a rematch of the 2011 MLS Cup, but last November's match was far from the minds of all involved.

The Dynamo defeated the Galaxy 1-0 after Nathan Sturgis scored the lone goal of the match on a header from a looping cross from Josue Soto in the 68th minute.

The Dynamo continued their undefeated preseason (for what that's worse) with a 2-0 victory over the Montreal Impact. This was the first MLS competition Houston has faced this preseason and it's fitting it was against Brian Ching and Le Impact. Colin Clark and Cam Weaver both scored for the Dynamo.

It seems like just yesterday the Dynamo played for the MLS Cup in Los Angeles, in fact it was only 66 days ago, but time waits for no one and the new season must get underway. Yesterday at the team's training facilities, the Dynamo did just that, kicking off the 2012 season with the opening of pre-season camp.

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" said a famous philosopher centuries ago, but he may as well have been writing for MLS Talk about the 2011 Eastern Conference champions. The Houston Dynamo took advantage of a ...
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The time has come to award the first ever Creamsicles!

We're beginning this annual (hopefully) tradition with nine categories for Dynamo fans to vote on. The awards and nominees are listed below and the voting link will be at the bottom of the post. You have one week to vote, so get to it!

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Click Here to Vote for the 2011 Creamsicles

VOTING CLOSES THURSDAY, JANUARY 5th at 11:00am CT

Team MVP: Tally Hall, Brad Davis, Andre Hainault, Geoff Cameron

Forward of the Year: Brian Ching, Cam Weaver, Calen Carr, Will Bruin, Carlo Costly

Midfielder of the Year: Brad Davis, Luiz Camargo, Adam Moffat, Danny Cruz, Colin Clark

Defender of the Year: Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Andre Hainault, Corey Ashe, Hunter Freeman

Newcomer of the Year: Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo, Calen Carr, Colin Clark

Rookie of the Year: Will Bruin, Kofi Sarkodie, Alex Dixon

Moment of the Year: New Stadium Groundbreaking, Dixon's Goal vs.

This BBVA Compass partnership is already paying dividens for the Dynamo.

Don't think so? Check out this video where arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, other than Tally Hall, congratulates the Dynamo on their partnership with BBVA and wishes us the best us luck in building a better Houston and growing the sport of soccer in the US.

So it's that time of the year, shortly after the conclusion of another MLS Season and the beginnings of yet another intriguing MLS Offseason, where families gather to mark some occasion from many, many years ago when some people from a foreign land decided to venture forth from their land in search of freedoms, and landed their ships upon the rock known as the good old U S of A.

With a day to digest it all, here are 10 final points from the L.A. Galaxy's win Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

• LA Galaxy was the best team in Major League Soccer wire to wire, as I've said, before. They are a deserving champion. As for these questions of whether the Galaxy 2011 is the best club in MLS history?

The Los Angeles Galaxy claimed their first MLS Cup of the David Beckham Era with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo Sunday night at the Home Depot Center.

While much was made of Sunday night's game in light of Beckham's contract which is set expire in the offseason it was Landon Donovan who took center stage by burying a Robbie Keane ball in the 72nd minute to seize the proceedings and give the Galaxy their third MLS Championship in team history.

Landon Donovan's goal gave Los Angeles Galaxy their first MLS Cup win since 2005

Los Angeles Galaxy claimed the title of Major League Soccer champions for the third time in their history following Sunday's 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo in the 2011 MLS Cup final. Although the game featured prominently in the headlines before kick-off due to it being David Beckham's last game for the club, the headlines were reserved afterwards for a true American hero in Landon Donovan whose goal late in the game gave Galaxy the cup for the first time since 2005.

Landon Donovan's goal gave Los Angeles Galaxy their first MLS Cup win since 2005

Los Angeles Galaxy claimed the title of Major League Soccer champions for the third time in their history following Sunday's 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo in the 2011 MLS Cup final. Although the game featured prominently in the headlines before kick-off due to it being David Beckham's last game for the club, the headlines were reserved afterwards for a true American hero in Landon Donovan whose goal late in the game gave Galaxy the cup for the first time since 2005.

The 2011 MLS Cup Final was won in a dream fashion. The LA Galaxy capped off an incredible season where they won the Supporters Shield, achieved success in the CONCACAF Champions League and impressed everyone with their quality throughout. With the 1-0 win over a resistant Houston Dynamo the Galaxy secured their third MLS Cup and did so in front of 30,281 screaming fans who weathered the rain.

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.

By FRANCO PANIZO

CARSON, Calif. -- Minutes before the Los Angeles Galaxy blasted music and opened bottles of beer in their locker room at the Home Depot Center, the Houston Dynamo sat in theirs with glum faces and blank stares. The silence that filled the air spoke volumes.

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

CARSON, Calif. - Landon Donovan, it would appear, has a knack for timing.

While struggling with various ailments, including a particularly troublesome quadriceps strain, the Los Angeles Galaxy captain notched just one goal and one assist in the regular season after the end of July .

It didn't feel like one day, or even a whole season was riding on Sunday night's MLS Cup matchup.

No, for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Sunday night's final against the Houston Dynamo had more like a weight of five years. From the moment David Beckham arrived in Los Angeles in 2007, to all the ups and downs, to Bruce Arena coming in as head coach and general manager a year later to the midseason acquisition of Robbie Keane this year, all the attention, all the pressure, all the weight was on the Los Angeles Galaxy to win the 2011 MLS Cup.

Landon Donovan scored a clinical decisive goal to guide the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup Final at a sold-out Home Depot Center.

Galaxy, who led the MLS with 19 wins and 67 points from their 34 matches, were worthy winners as they controlled the match from start to finish on their turf.

The second try turned out to be the charm for Bruce Arena and his Los Angeles Galaxy. Landon Donovan's outside right-foot finish past Tally Hall in the 72nd minute put the Galaxy on top for good. Keane picked up the ...
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CARSON, Calif. -- No Major League Soccer team with a Designated Player had won an MLS Cup prior to Sunday night.

In one moment, three DPs combined to buck that trend.

Landon Donovan finished off a pass from Robbie Keane in the 72nd minute to break a scoreless deadlock and deliver the MLS Cup to the Los Angeles Galaxy following a 1-0 result over the Houston Dynamo in front of 30,281 at the Home Depot Center.

SBI quotes Dynamo keeper Tally Hall on penalty kicks: "I've done enough homework to know that pretty much every player on their team taking a penalty can score either way," said Hall. "It doesn't really help me. Listen, most players here are good enough to go two ways consistently and score, so it's sometimes a premonition, sometimes it's just straight up reading.

It's going to take not only a great effort from the Houston Dynamo tonight to win their third MLS Cup, it's going to take Houston getting some breaks as well. Fortunately, that kind of thing happens all the time in soccer matches so while the Los Angeles Galaxy are massive favorites on paper (and rightfully so), we all know that in a one off playoff game, anything can happen.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

CARSON, Calif. - If there was any doubt as to whether David Beckham was going to play in the MLS Cup final, it should be gone now.

Having missed training the last couple of days with a cold, Beckham squashed any concerns over his health following the Los Angeles Galaxy's practice session inside a chilly Home Depot Center on Saturday afternoon.

The season ended weeks ago for most of us Sounders fans. It feels even longer since the league scheduled the MLS Cup after the international break. However, the real end of the season is nigh as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo this weekend. I'm expecting an entertaining, if decidedly one-sided match-up this weekend.

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 Andrew Villegas So, MLS finally got what it wanted all along from this season: High ranking clubs, one from each conference Eastern and Western, fighting it out in the MLS Cup. They just had to move a traditionally "western" city – aren't they all western in Texas? into the eastern division to do [.

STARTERS
I'm getting goosebumps already! MLS Cup is 6 days away.
dN
Bruce Arena of the LA Galaxy has been named the MLS Coach of the Year.
-That was an easy one. No one else was even close.
dN
The New England Revolution has hired Jay "He also played basketball for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke" Heaps as their new head coach.

• Dynamo fans gobble up MLS Cup Final tickets [Houston Chronicle]
• Goalkeeper Tally Hall gets his shot in Houston [USA Today]
• Dynamo's Hainault keeps Euro interest on back burner [MLS Soccer]
• Defensive switch propels red-hot Houston [MLS Soccer]
• Davis-less Dynamo accustomed to adversity [Houston Chronicle]
• Despite quad injury, Davis calls 2011 "surreal" [MLS Soccer]
• Unlikely heroes Taylor, Moffat provide winner at KC [Houston Dynamo]

In Other News:

• Meet T.

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.

THE WORLD IS CHANGING RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES
Mexico has dropped captain Rafael Marquez from the national team this week after his 3 game suspension in MLS after he threw a ball at Landon Donovan, started a brawl and then pretended he got hit in the face. Karma's a bitch.
And as many times as I have found the Mexican football federation to be poor in their judgement, they need praise for doing the right thing this time.

Now that the finalist for the 2011 MLS Awards are out, it's time I share how I voted with everyone. I'm a firm believer in the need for transparency in award voting if for no other reason that if you submit a crazy ballot, you should be accountable for your choices.

We were allowed by MLS to select two choices for each category from a pre-selected list.

By the end of the first half of the first game of the playoff series against Houston it was clear that the Philadelphia Union's defense was not adequately familiar with the new formation deployed by Peter Nowak against the Houston Dynamo at PPL Park. In the second half, the Union reverted to the tried and tested four man backline that had been so instrumental in seeing the Union advance to the playoffs in the first place.

Photo by Chris Canetti

Following Sunday afternoon's 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the 2011 MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final, members of the Houston Dynamo shared their thoughts on the win and the upcoming MLS Cup Final with Simon Borg of MLSSoccer.com.

The Houston Dynamo will be facing the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2011 MLS Cup Final on Sunday November 20th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

After a scoreless first half, the Dynamo opened up the attack with Andre Hainault and Carlo Costly goals as Houston earned 2-0 win over Sporting K.C. at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and a return to the MLS Cup Final for the first time since 2007.

Hainault opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when a corralled a loose ball inside the box and fired it through to give the guests the lead.

Kansas City 0 - Houston 2 Home field wasn't the advantage Sporting expected with their worst to first 2011 season ending with an Eastern Conference final loss to Houston. After losing Brad Davis to an injury that is expected to keep him out of MLS Cup, Houston's Andre Hainault scored in the 52rd minute and Carlo Costly doubled the lead in the 87th.

Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City November 06, 2011 -- LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Kansas City KSEastern Conference finalAttendance: 20,839

Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Andre Hainault 2 (unassisted) 53
HOU -- Carlo Costly 1 (Luiz Camargo 1) 87

Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe, Danny Cruz, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo, Brad Davis (Jermaine Taylor 39), Brian Ching (Carlo Costly 78), Calen Carr (Will Bruin 68).

After the all consternation, all the second guessing, all the doubts, the Houston Dynamo are playing for the Eastern Conference Championship on Sunday. It's mind blowing to realize that this really was a rebuilding year in Houston and despite the challenges and roster turnover, Dominic Kinnear once again has his team in a conference final, the fourth time in the team's six seasons.

The Houston Dynamo took a 1 goal aggregate advantage home to Robertson Stadium to face the Philadelphia Union in front of an Orange clad 24,749 fans in what was the final MLS match ever at Robertson Stadium.
The Philadelphia Union made some head scratching line-up changes for the second match in a row that left many question Peter Nowak's strategy.

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).