Dynamo 90 Minutes From Second Straight MLS Cup Final

The Men In Orange handled their playoff business last weekend at BBVA Compass Stadium and walked out of there with a 3-1 first leg MLS Eastern Conference Final win against DC United after trailing at the half 1-0.

The Dynamo head into this 3 PM CST second leg game at RFK Stadium in the enviable spot of needing only a win, draw or not losing by more than two goals in order to secure their second straight trip to the MLS Cup title game. 

If they do earn it, they will have to play in either Los Angeles or Seattle since MLS has changed the championship game format to where it is played at the home arena of the participating team with the highest seed.  And right now assuming things stay to form in the MLS Western Conference final it looks like the Dynamo will be getting a rematch against the LA Galaxy  

It's looking good for them right now, but they still have to play the and survive that match in front of DC United's rowdy fans before they can start making travel plans to either LA or Seattle and MLS Cup 2012.

 

Houston's Other Football Team Plays Tonight

My hometown has a second football team that is in the playoffs and going for a championship. 

Instead of wearing battle red, liberty white and deep steel blue, helmets and a lot of padding as they play their 60 minute games at Reliant Stadium to sold out crowds, they wear orange uniforms and kick a round ball around for 90 plus minutes over at a sold out soccer specific BBVA Compass Stadium in front of their passionate fan base.

I'm talking about the Houston Dynamo, our Major League Soccer franchise that has been quite successful ever since they started play here in 2005.  They not only won back to back MLS cup titles in 2006 and 2007, they are the defending Eastern Conference champions and played in the 2011 MLS Cup game last year.

They also became only the fourth MLS squad in the league's 17 year history to go through their home schedule undefeated and have a 27 match winning streak in games played in H-town dating back to last season.

The Dynamo struggled through most of the 2012 season and qualified as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have a tendency to turn up their level of play when it's playoff time as they demonstrated last year.

The Men In Orange have already gotten their 2012 MLS playoff run off to a successful start by taking down the Chicago Fire 2-1 in their knockout round match played on October 31.

They play Sporting Kansas City, the team they knocked off last year to get to the MLS Cup championship match they lost to the LA Galaxy in their two leg Eastern Conference semifinal later tonight at BBVA Compass Stadium.   If they are successful in knocking off SKC, they will move on to the Eastern Conference finals against either DC United or the New York Red Bulls.

Let's Go Dynamo! 

MLS Cup 2011-Let's Go Dynamo!

The MLS Cup 2011 title match will kick off at 8 PM CST and pits my MLS Eastern Conference champion Houston Dynamo against the star studded Western Conference champion LA Galaxy.


No one in the international soccer media and MLS watchers are giving my local football franchise a chance against the Galaxy.  They won the Supporter's Shield for having the best regular season record in MLS, are playing in their home stadium, are appearing in their MLS record seventh final and despite both squads ironically being owned by the same company in Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Galaxy have a combined payroll that dwarfs the Dynamo's $2.91 million one. 

They have David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane and are the glam team in Major League Soccer.  But what people forget is that championships aren't won on paper, or because you spent the most money or have the most superstars in your lineup.  You have to play the games.

The Dominic Kinnear coached Houston Dynamo won back to back MLS titles themselves in 2006 and 2007 and are on a two month nine game unbeaten streak that has powered them through the playoffs and goalkeeper Tally Hall has only given up one goal since the playoffs started.

They are 90 minutes away from bringing a third MLS championship trophy back to Houston but will have to do it without MLS MVP candidate Brad Davis.  

The Dynamo lost him in the Eastern Conference finals to a severe quad injury early in the first half of their 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City.

It will be interesting to see how this MLS Cup 2011 plays out and I would love to be attending another championship rally on the steps of City Hall. 

Let's go Dynamo!

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Houston Dynamo To MLS Cup 2011 Title Game!

It's been a great year so far for football at the collegiate and professional  levels in the Houston area, and now our football team that plays with a round ball is joining in on the fun.  

The Houston Dynamo knocked off Sporting Kansas City 2-0 yesterday in the MLS Eastern Conference Finals to avenge an earlier 3-0 butt kicking on September 10 and send them to their third trip to the MLS Cup title game on November 20. 

The Houston Dynamo is our Major League Soccer team we received here in 2005 as a result of the San Jose Earthquakes players and coach Dominic Kinnear being transferred here as a result of the inability of their AEG owners to get a soccer specific stadium built in the San Jose area.   Since Houston was about to get an MLS expansion franchise, we ended up with a Baltimore Ravens type situation in which we got the players to stock our new franchise while the history, colors, nickname and records of the Earthquakes stayed in San Jose until the franchise was revived by MLS in 2008.

The Dynamo have played their games at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus since their arrival in town but broke ground earlier this year on a 22,000 seat soccer-specific downtown stadium that is currently under construction on the opposite side of the elevated Eastex Freeway from Minute Maid Park. 

The stadium is scheduled to open for business in May 2012 and will also be the home for Texas Southern University football games and outdoor concerts. 

The team found itself ensnared in a public relations controversy during the startup phase.  An online survey was conducted that polled fans to choose the name of the new MLS team from Apollos, Bulls, Eagles, Gatos, Lonestars, Stallions, Toros, Americans, Buffaloes, Generals, Houston 1836, Mustangs and Stars.  On January 25, 2006 the announcement was made that Houston 1836 would be selected as the name and the logic behind it was that it reflected the year Houston was founded as a city. 

However, 1836 is also the year that Texas won independence from Mexico and that is still a sore spot issue south of the border.  The soccer fans here who are predominately of Mexican heritage and the targeted market for the team loudly protested the chosen nickname for the new MLS franchise and it was changed to the Dynamo.

Despite that stumbling PR start, the newbies on the professional sports scene in town quickly established themselves as winners not only at the box office but on the pitch.  The Dynamo won back to back MLS titles in 2006 and 2007 and lost in the Western Conference finals in 2008 and 2009.  On the FIFA international club level competition stage they have made it to the semifinals of the CONCAFAF Champions League in 2007-2008 and were eliminated in the group stage in 2009.

But after missing the playoffs in 2010 General Manager and head coach Dominic Kinnear made some painful changes and rebuilt the team.  For much of the season it looked like the Dynamo were going to miss out on the MLS playoffs again but after that 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City the team caught fire.

The Dynamo has been on a nine game unbeaten streak, won five consecutive games and finished high enough in the Eastern Conference standings to earn a bye into the semis.  They knocked out the Philadelphia Union in the home and home Eastern Conference semis two leg playoff before taking out Sporting KC.   

But they will be underdogs going into the MLS Cup championship game against the LA Galaxy, the team that had the best record in MLS this year.  In addition to playing in the Galaxy's home stadium in Carson, CA they will be facing David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the gang without their MLS MVP candidate Brad Davis, who suffered a right quad injury in the first half of yesterday's Eastern Conference championship match.

After seeing what the Dynamo has accomplished against the odds this season, I wouldn't count out the possibility that when the new stadium opens next May, the Dynamo might be unfurling another championship banner as part of the opening ceremonies for it. 

Congrats Dynamo and bring that ML:S Cup back to H-town.   It would sure be nice to have another championship rally at the steps of City Hall.