ReAL, if Scattered, Thoughts from a Dynamo Fan...

Let's spend a few hours in the mind of one Dynamo supporter:

My '95 Saturn didn't pass the emissions test? I can't renew the inspection sticker yet? I'm at 185,000 miles; I wonder if I can I push it to 200K? Probably not. What a rotten day. It's 3 hours until game time; let's start packing things up.

Hey where's the orange ruckack with everything in it? Probably in the same place as the missing TV remote. At least we have the tickets...we DO have the tickets, right?

It's an hour and a half until kickoff; let's load up the van! Its inspection sticker is okay, isn't it? Good.

It's cool that I can listen to the Texas Longhorns pre-game while we drive in. The way they played last week against Arkansas State, TCU could easily hand us our first loss. Wouldn't it be cool if I could listen to a Dynamo pre-game while driving in?

Hey, is that a spot on the street? Goldmine! We just saved ourselves $10!

Mmmm...Sam Adams Light is the best light beer. And it helps keep me sexy & svelte -- all 190 pounds of me.

No time for a second beer, we gotta get inside the stadium in time to get a free t-shirt. Let's go guys!

Hey is that the real MLS Cup? Cool! Hey, it feels kind of light. I wonder if it's hollow.

Free inflatable noise sticks for all three of my kids? Great.

There goes Dalglish on a golf cart into the parking lot. I wonder where he's going.

Hey, this shirt isn't so bad! No cheesy sponsors on it; just the actual Dynamo jersey sponsor. It's a good t-shirt replica of a jersey, actually. They even put the star above the shield, cool!

Section 118...Section 118...here we are.

That's a great "fan appreciation" video on the Jumbotron. That Waibel is a card. I wonder if we'll be able to find a copy of the video on Youtube later.

Dynamo Girls...Dynamo Diesel (how did they get Stuart Holden to be party to THAT?)...finally: the Braveheart Intro! Here comes the Orange!

Who is that announcer? I like the excitement he bellows when announcing the Dynamo lineup! He's better than the one they had at the Columbus Crew game. I hope they keep him.

Good a cappella rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Did the announcer just say something about a moment of silence to remember the fallen on 9/11? Hard to hear over the Texian Army and El Batallon. Did he just thank us for our silence? Hard to hear over the Texian Army and El Batallon.

Now let's get some noise going. Looks like a light crowd. Will we hit even 10,000 tonight? [Addendum: MLS states we had 16,104 present.]

Dynamo are looking good already. Lots of possession on the far half of the field (which is the attacking half from our seats).

Gooooooooaaaaaal, Dynamo! Ashe from the left to Jaqua! Was that Ashe's first assist? [Nope; his second.]

More possession. Man, we're looking sharp! Do we have twelve men on the field? We're sure to get a second goal here.

Dude, that MLS newbie just pushed our defender down in our own box. Looks like we'll be getting a free ki--what? That's not going to count is it? You're kidding me! Could you really not see that he fouled us to get that shot off? Section 118 is lined up perfectly, and I saw it. How could you not see it, AR? Let's check the replay...just as I thought! Boooooo! Booooo! It looks like Salt Lake is the one with a twelfth man, and he's wearing black!

If we don't get 3 points from this game, I'm calling Glenn Davis' radio show this week to complain about the quality of refs in this league. Last week Ngwenya nearly got his leg broken in Kansas City's penalty box, and there was no call. We should've won that game on the PK.

That Texian Army and El Batallon are keeping the crowd into it tonight.

Honey, do you want those peanuts? If not then--what happened? We scored? Eddie Robinson? Woo-hoo! And he's on my fantasy team, Balder Dash! Big points for me, and we're in the lead!

Eh, Bud Light is cold, but it's no Sam Adams Light...

Halftime, and we're up 2-1. That should be enough with our defense, but another goal would be nice. Let's see: if we keep their goal count to 1, then we can allow 2 goals per game the rest of the year and still set a new record for fewest goals conceded in a season. Let's do it, Dynamo.

Longhorns are down 10-0 at halftime? That figures.

Okay, the teams are back on the field...more Dynamo possession; good, they didn't lose their edge during the break.

Woo-hoo! Ashe to Jaqua AGAIN! And D-Ro started that off from the middle to Ashe. Now it's 3-1 and that should just about do it!

There goes Pope, being subbed off. That'll be the last time I see him play live. The best defender (thus far) the US has produced. I wish you a great retirement.

Holy cow, it's...yes! Ashe to Jaqua AGAIN! We're tearing it up on the left side tonight! With the 4 goals, it's game, set, match, Dynamo!

Ma'am, you dropped a $20 bill. My daughter saw it. Yeah, she's very considerate. She used to be a Brownie.

Ah, yes. Four to one. It's nice being able to relax and just watch the soccer game. No worries about the result. Nice heel flick, D-Ro. We're really comfortable out there now. Ooo, terrible shot, D-Ro; was that a cross or a shot? No matter, it's good that we're still attacking. Wow, great rip that time from distance, D-Ro; unlucky that the keeper was there. I wonder if Kinnear will put in one of the never used subs later? Hoo-boy, Ngwenya turned his man cold and made a great run; too bad Rimando got a bead on that one. We're keeping the pressure on and looking good. I wonder if we can get 5 tonight?

Ah, great! The supporters group is finally doing the "yo si le voy le voy al naranja" chant. I dig that one.

Oh look, my Longhorns have taken a lead. This is a good night.

It's almost to the 70-minute mark. Salt Lake must be desperate; they're cranking up the pressure. Corner kick. No worries, we're solid on these, so we -- did he just--? Yep. Goal.

Not liking this, but that's okay; we've still got the 2 goal cushion. It's not unusual for us to allow teams to get 1 goal, and that's exactly what has happened tonight: Houston-4, Salt Lake-1, Referee-1.

We're looking tired out there, especially Jaqua. Nice shot D-Ro. I hope you don't end this season with 4 measly goals; that is not a reflection of what you bring to this team.

Ten minutes to go...we should be good, but Salt Lake is pressing, and we look tired. Who could Kinnear send in to spell the tired ones? Wondo for Jaqua would be good. Ianni for Cochrane would always be okay...although I haven't notice any of the goals being due to Cochrane tonight. After Wondo and Ianni, that’s about it for tested subs at this point.

Confusion in the box! Get it out of there! Rats. Goal. It's 4-3. What happened to our solid defense? This is looking like a crummy night.

I hate exciting sports stories when they're about other teams and my team serves only as the antagonist. I hope this weekend's story isn't about the hapless Salt Lake franchise turning the corner under their rookie coach, winning two straight and then coming back from a 3-goal deficit to get a result on the road against the MLS Cup Champions.

The supporters' section is spurring the team on. They are willing the Orange to victory. I hope they help the team get a second wind.

We're tired out there, but look at D-Ro hustle all the way back to our goal line to chase down that forward! He wants the points. I like that heart! Can we get another goal?

Three minutes stoppage time? Yikes.

Why, oh why, can't the folks at The Rob keep the clock running past the 90-minute mark? How hard can it be? How much time is left?

Good job Mullan, getting the ball down into the corner. Work that clock, Ngwenya! Ashe and Jaqua, playing smart on the left side.

Blessed relief! We got all three points! We'll have to clamp down on defense if we want to get that season record in the next 5 games, but those three points are what matters tonight! (Yet the ref nearly blew this one.)

Either there were fewer people at the game, or we dawdled in our seats for longer than usual. The traffic home seems slightly lighter than usual.

Hey, look! The Longhorns are pulling it out. Let's listen...they did it! Both my orange teams won, and we all got nice t-shirts. It's a good night after all.