Goal.com has a nice month-by-month review of the Dynamo's 2008 season, from the Geoff Cameron draft in January, through the down then up then down MLS season and international competitions, to the trading of DeRo to Toronto in December.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reminisce.
Man, 2009 is going to be a weird season for Dynamo fans. Not a bad season, per se...just weird.
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Feting the Orange
It was a great turnout at City Hall last night. I managed to get there, albeit a little late due to circling downtown searching for a parking spot. Note to self: don't head into downtown without cash for parking in the future; quarters won't cut it.
I was crossing Walker Street just as the first Dynamo ("...your captain, Wade Barrett!") was being introduced by Glenn Davis. Throughout the proceedings I walked around to view the stage from different angles. It was a well done event. I thought Coach Kinnear's speech was great -- and I'm glad to hear that he's getting along with his neighbors. He thanked them for the free beer and something else, I couldn't hear what, but the bottom line is this: One of the virtues Texans have is their friendliness, and apparently Dom is fortunate to live near some friendly folk. I'm always pleased when I hear our adopted team is enjoying their adopted home.
I'm sure many fans who read the Chronicle blogs understood the inside joke when Dom thanked Bernardo Fallas and referred to him as "teacher."
The chants for a new stadium were well received by officials. It would be nice to have a permanent home for the team and for the fans, and it would be a boon economically with regards to bringing in international competition.
Great quote by Mayor White, "If you don't like Dynamo soccer, you don't like sports."
Mike Jones had a spirited rendition of his Who? Houston Dynamo! ("Houston Dynamo (Don't Play)") song. (Download here.) I left after the team departed the stage and the salsa band struck up their tunes. Salsa should be played at every practice to establish the proper playing rhythm, by the way.
I arrived at home in time to listen to Glenn's show. Stuie was his usual chipper self. (I heard him on 790AM at 8 AM as I drove into work...long day for him...I wonder if he managed to squeeze in his daily run?) Kinnear sounded absolutely wiped on Glenn's show and seemed more terse in his replies to callers and, to a degree, to Glenn as well. I can't blame him.
He and his team have been going non-stop since the end of January. That's nearly 10 months straight, and includes travel to different time zones and different countries. His players have been physically bruised and battered weekly over that time, and still keep coming back for more. Enduring punishing games and intense practices, Dom and the players have still found time to zip off to countless fan meet-and-greets, media events, and official meetings with officials and politicos. They faced praise as well as criticism from the fans and media, and have been (mostly) unfazed by either, and stuck to doing their jobs. Family priorities have been placed on the back burner while they focused on their overarching goal, winning a second MLS Cup. And, in the end, their sacrifices and pain and perseverance saw them achieve that goal.
We praise the stars of the Dynamo, and rightly so, but the whole team deserves praise. Ianni won us 3 valuable points with his goal at Kansas City this year. Wells helped us along our winning streak when Onstad was away on international duty (and Wells helped us at the international level when Onstad was injured at the beginning of the year). Ashe got three assists --every one of them needed--to give us 3 valuable points versus Real Salt Lake this season. Chabala, Hatzke, Hayden, James, and Ustruck helped our starting XI stay sharp at practice, worked behind the scenes to improve their own game, and kept the Dynamo flag flying in the local community (not only at social events, but also by rolling up their sleeves and helping their neighbors), and did so anonymously, for the most part. And Holden -- ah, heck, he's not in the background anymore; he's become one of the stars! He's an inspiration to reserves everywhere.
When Dom was on the radio show last night with Glenn, Glenn would ask callers if they had any questions for Dom. Most of the callers just had congratulations to pass along, but would squeeze out a lame question when pressed. And why were these questions lame? It's not because fans didn't care about the accomplishments, nor because fans were in a "what about next season?" mode. It was because Dom and the team have answered every single question before them. And the answers were for the most part satisfying.
Was 2006 a fluke?
Will the Dynamo have the depth to endure a long season that includes several extracurricular tournaments?
Could the Dynamo hold its own against high-quality international competition?
Could the Dynamo compete without DPs against MLS teams that have evolved?
Can the Dynamo overcome a slow start?
Would the Dynamo be able to make the personnel changes to adapt to a changing league?
Can the Dynamo hold onto its talismanic player, Dwayne DeRosario?
Would Dynamo's stars continue to perform well in the big-stake matches?
Will there be any reserves that make an impact?
Will the Dynamo have another serious contender for goal of the year?
Will the Dynamo be wrongly cheated out of several individual awards by the national media and/or fans? (Last year, it was DDR for MVP; this year it was the defense and/or GK, plus GOTY.)
Will the Dynamo Girls and Diesel be able to integrate into a soccer environment?
Will we see additional financial backing of the team?
Will the strong fan support continue, or even expand?
Can the Dynamo hold on to El Capitan?
Winning the Cup is like capturing lightning in a bottle; Can the Dynamo win it twice in a row?
The answer to the "fluke" question was, thankfully, "no." The answer to every other question was unequivocally "yes." Even the question about individual awards was positive, because I think this team feeds off an esprit de corps and rises to the occasion when it is underestimated and when the chips are down.
There were two additional questions that still linger:
Will there be a change of ownership? (No, but stay tuned?)
Will we have a decision to start construction on a new downtown home for the team and its fans? (No, but I think work has progressed in a positive direction.)
Dom, players, front office: you've answered the questions, you've passed the test, now go get some rest. Go Dynamo!
I was crossing Walker Street just as the first Dynamo ("...your captain, Wade Barrett!") was being introduced by Glenn Davis. Throughout the proceedings I walked around to view the stage from different angles. It was a well done event. I thought Coach Kinnear's speech was great -- and I'm glad to hear that he's getting along with his neighbors. He thanked them for the free beer and something else, I couldn't hear what, but the bottom line is this: One of the virtues Texans have is their friendliness, and apparently Dom is fortunate to live near some friendly folk. I'm always pleased when I hear our adopted team is enjoying their adopted home.
I'm sure many fans who read the Chronicle blogs understood the inside joke when Dom thanked Bernardo Fallas and referred to him as "teacher."
The chants for a new stadium were well received by officials. It would be nice to have a permanent home for the team and for the fans, and it would be a boon economically with regards to bringing in international competition.
Great quote by Mayor White, "If you don't like Dynamo soccer, you don't like sports."
Mike Jones had a spirited rendition of his Who? Houston Dynamo! ("Houston Dynamo (Don't Play)") song. (Download here.) I left after the team departed the stage and the salsa band struck up their tunes. Salsa should be played at every practice to establish the proper playing rhythm, by the way.
I arrived at home in time to listen to Glenn's show. Stuie was his usual chipper self. (I heard him on 790AM at 8 AM as I drove into work...long day for him...I wonder if he managed to squeeze in his daily run?) Kinnear sounded absolutely wiped on Glenn's show and seemed more terse in his replies to callers and, to a degree, to Glenn as well. I can't blame him.
He and his team have been going non-stop since the end of January. That's nearly 10 months straight, and includes travel to different time zones and different countries. His players have been physically bruised and battered weekly over that time, and still keep coming back for more. Enduring punishing games and intense practices, Dom and the players have still found time to zip off to countless fan meet-and-greets, media events, and official meetings with officials and politicos. They faced praise as well as criticism from the fans and media, and have been (mostly) unfazed by either, and stuck to doing their jobs. Family priorities have been placed on the back burner while they focused on their overarching goal, winning a second MLS Cup. And, in the end, their sacrifices and pain and perseverance saw them achieve that goal.
We praise the stars of the Dynamo, and rightly so, but the whole team deserves praise. Ianni won us 3 valuable points with his goal at Kansas City this year. Wells helped us along our winning streak when Onstad was away on international duty (and Wells helped us at the international level when Onstad was injured at the beginning of the year). Ashe got three assists --every one of them needed--to give us 3 valuable points versus Real Salt Lake this season. Chabala, Hatzke, Hayden, James, and Ustruck helped our starting XI stay sharp at practice, worked behind the scenes to improve their own game, and kept the Dynamo flag flying in the local community (not only at social events, but also by rolling up their sleeves and helping their neighbors), and did so anonymously, for the most part. And Holden -- ah, heck, he's not in the background anymore; he's become one of the stars! He's an inspiration to reserves everywhere.
When Dom was on the radio show last night with Glenn, Glenn would ask callers if they had any questions for Dom. Most of the callers just had congratulations to pass along, but would squeeze out a lame question when pressed. And why were these questions lame? It's not because fans didn't care about the accomplishments, nor because fans were in a "what about next season?" mode. It was because Dom and the team have answered every single question before them. And the answers were for the most part satisfying.
Was 2006 a fluke?
Will the Dynamo have the depth to endure a long season that includes several extracurricular tournaments?
Could the Dynamo hold its own against high-quality international competition?
Could the Dynamo compete without DPs against MLS teams that have evolved?
Can the Dynamo overcome a slow start?
Would the Dynamo be able to make the personnel changes to adapt to a changing league?
Can the Dynamo hold onto its talismanic player, Dwayne DeRosario?
Would Dynamo's stars continue to perform well in the big-stake matches?
Will there be any reserves that make an impact?
Will the Dynamo have another serious contender for goal of the year?
Will the Dynamo be wrongly cheated out of several individual awards by the national media and/or fans? (Last year, it was DDR for MVP; this year it was the defense and/or GK, plus GOTY.)
Will the Dynamo Girls and Diesel be able to integrate into a soccer environment?
Will we see additional financial backing of the team?
Will the strong fan support continue, or even expand?
Can the Dynamo hold on to El Capitan?
Winning the Cup is like capturing lightning in a bottle; Can the Dynamo win it twice in a row?
The answer to the "fluke" question was, thankfully, "no." The answer to every other question was unequivocally "yes." Even the question about individual awards was positive, because I think this team feeds off an esprit de corps and rises to the occasion when it is underestimated and when the chips are down.
There were two additional questions that still linger:
Will there be a change of ownership? (No, but stay tuned?)
Will we have a decision to start construction on a new downtown home for the team and its fans? (No, but I think work has progressed in a positive direction.)
Dom, players, front office: you've answered the questions, you've passed the test, now go get some rest. Go Dynamo!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
A season of note
Dynamo-Houston have proven themselves a success this past year, and they've earned a well-deserved rest after their final MLS Cup victory. (While the players might be resting, I think the coaches and front office will be working just as hard this off-season. That's for another post.)
Winning the MLS Cup is certainly the ceremonial highlight of this season, but so many other events and achievements occurred this year. Here is some of what I remember:
* In what seems like another lifetime, I remember the announcement that the Earthquakes, my sons' favorite team and one of the most exciting teams in the MLS, was moving to Houston, our home of only a few months at the time. No new owner and no stadium deal? Then why is AEG moving the team here? And do you remember the radio buzz over the 1836 name?
Winning the MLS Cup is certainly the ceremonial highlight of this season, but so many other events and achievements occurred this year. Here is some of what I remember:
* In what seems like another lifetime, I remember the announcement that the Earthquakes, my sons' favorite team and one of the most exciting teams in the MLS, was moving to Houston, our home of only a few months at the time. No new owner and no stadium deal? Then why is AEG moving the team here? And do you remember the radio buzz over the 1836 name?
* April 2: In the first match at Robinson stadium (late on a Sunday, so my family didn't go), Ching scores a Hat Trick +1 and Alejandro Moreno tacks on a bicycle kick/chileno at the end to cap off a 5-2 goalfest.
* April 8: Dynamo-H take on KC Wizards. This is the first match my family sees live. Ching starts off the scoring, but, in what looks to be a trend, the team allows a quick equalizer. DDR gets a red card and the team goes on to lose off a rocket of a strike from Jose Burciaga very late in the game.
* May 6: In another goalfest, Dynamo-H beat their in-state rival in their first formal meeting, 4-3. My oldest son and I sit behind the south goal, the locus of the first three Dynamo goals and all three of FCD's goals.
* Ching is selected to the US World Cup team. He scores in a warm-up friendly versus Venezuela on May 26, but gets no field time in Germany as the USMNT fails to get out of the group stage.
* June 3: Dynamo-Houston begins their "corporate restructuring" streak by beating the dastardly LA Galaxy. Their victory earns the Galaxy coach, Steve Sampson, a pink slip that week. Dynamo's victory vs KC on July 15 earns the Wizards coach, Bob Gansler, a pink slip the week following that match as well.
* July 22: Holden scores an equalizer versus the Revs in a match that see the visitors play boring soccer and Dynamo waste numerous changes. My oldest son catches a free t-shirt tossed into the stands. "I caught this at a Dynamo game" it reads.
* August 2: Dynamo vs Dynamo in the first US Open Cup match for Houston. Dynamo wins 4-2. The sprinklers go off too.
* August 5: Dwayne DeRosario, as the playmaker in the center of the field, scores the only goal in the MLS All-Star match versus Chelsea. DDR is rightfully chosen as the All-Star MVP.
* August 9: Dynamo-H fills Reliant Stadium and dominates the Galaxy, but new coach Frank Yallop leads his team to victory off a lone goal by recent transfer Santino Quaranta. Eddie Robinson scores an equalizer, but it's called back due to a hand ball. Barcelona follows, coming back from a 0-3 deficit to tie the game 3-3 vs Club America.
* August 12: Dynamo squeaks by FCD at home, 1-0, and wins the inaugural series versus the Toros, winning possession of "El Capitan" in their first year. My daughter gets several autographs after the game, including Craig Waibel (who scored the game winner) and Brian Ching.
* August 30: In Chicago's new stadium in Bridgeview, DDR scores a goal with the ball sitting on the halfway line. The 55 yard bomb eludes Zach Thornton and helps the team to a road 2-2 draw. Could this be DDR’s third consecutive Goal Of The Year?
* September 30: DDR doesn't get the GOTY because in this home match versus DC United, Brad Davis sends a cross into the box that is flicked on by Scotsman, Paul Dalglish, and almost 18 yards out, Ching skies into the air and drills the bicycled game winner into the net, propelling Dynamo into the playoffs. The marvelous, acrobatic kick earns Ching the GOTY. Can you see my orange family in the replays from the touchline?
* October 29: Things looking grim, down 2-1 in the aggregate Conference semifinals, Davis evens the tally early in the second half. It looks like we're headed to overtime when, 1 minute and 57 seconds into the 2 minute stoppage time, Ching knocks in the winning goal. Conference final, here we come. 
* November 5: Again down by one to Colorado in the Western Conference final, the team comes back to win their first silverware 3-1, punctuated by a sliding volley by Mullan to seal the deal. Adrian Serioux throw a commemorative cap into the stands, and my oldest son catches it. Thanks, Serioux.
* November 12: Scoreless through regulation, Dynamo go down a goal (for the third time in the MLS Cup tourney) but equalize off the successive kickoff. Ching nets the final PK and Onstad stops the final attempt, and Dynamo bring the Cup to Houston, their new home.
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