Here's a roundup of some Houston-related topics that have hit the media. They discuss what Houston needs to do next year,
Houston season review
ESPN has an article about the Dynamo still being strong contenders for 2009. It was written before the team unloaded DeRo. Here are some excerpts:
"Houston is still, hands-down, the best team in Major League Soccer," said former U.S. international Eric Wynalda. "This is not to discredit the accomplishment that the Columbus Crew had. They had a great year and terrific blend of players. But based on pure talent, pure ability, soccer knowledge, experience -- yes, Houston is better."
Go down the Dynamo's lineup, and it's clear why Houston is still among the league's elite. Houston has quality at nearly every position, with its midfield especially rich in talent. Not only are Ricardo Clark and Brad Davis still in their prime, but the likes of Stuart Holden and Corey Ashe are young players who have proven themselves ready for bigger roles. Then there is the considerable class offered up by Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Mullan.
That's not to say that Houston doesn't have some holes to fill. The departure of Nate Jaqua to Seattle once again puts the Dynamo in the market for a forward to pair with Brian Ching. With Bobby Boswell expected to head to Europe, the team will also be looking to bolster the center of its defense, and the aforementioned age issue is most apparent at fullback. While both Wade Barrett and Richard Mulrooney are solid performers, Kinnear will need to start planning now for their eventual departures.
Kinnear will likely go the trade route, a tactic that has served him well over the years. After the 2004 campaign, the departures of Landon Donovan, Ronnie Ekelund and Jeff Agoos forced Kinnear to rebuild a San Jose Earthquake side that eventually morphed into the current Dynamo squad, with Davis and Clark among his acquisitions. And Kinnear's Midas touch in the trade market hasn't diminished over time; the 2007-08 offseason saw him land Boswell.
"Kinnear's too smart; he'll find players," said Wynalda. "And his system is one that works, that really defines the positions well so he doesn't have to get creative. Guys can come and go out of certain position and not have a dramatic effect on the team."
The MLS Website also has a season review. Here are some excerpts, some of which may presage the departure of DeRo:
Waibel: "The greatest thing to take away from this season, on top of the results, is that we are still one of the best teams in this league and we have a bench that is as deep as any."
After their loss to the New York Red Bulls in the Western Conference Semifinal Series, Ching mentioned that he thought there would be some big changes with the team, but failed to elaborate when pushed. Kinnear sidestepped the question and said the team next year would be fine. Waibel acknowledged the possibility of a shakeup, but didn't dwell on the potential breakup in chemistry the team has relied upon since Day 1.
"But I don't think anyone on this roster is banging down the door trying to get out of here. I think everyone that has been here and left is banging on the door trying to get back in." [Well, it seems that DeRo was, in fact, banging down the door trying to get out so he could return to Toronto.]
As for goals in 2009 for whatever players might don the Orange and White next year, that's easy.
"The season is over," Kinnear said. "But our goal for next year is set already, and that is to win MLS Cup 2009."
The DeRo Trade
Ives voices his opinion on the DeRo trade, and whether the Dynamo got a fair deal:
The deal happened because the Dynamo came to the realization that they had to revamp a roster that was showing vulnerabilities that didn't exist when the team was winning MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. The departure of Nate Jaqua, potential departure of Brian Ching and likely departure of stalwart defender Bobby Boswell forced the Dynamo to consider how to revamp their roster without tearing it apart.
As much as all parties involved [Houston, Toronto, DeRo] needed the trade to happen, Toronto FC still came away the clear winner. TFC director of soccer Mo Johnston ... has set Toronto up for a big 2009. Add De Rosario to three first-round draft picks in what is considered a strong upcoming draft in January, $800,000 in allocation money as well as a designated player slot the team is expected to use, and you realize that Toronto had the resources to pay more for De Rosario but didn't.
Johnston managed to land one of the league's best midfielders and a renowned clutch player, and he did so without giving up a key starter or any of the team's three first-round draft picks. Throw in that Houston accepted what sources say was an allocation less than $200,000, and you get the sneaking suspicion that Toronto FC played hardball and Houston relented.
Toronto's reward is a player who will boost a Toronto attack that struggled at times. Whether TFC groups De Rosario with Amado Guevara and Carl Robinson in a 4-5-1 formation or plays De Rosario as a withdrawn forward in a 4-4-1-1, the prospect of having the creative tandem of De Rosario and Guevara working together is a scary proposition. Especially if you consider that Toronto is expected to use its designated player slot on a forward.
The lingering question that stands out when looking at this trade is, why did Houston deal De Rosario for seemingly so little? The reality is that there wasn't a huge market for De Rosario because of his salary, his desire for a new contract and the leaguewide knowledge that he wanted to play only for Toronto. With only one team to deal him to, Houston was left with poor bargaining position, and it showed in what most experts will call a lopsided deal.
Although that may be so, a closer look at the deal reveals that it could help Houston on a variety of fronts. In swapping De Rosario for James and between $150,000 and $175,000 in allocation money, the Dynamo gain a potential net of up to $350,000 of salary-cap space. Houston is expected to use that cap space to use its designated player, with a marquee forward at the top of the team's list of needs.
James also is very high on the lists of several MLS clubs that considered him the best defender in the 2008 MLS draft. Although James did struggle at times as a rookie for Toronto, he still boasts the athleticism and toughness that many scouts believe could help him turn into an elite defender.
In the end, Houston won't regret this deal if Holden flourishes, if its DP signing isn't a flop and if James is a standout defender. But if more than one of these doesn't break right for the Dynamo, critics will look back on this trade as the real beginning of the end for the Dynamo.
As for TFC, the club landed the player it has long coveted and is one step closer to completing a rebuilding project that will see it go from missing the playoffs to winning a title. For Johnston & Co., 2009 is a make-or-break season, and Friday's trade is a major step toward Toronto's establishing itself as a legitimate force next season.
The Chronicle covers one cool aspect of the DeRo trade, and that is that Stuart Holden will be at the heart of the team:
Last week's trade — the biggest in the Dynamo's short history — might have been all about outgoing midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and incoming defender Julius James. But come next season, it might be all about Stuart Holden.
"I’ve always thought that (attacking mid) was my best position," Holden said. "This year I got to play most of my minutes there, and I think I proved to (coach) Dom (Kinnear) that I can play in central midfield, and not only play but score and be a threat."
The team is confident, too. So confident that it is in talks with Holden about a long-term deal — one that is bound to include a significant pay increase —despite him having a season left in his contract.
The Chronicle later takes the position that unloading DeRo may help the team in the long run. DeRo was filling a position where we already had a capable substitute. We needed to make the moves to fill gaping holes in our lineup. Out of the deal we get a young defender of the future, and the money to pursue a solid forward ... possibly Luis Angel Landin, a young Mexican First Division forward from Morelia Monarcas (and Pachuca before that) "with exceptional size, name recognition, incredible potential, and, better yet, an attractive price tag."
Showing posts with label front office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label front office. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Between Quake events, and After the Hurricane
I hope Hurricane Ike has had as minimal of an impact as possible on you, your family, and your property. As for me and my household, we lost several tree limbs but had no property damage. We are still without power, but we have water and gas, so we can cook on our gas stove and take comfortable showers with our gas water heater. If the cool front hadn't come through, we'd be absolutely miserable without air conditioning, but the weather has complied to make for pleasant evenings. We count ourselves very lucky and hope you can do the same.
(One of my neighbors stated that God gives us these challenges to help us grow and to test us. I replied that God must have a low opinion of my character under duress, because He went easy on us this time. Or maybe He thought we already had our hurricane test since we lost everything to Hurricane Andrew when I was a newlywed young Ensign stationed on Homestead AFB. Either way, I'm grateful for the minor inconvenience we've experienced this time.)
Still no power at home, but at work we have power. You might surmise that this means that I'm spending work time on personal blogging. I will not confirm or deny that.
I missed the Dynamo-Earthquake match this past weekend. (Official Recap.) We had no power at the time, and while I could've listened to it on the radio, I was actually asleep on the couch having stayed up most of the night watching the storm and spent most of the morning keeping our street gutters free of debris to prevent street flooding. I watched the highlights, though, and they suggest that we were lucky to leave San Jose with a point. We may have had better possession (I can't tell from the highlights) and may have been unlucky to not convert a few more of our chances, but the Earthquakes had several 1-on-1 shots on goal that weren't converted. After a botched header by ERob, Onstad made two desperate point-blank saves in a row in the first half. Not long after, Onstad displayed more heroics on another point-blank shot. In the second half, a point-blank header found Barrett's chest at the goal line. In fact, Ronnie O'Brien's goal that opened up the scoring in the 50th minute -- a blistering shot from just outside our box, taken from Onstad's left and ending up in the far right netting -- was more difficult than these four shots that Onstad and Barrett saved.
Of course, we had our chances too. And how about the spunk shown by Ching after he scored the equalizer, when he ran over to remind the feisty Earthquake fans where their 2 stars came from? Reading Ives' blog, at least one Quake fan thought that was a classless display and has decided to instantly despise his former hero. I think Ching was merely responding in kind; it was defiance to counter spitefulness and it was only directed at the fans who were spouting vitriol, not to the fans who were merely supporting their (new) players.
ERob got ejected yet again, this time for getting two yellow cards. From what I could see, though, ERob's second yellow came when he was fouled from behind. Either I missed something or the ref completely blew the call. Or both.
We now have 39 points, 6 points away from the Supporters' Shield that I want so badly. We only have 6 games to make up the difference, and the next match is versus the very same Earthquakes this Saturday. With the generous post-Ike deal sponsored by the Dynamo and the University of Houston (free parking? free tickets for kids under 14? $10 adult tickets? Wow!) we hope to see a big turnout to root for the Dynamo, hope to equalize the Quake series (now at 0-1-1), and hope to get to 42 points (10 less than last year's final total, only 4 less than 2006's final total).
UPDATE: No game and no deal this Saturday, at the request of the City of Houston. This is going to really cram the Dynamo's remaining schedule, and the make up date falls on a FIFA World Cup Qualifier match day for the US and Canada. The media notes that the postponement could hurt the Earthquakes' momentum, but do we care?
Go Dynamo! (And take care out there, fellow Texans!)
(One of my neighbors stated that God gives us these challenges to help us grow and to test us. I replied that God must have a low opinion of my character under duress, because He went easy on us this time. Or maybe He thought we already had our hurricane test since we lost everything to Hurricane Andrew when I was a newlywed young Ensign stationed on Homestead AFB. Either way, I'm grateful for the minor inconvenience we've experienced this time.)
Still no power at home, but at work we have power. You might surmise that this means that I'm spending work time on personal blogging. I will not confirm or deny that.
I missed the Dynamo-Earthquake match this past weekend. (Official Recap.) We had no power at the time, and while I could've listened to it on the radio, I was actually asleep on the couch having stayed up most of the night watching the storm and spent most of the morning keeping our street gutters free of debris to prevent street flooding. I watched the highlights, though, and they suggest that we were lucky to leave San Jose with a point. We may have had better possession (I can't tell from the highlights) and may have been unlucky to not convert a few more of our chances, but the Earthquakes had several 1-on-1 shots on goal that weren't converted. After a botched header by ERob, Onstad made two desperate point-blank saves in a row in the first half. Not long after, Onstad displayed more heroics on another point-blank shot. In the second half, a point-blank header found Barrett's chest at the goal line. In fact, Ronnie O'Brien's goal that opened up the scoring in the 50th minute -- a blistering shot from just outside our box, taken from Onstad's left and ending up in the far right netting -- was more difficult than these four shots that Onstad and Barrett saved.
Of course, we had our chances too. And how about the spunk shown by Ching after he scored the equalizer, when he ran over to remind the feisty Earthquake fans where their 2 stars came from? Reading Ives' blog, at least one Quake fan thought that was a classless display and has decided to instantly despise his former hero. I think Ching was merely responding in kind; it was defiance to counter spitefulness and it was only directed at the fans who were spouting vitriol, not to the fans who were merely supporting their (new) players.
ERob got ejected yet again, this time for getting two yellow cards. From what I could see, though, ERob's second yellow came when he was fouled from behind. Either I missed something or the ref completely blew the call. Or both.
We now have 39 points, 6 points away from the Supporters' Shield that I want so badly. We only have 6 games to make up the difference
UPDATE: No game and no deal this Saturday, at the request of the City of Houston. This is going to really cram the Dynamo's remaining schedule, and the make up date falls on a FIFA World Cup Qualifier match day for the US and Canada. The media notes that the postponement could hurt the Earthquakes' momentum, but do we care?
Go Dynamo! (And take care out there, fellow Texans!)
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Keeping the points a-coming
Two sweet goals in the first half, and another stellar performance by Onstad (among others), gave the Dynamo their first win over the Crew at Robertson. (Game recap. More on the win.)
First, know that it was hot. Mostly that was thanks to the humidity. I don't think the heat and humidity helped us as much last night though; it seemed that being a goal behind got the Crew motivated. They had some very good stretches of play once we scored, and they would have scored had Onstad not been his uber-goalkeeping self. The "Hardhats" looked particularly good in the second half, but the humidity (and the Crew's early subs mandated by injuries) probably did help late in that they didn't look dangerous after the 80th minute or so.
The first goal by Davis in the 13th minute came from a nice feed from Mullan. The ball bounced a bit on Davis' first touch (blame the uneven turf on that one), giving Davis the perfect opportunity to turn and blast a blistering half-volley into the upper left net. "It was good to be able to come out tonight and contribute with a goal. That was a great pass from Brian (Mullan) and the team got three points. That is the most important thing right now. I have had some chances recently with posts and crossbars, but it went my tonight."
In the 43rd, Ching hit a low rocket after Clark sent a through ball to Nate Jaqua in the box. Jaqua was closed down quickly and couldn't turn, but left a nice step-over layoff to Ching who sent his shot low and to the left, through the defender's legs, and into the net as the GK, WillFerrell Hesmer, dove the wrong way.
As with the Pachuca match, there was some controversy on the field: what's with the new Dynamo Girl uniforms? They looked almost modest! My wife approves.
Cool article alert! Richard Justice must've been at the game, or maybe he attended the Pachuca game, because he has a great article on the Men In Orange. It's a great soccer article from a non-soccer sports journalist. Links to newspaper articles sometimes break over time, so here are a few quotes for posterity:
Now let's hope we can take care of business this Tuesday versus New England and bring home our first international trophy. The Revs can't beat us THREE games in one season, can they? CAN THEY?
(Meanwhile, a New England fan is thinking "The Dynamo can't beat us THREE championships in a row, can they? CAN THEY?" Lords of Destiny hear me out: Each season sees a slightly different group wearing the jersey of a club, so a Dynamo win wouldn't have the same players beating the same players three times in a row, even if there are quite a few returning core players. However, a Revolution win would (basically) have the same players beating the same players thrice in a row. We can't have that, okay?)
Go Dynamo!
First, know that it was hot. Mostly that was thanks to the humidity. I don't think the heat and humidity helped us as much last night though; it seemed that being a goal behind got the Crew motivated. They had some very good stretches of play once we scored, and they would have scored had Onstad not been his uber-goalkeeping self. The "Hardhats" looked particularly good in the second half, but the humidity (and the Crew's early subs mandated by injuries) probably did help late in that they didn't look dangerous after the 80th minute or so.
The first goal by Davis in the 13th minute came from a nice feed from Mullan. The ball bounced a bit on Davis' first touch (blame the uneven turf on that one), giving Davis the perfect opportunity to turn and blast a blistering half-volley into the upper left net. "It was good to be able to come out tonight and contribute with a goal. That was a great pass from Brian (Mullan) and the team got three points. That is the most important thing right now. I have had some chances recently with posts and crossbars, but it went my tonight."
In the 43rd, Ching hit a low rocket after Clark sent a through ball to Nate Jaqua in the box. Jaqua was closed down quickly and couldn't turn, but left a nice step-over layoff to Ching who sent his shot low and to the left, through the defender's legs, and into the net as the GK, Will
As with the Pachuca match, there was some controversy on the field: what's with the new Dynamo Girl uniforms? They looked almost modest! My wife approves.
Cool article alert! Richard Justice must've been at the game, or maybe he attended the Pachuca game, because he has a great article on the Men In Orange. It's a great soccer article from a non-soccer sports journalist. Links to newspaper articles sometimes break over time, so here are a few quotes for posterity:
- The Dom, talking about the overwhelming support in the final home game last season: "To this day, I've never witnessed a club atmosphere in America better than that one," the Dynamo coach said. "You looked up and there was orange everywhere. There were no gimmicks, no giveaways. It was just fans that wanted to see the Houston Dynamo advance to the final. I still get chills talking about it."
- There's more emotion in one Dynamo game than the Texans, Astros and Rockets have in an entire season. Cynicism takes a day off when the Dynamo play. And it's all about the soccer. It's not about the creature comforts at Robertson Stadium or the chance to see an international star. It's about the team.
- Now into their third season, the Dynamo have done almost everything right. They moved into the right market. They won back-to-back championships. Robertson Stadium offers a closeness to the players, an intimacy rare in professional sports. It helps that players spend hours in the community visiting hospitals, holding clinics, being the best ambassadors a sport can have. It helps to have players who care, who always play with hustle and energy, who appreciate the fan base. It's all those things and more. It's our amazing little success story.
- They have great leadership beginning with team president Oliver Luck, an accomplished coach in Kinnear and an interesting locker room mix. Barrett, the captain, is quiet. So is Mullan. Onstad, the old guy, has seen it all. Robinson and Craig Waibel are talkative and emotional. It's the kind of mix of players for which every franchise strives. And the crowd support, the emotion and noise and all the rest, is irreplaceable.
Now let's hope we can take care of business this Tuesday versus New England and bring home our first international trophy. The Revs can't beat us THREE games in one season, can they? CAN THEY?
(Meanwhile, a New England fan is thinking "The Dynamo can't beat us THREE championships in a row, can they? CAN THEY?" Lords of Destiny hear me out: Each season sees a slightly different group wearing the jersey of a club, so a Dynamo win wouldn't have the same players beating the same players three times in a row, even if there are quite a few returning core players. However, a Revolution win would (basically) have the same players beating the same players thrice in a row. We can't have that, okay?)
Go Dynamo!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Crew's in town
Back to the MLS for one game before we face off for the SuperLiga championship versus New England, which WE BETTER WIN.
Here is the official preview for tonight's game. No ERob or Mulrooney (injury) or DeRo (too much yeller). The Crew will be without "Hey, Duck!"
For the Dynamo formation, I'm thinking something like:
With Cameron able to move to midfield if we switch to a 3-5-2 and Kamara able to come in for Jaqua around the 70th minute.
The Crew-Mo series has each team with one win and three draws. It's pretty uninspiring, really. The matches are boring on average and Alejandro Moreno gets a goal each time. He can have his goal tonight, as long as WE GET MORE.
I'm going with ALLCAPS today to express an intense fervor that can only be controlled by heavy use of the CAPS LOCK key.
And now for something completely different: the Dynamo open ties with local Chinese officials.
Here is the official preview for tonight's game. No ERob or Mulrooney (injury) or DeRo (too much yeller). The Crew will be without "Hey, Duck!"
For the Dynamo formation, I'm thinking something like:
Ching--Jaqua
Ashe-Davis-Mullan
Clark
Barrett-Boswell-Cameron-Waibel
Onstad
With Cameron able to move to midfield if we switch to a 3-5-2 and Kamara able to come in for Jaqua around the 70th minute.
The Crew-Mo series has each team with one win and three draws. It's pretty uninspiring, really. The matches are boring on average and Alejandro Moreno gets a goal each time. He can have his goal tonight, as long as WE GET MORE.
I'm going with ALLCAPS today to express an intense fervor that can only be controlled by heavy use of the CAPS LOCK key.
And now for something completely different: the Dynamo open ties with local Chinese officials.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Hosting the fighting Torontonians
On Sunday, Dynamo face Toronto FC. (Game preview.) We've never beaten the Canucks. Maybe it would be more accurate to say "we've never beaten Toronto FC" because we fielded as many or more Canucks than they fielded, so maybe we weren't really playing Canucks at all. Maybe we're the Canucks.
Anyway, last year Toronto was a doormat, so we naturally lost to them in Toronto and tied them in a scoreless draw here in Houston when they had to play with 10 men for more than half the match. This year Toronto is playing some good ball, which means they're a better team, which means we're more likely to get a point or 3 off of them.
Don't know if Dichio will be playing. He's listed as questionable. Edu and Guevara won't play as both are with their respective national teams. That's a good thing. Just about everyone is back to healthy again on the Orange side, although E-Rob will be out because of the league-imposed special punishment for "fouling while wearing orange."
On Sunday, Toronto might have problems with our 12th man: the humidity. It could kill their attacking spirit, particularly if Dichio isn't playing. Still, the next goal we score against them will be the first goal we score against them.
Kersten Mullan's story
Did you catch B-Fall's article on why Mr. and Mrs. Mullan are strong supporters of the Ronald McDonald House? It's a good story and a good charity.
DC trip half a success.
Well, the DC game wasrained monsooned out on Wednesday, but the team was still able to visit the White House. Ching said, "It's always a very special honor to meet the President. I can't wait to get up there and shake his hand again." Oliver Luck blogs about it too. "This trip was anything but 'been there, done that.'"
Anyway, last year Toronto was a doormat, so we naturally lost to them in Toronto and tied them in a scoreless draw here in Houston when they had to play with 10 men for more than half the match. This year Toronto is playing some good ball, which means they're a better team, which means we're more likely to get a point or 3 off of them.
Don't know if Dichio will be playing. He's listed as questionable. Edu and Guevara won't play as both are with their respective national teams. That's a good thing. Just about everyone is back to healthy again on the Orange side, although E-Rob will be out because of the league-imposed special punishment for "fouling while wearing orange."
On Sunday, Toronto might have problems with our 12th man: the humidity. It could kill their attacking spirit, particularly if Dichio isn't playing. Still, the next goal we score against them will be the first goal we score against them.
Kersten Mullan's story
Did you catch B-Fall's article on why Mr. and Mrs. Mullan are strong supporters of the Ronald McDonald House? It's a good story and a good charity.
DC trip half a success.
Well, the DC game was
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Stadium haggling
Within perhaps minutes of the announcement that the team-formerly-known-as-the-Earthquakes was coming to Houston, there began talk of a new permanent stadium for the eventually-to-be-named-Dynamo. As we know, "talks" continue. Occasionally we'll hear something positive from Oliver Luck, but then someone from the soulless AEG conglomerate will speak out of both sides of his mouth. First they will say that they're fronting all the money, with only utilities being funded publicly. Next, they'll say they expect 35%-40% of the cost to be publicly funded. AEG may know numbers, but they sure are ham-fisted when it comes to dealing with people. It's amazing that they've been able to complete so many publicly-financed deals already, but maybe that's due to their effective use of relocation threats if not even more unsavory tactics.
Now they've got Don Garber writing velvety threats that insult the intelligence of everyone involved. Does the Commish really think the key players don't understand the ramifications of not getting a deal done? Of course not, he's just trying to be intimidating. Unfortunately for him, the MLS isn't really a heavyweight so his threats may do more harm than good.
If they keep this up they'll drive Oliver Luck, the best GM in the league, out of the footie industry in search of a less flaky organization. It's too bad that we can't find a local owner with class that matches the class of the team.
Mayor White doesn't want to use public funds for obvious reasons. But he also may not be able to do so. Restrictions on public funding were written into the Toyota Center charter. That seems mighty presumptuous of Les Alexander and the Rockets: "Give us public funds to provide infrastructure for my private venture, and sign this agreement forbidding you to help anybody else." Sounds like the City got taken on that one.
Luck has a better feel for the local situation that AEG's Tim Leiweke does. Luck has said: "Although we have not reached an agreement with the city of Houston, we are anxious to come to closure on the terms of a public-private partnership with the city and we are willing to assume responsibility for a much higher proportion of the costs than any other team owner has had to assume in Houston."
He also had to scramble to put together a save-the-face press conference, which didn't really say much, but was intended to sooth sore feelings.
At any rate, B-Fall states there isn't much news at the moment. Stayed tuned to The Chronicle. UPDATE: B-Fall has an article with more explanation, plus a blog post with some informal thoughts. Glenn Davis agrees that Don Garber fluffed the kick on this one. (I know, I know: Garber has never kicked a soccer ball in his life, but since he's the Commish of the national soccer league, I thought I'd use a sport-relevant idiom to sound clever and give me a chance to parenthetically state that Garber has never kicked a soccer ball in his life.)
Meanwhile, it looks like AEG is continuing with the design work just in case the company's relationship-building impediment doesn't kill the deal. The project manager for the stadium, IKON, is basically a subsidiary of AEG. As integrated as AEG is into the MLS, it's no surprise that IKON is behind several of the MLS stadia: Home Depot Center, Toyota Park, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Red Bull Park, Real Salt Lake's stadium, and numerous non-MLS stadia in and out of the US. Here in Houston, IKON has apparently selected a short list of firms to design the new stadium. The article also says that the MLS "is close to working out a deal with the City of Houston which is close to finalizing the acquisition of a chunk of prime acreage near Minute Maid Park for the $80 million stadium, which could open as early as 2010." Well, we'll see about that.
The fact is, everybody is posturing right now. Soccer fans should feel lucky that Oliver Luck is the proxy mediator between the politicians and the corporate suits. If anyone can see this thing through to the finish, it's Mr. Luck.
Now they've got Don Garber writing velvety threats that insult the intelligence of everyone involved. Does the Commish really think the key players don't understand the ramifications of not getting a deal done? Of course not, he's just trying to be intimidating. Unfortunately for him, the MLS isn't really a heavyweight so his threats may do more harm than good.
If they keep this up they'll drive Oliver Luck, the best GM in the league, out of the footie industry in search of a less flaky organization. It's too bad that we can't find a local owner with class that matches the class of the team.
Mayor White doesn't want to use public funds for obvious reasons. But he also may not be able to do so. Restrictions on public funding were written into the Toyota Center charter. That seems mighty presumptuous of Les Alexander and the Rockets: "Give us public funds to provide infrastructure for my private venture, and sign this agreement forbidding you to help anybody else." Sounds like the City got taken on that one.
Luck has a better feel for the local situation that AEG's Tim Leiweke does. Luck has said: "Although we have not reached an agreement with the city of Houston, we are anxious to come to closure on the terms of a public-private partnership with the city and we are willing to assume responsibility for a much higher proportion of the costs than any other team owner has had to assume in Houston."
He also had to scramble to put together a save-the-face press conference, which didn't really say much, but was intended to sooth sore feelings.
At any rate, B-Fall states there isn't much news at the moment. Stayed tuned to The Chronicle. UPDATE: B-Fall has an article with more explanation, plus a blog post with some informal thoughts. Glenn Davis agrees that Don Garber fluffed the kick on this one. (I know, I know: Garber has never kicked a soccer ball in his life, but since he's the Commish of the national soccer league, I thought I'd use a sport-relevant idiom to sound clever and give me a chance to parenthetically state that Garber has never kicked a soccer ball in his life.)
Meanwhile, it looks like AEG is continuing with the design work just in case the company's relationship-building impediment doesn't kill the deal. The project manager for the stadium, IKON, is basically a subsidiary of AEG. As integrated as AEG is into the MLS, it's no surprise that IKON is behind several of the MLS stadia: Home Depot Center, Toyota Park, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Red Bull Park, Real Salt Lake's stadium, and numerous non-MLS stadia in and out of the US. Here in Houston, IKON has apparently selected a short list of firms to design the new stadium. The article also says that the MLS "is close to working out a deal with the City of Houston which is close to finalizing the acquisition of a chunk of prime acreage near Minute Maid Park for the $80 million stadium, which could open as early as 2010." Well, we'll see about that.
The fact is, everybody is posturing right now. Soccer fans should feel lucky that Oliver Luck is the proxy mediator between the politicians and the corporate suits. If anyone can see this thing through to the finish, it's Mr. Luck.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A quality team behind the team
Today, Oliver Luck issued an apology for a picture that appeared in the e-newsletter issued by the team this week.
Unfortunately, the picture demonstrated that some of our fans are either ignorant or uncouth. However, people come in all sorts of qualities, and when you have a group of them -- regardless of the reason for the formation of the group -- you will find at least a few individuals who harbor the lowest of characteristics.
And with that lame little post, I ensure that I didn't let a month slip by without a post. Tomorrow begins Dynamo training camp, albeit with a skeleton crew due to US and Canadian team callups. It will be interesting how this new season plays out with the new dynamic that will arise with the personnel changes on the team. This is something to discuss in a future post.
This innocuous missive is yet another reason to respect the "team behind the team" of the Dynamo organization. I didn't notice the flag in the picture when I viewed the newsletter, but I still appreciate the message behind Luck's message. He demonstrated a respect for the symbols of our nation and showed that he is willing to be held accountable for mistakes, even those that are based more on perception.Dear Fans: On behalf of the Houston Dynamo organization, I would like to apologize for the fact that a picture of an upside down American flag was used in a recent e-mail newsletter that was sent out. It is completely inappropriate that this image was chosen. A third party vendor, which runs the website for MLS, is responsible for choosing the photo. However, we as an organization share responsibility for this because we have the obligation to proofread the newsletter before it was sent out and we failed. We apologize for this oversight.
By the way, for those that may not know, the International Charter of Flag Etiquette states that a flag may be flown upside down in cases of extreme distress. If you have been following the Dynamo since 2006, you will know that there have been no cases of extreme distress!
Oliver Luck, President/General Manager
Unfortunately, the picture demonstrated that some of our fans are either ignorant or uncouth. However, people come in all sorts of qualities, and when you have a group of them -- regardless of the reason for the formation of the group -- you will find at least a few individuals who harbor the lowest of characteristics.
And with that lame little post, I ensure that I didn't let a month slip by without a post. Tomorrow begins Dynamo training camp, albeit with a skeleton crew due to US and Canadian team callups. It will be interesting how this new season plays out with the new dynamic that will arise with the personnel changes on the team. This is something to discuss in a future post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)