Houston Dynamo FC


Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their former owners relocated the San Jose Earthquakes' players and staff to Houston following the 2005 season. For their first six seasons in Houston, the Dynamo played at Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston. During the 2012 season, the club moved to Shell Energy Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium in East Downtown Houston.
The club is majority-owned by Ted Segal. Segal fully controls ownership after buying out his remaining minority partners in August 2022.
The Houston Dynamo have won the MLS Cup twice, doing so during their first two seasons in 2006 and 2007. The club has also won the U.S. Open Cup twice, in 2018 and 2023. They have been MLS Cup runners-up twice, in 2011 and 2012, and Supporters' Shield runners-up once in 2008. The Dynamo have also reached the final of the now defunct North American SuperLiga, finishing as runners-up following a defeat against the New England Revolution.

History

MLS commissioner Don Garber revealed on November 16, 2005, that the league had granted permission to San Jose Earthquakes' owners Anschutz Entertainment Group to relocate the team for the 2006 season, giving the entertainment giant 30 days to make a decision. Garber was in Houston and spoke with the media before an international friendly between Mexico and Bulgaria at Reliant Stadium, citing Houston as a next destination for an MLS club whether the Earthquakes moved or not.
On December 15, 2005, Major League Soccer announced all players and coaches under contract to the Earthquakes would move to Houston. The Earthquakes name, colors and competition records were retained by the league for a possible expansion team. The San Jose team would take the field in 2008. As a result, the Earthquakes suspended operations in 2006 and 2007, while the Dynamo are recognized as a 2006 expansion team.
A ceremony was held outside Houston City Hall on December 16, 2005, to officially announce the franchise's arrival. Mayor Bill White joined city council members, Harris County officials, local soccer organizers and fans in welcoming team coach Dominic Kinnear and players Pat Onstad and Wade Barrett with cowboy boots and hats. It was disclosed that the team would train and play at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium on a three-year lease with the university earning a percentage of the revenues from concessions, parking and other sources.
In an immediate effort to plant roots in the community, AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke announced former Houston Oilers quarterback Oliver Luck as the team's president and general manager. A previous NFL Europe executive, Luck had served as the head of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority since 2001 and was instrumental in pursuing an MLS team for the city while also overseeing the construction of Daikin Park, Reliant Stadium and the Toyota Center during his tenure.

Early years (2006–2010)

The newly relocated Houston team was named Houston 1836, paying homage to the city's founding date and the logo featured a silhouette of the Statue of Sam Houston, in Hermann Park. Immediate backlash to the 1836 was voiced by the Mexican community claiming that date, the year of the Texas Revolution was not a date that should be celebrated. Ownership decided to change the name to the Houston Dynamo stripping the franchise of the Sam Houston logo.
The Dynamo played their first regular season game on April 2, 2006, at Robertson Stadium in front of a crowd of 25,462. The Dynamo beat Colorado Rapids 5–2, with Brian Ching scoring four goals, with all four assisted by Dwayne De Rosario. The Dynamo finished their first season with an 11–8–13 record, earning them second place in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they eliminated both Chivas USA and the Rapids 3–1, in the Western Conference to advance to the MLS Cup.
The championship match was scoreless until the second half of extra time, when New England's Taylor Twellman scored. One minute later, Brian Ching headed in the tying goal for Houston. The cup final became the first time in MLS history, that was decided by a penalty shootout. Houston beat the New England Revolution 4–3 on penalty kicks to win the 2006 MLS Cup. Kelly Gray and Stuart Holden scored Houston's first two penalty kicks. Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching scored the last two. By winning the 2006 MLS Cup, Houston qualified for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time in club history.

Back to Back Champions

Houston began the 2007 season by competing in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. After winning a quarterfinal against Costa Rican team Puntarenas F.C., Houston exited the competition in the semifinals, beating Mexican team Pachuca 2–0 in the first leg but losing 5–2 after extra time in the return leg.
Houston began its 2007 MLS league campaign with shutouts against Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. The team would continue to struggle in the regular season. During the season, Houston made some significant trades. They traded Kevin Goldthwaite and a first-round pick in the 2008 SuperDraft to Toronto FC for Richard Mulrooney. The team also traded Alejandro Moreno to Columbus Crew in exchange for Joseph Ngwenya. And they traded Kelly Gray to Los Angeles Galaxy for Nate Jaqua. After beating FC Dallas, Houston began an unbeaten streak of eleven games and a shutout streak of 726 minutes, an MLS record.
Following their comebck, Houston finished as the second seed in the regular season clinching a berth to the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs. Their first opponent in the postseason were in-state rivals FC Dallas. Dallas won the first leg 1–0, but Houston won the second leg at Robertson Stadium, 4–1 in extra time, to win 4–2 on aggregate. Houston faced the Kansas City Wizards in the Western Conference final, winning 2–0 to advance to the MLS Cup championship game for a consecutive season. Just like in 2006, Houston faced the New England Revolution for the championship. Houston won 2–1 on a game-winning goal by Dwayne De Rosario in the second half, thus winning a consecutive MLS Cup.

Partnership with Golden Boy promotions

Late in 2007, Major League Soccer informed Dynamo owners Anschutz Entertainment Group that they should divest their interest in the Dynamo, as they wanted each ownership group to own only one team. AEG also owned the Los Angeles Galaxy. On November 21, 2007, it was announced that AEG was in negotiations to sell the Dynamo to a partnership of Brener International Group and Golden Boy Promotions, owned by the famed boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
On February 26, 2008, Houston Dynamo President Oliver Luck revealed the planned negotiations to the media stating that the Houston Dynamo would be managed in majority by original owners Anschutz Entertainment Group along with newfound partners Gabriel Brener, head of Brener International Group, and multiple World and Olympic boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya had been seen wearing Dynamo colors on his boxing uniform with a small Houston Dynamo logo on his right leg in a fight against boxer Steve Forbes. He had also pledged to help find Dynamo a soccer-specific stadium.
File:Brian Mullan 2008 playoffs.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Brian Mullan vs. the New York Red Bulls during the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals at Robertson Stadium.
The Dynamo participated in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship on February 20, 2008, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Houston qualified to participate in the tournament via their in MLS Cup. The Houston Dynamo won their first match against Sydney FC, before finishing in second place after their 6–1 loss to Gamba Osaka in the final match. The Dynamo were back on the pitch competing in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The Dynamo played Municipal in the Quarterfinals winning 3–1 on aggregate at Robertson Stadium. The club lost to Deportivo Saprissa on 3–0 aggregate at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.
Houston began their regular season home opener in a 3–3 draw against Texas Derby rival, FC Dallas. Houston fell behind twice before a game-tying goal in the 93rd minute. The Dynamo went 0–2–4, before getting their first league win of the season in a 2–1 win over the Colorado Rapids. The Dynamo went on a 5–0–4 run to finish the season 13–5–12, claiming 1st in the Western Conference and 2nd overall. The Western Conference Semifinals was played against the New York Red Bulls with the first leg finishing in a 1–1 draw at Giants Stadium, and the second leg moved to Robertson Stadium where the Red Bulls defeated the Dynamo 0–3 in front of more than 30,000 fans.
The Dynamo started the new year with a quick exit from the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League with a 1–4 aggregate loss to Atlante in the quarterfinals.
In the regular season, Houston went on an 11-game unbeaten streak early in the season before losing to the Los Angeles Galaxy in June. The Dynamo were inconsistent the rest of the season while dealing with international competition, but still finished the season tied for first in the Western Conference with a 13–8–9 record, finishing second in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, Houston beat Seattle 1–0 on aggregate in extra time. The Dynamo then lost 0–2 in extra time to the Galaxy in the Western Conference final.
The Dynamo reached the semifinals of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup before losing to the expansion Seattle Sounders FC 1–2 in extra time, after former Dynamo player Nate Jaqua scored the game-tying goal in the 89th minute.
During the 2009–10 offseason, the Dynamo saw the departures of two key players, Ricardo Clark to Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuart Holden to Bolton Wanderers.
The 2010 season kicked off with a 1–1 draw against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. The home opener against Real Salt Lake saw Brian Ching injure a hamstring strain, which kept him out for 4–6 weeks. Later in the season, Geoff Cameron was off the roster, after rupturing his PCL during a game against the Chicago Fire; losing 2–0. Cameron eventually returned in August. The Dynamo finished the season 9–15–6, and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2006 season.
During the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The club defeated Miami FC, 1–0, on June 29 before losing to Chivas USA, 1–3 in the Quarterfinals on July 6. The Dynamo also competed in the 2010 North American SuperLiga, winning the group before exiting after a 0–1 loss to Morelia on August 5 at Robertson Stadium.