Welcome to edition No. 10 of my weekly blog. It appears on the
new HoustonDynamo.com every Monday.
I hope everyone enjoyed (or is still enjoying) their long holiday weekend.
Thursday’s draw at Toronto FC was another one of those games where you come away with mixed emotions and feelings. Getting a point at BMO Field is always a decent accomplishment. Going in, we probably would have taken it, considering Brad Davis was out (hip flexor injury) and we played two days prior in the U.S. Open Cup. A draw became harder to swallow after the offside call reversed Brian Mullan’s goal and after TFC’s late equalizer.
At the end of the day, I think it is a second straight good result and another step in the right direction. I particularly liked the hard work and fight the team showed throughout the match.
With last week’s win over Miami FC, we are moving on to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup, which take place tomorrow. We take on Chivas USA at Robertson at 7:30 p.m. If we advance, we will take on the LA-Seattle winner in the semifinals on August 31. We were not awarded the bid to host the semifinals, so this may be our last USOC home match this year. Tickets are $8 for season ticket holders and $12 for all others.
Luis Landin is out 2-to-4 weeks with a knee injury, suffered against Miami FC. Joe Ngwenya is out for Saturday's game against Columbus after the red card at Toronto.
It’s too early to tell what Brad Davis’ availability will be for Saturday. Hopefully, Brad will be available. We need him, plus it’s Military Appreciation Night, which is his personal cause. Brad’s Brigade is inviting fans to attend the game on a special offer that includes two tickets (1 for you/1 for a soldier), one Brad’s Brigade T-Shirt, one pass to a pre-game tailgate, and one pass to a post-game party with military familes, Brad, and other Dynamo players. It’s all just $25. We have moved a lot of these packages so far, and it promises to be another great event. You may recall Brad’s goals on both Military Appreciation Nights last year and his salute to the military personnel in the north end.
I heard today that Herculez Gomez and JoseTorres will be with Pachuca for SuperLiga.
Here’s a quick update on the new Dynamo training complex, also known as the Houston Amateur Sports Park: Construction is underway on the fields, roads, and parking lots. Good progress is being made, and a soft opening could happen this fall. We expect the full operation to be up and running by opening day 2011. The complex will become the Dynamo’s permanent training home (for the first team and the Academy). It will also host a variety of youth and amateur sporting events and activities. There will be seven fields and a mixed-use building that houses the Dynamo locker room, a sports performance center, a sports rehab clinic, retail space, meeting space, and food service space. If anyone is interested in hearing more about this complex for the purposes of renting fields or staging events, please email stgonzalez@houstondynamo.com.
Crazy, but great, July ahead here in Houston …
July 6 Chivas USA, US Open Cup
July 10 Columbus Crew
July 15 Pachuca, SuperLiga
July 18 Dynamo
vs. Chivas USA/Pachuca vs. Puebla, SuperLiga
July 21 Puebla, SuperLiga
July 28 AT&T MLS
All-Star Game, MLS vs. Manchester
United
July 31 NY Red Bulls
I think the staff will deserve a few days off after this schedule. 23 Days until the All-Star Game.
Could Thierry Henry be here with New York on July 31? I’m watching with interest just like you to see what happens.
Well, another busy week lies ahead. I hope to see you on Tuesday and Saturday. Email comments and questions to ccanetti@houstondynamo.com
Take care.
