The Houston Dynamo will face in-state rival FC Dallas in a preseason friendly on February 12 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, the clubs and Ryan-Sanders Entertainment announced today. The match will kick off at 2 p.m. and will be the second soccer match ever played at the home of the Corpus Christi Hooks baseball team.
Last June 10, the Dynamo played the first-ever soccer match at Whataburger Field before a capacity crowd of 6,111. Their 2-1 triumph over the Laredo Heat was a banner occasion for soccer-crazy South Texas and another way to utilize one of the world’s top minor league sports venues.
The Dynamo captured consecutive MLS Cup titles in their first two years of existence (2006-07) under head coach Dominic Kinnear and reached the Western Conference championship game in 2009. The club will be led in 2011 by three players who competed for the U.S. national team in 2010: captain and all-time leading scorer Brian Ching, team assist leader Brad Davis and emerging star Geoff Cameron. Goalkeeper Tally Hall and center back Bobby Boswell key the defense as the Dynamo play their final season at Robertson Stadium before moving to a new downtown stadium in 2012.
Established in 1996, FC Dallas is coming off its most successful campaign. After posting a 12-4-14 regular-season mark, FC Dallas reached the MLS Cup final in a season that also included a 19-game unbeaten streak. Dallas is led by MLS Coach of the Year Schellas Hyndman, MLS MVP midfielder David Ferreira, and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
Hooks season-ticket holders have an exclusive Dynamo-FC Dallas ticket-buying window between Wednesday, December 22, at 9 a.m. and Thursday, January 6, at 5 p.m. Season-ticket holders should call 361-561-HOOK, visit the Whataburger Field Box Office or log on to whataburgerfield.com. Special ticket pricing for Hooks season-ticket holders during this period is $18.
General tickets will go on sale to the public beginning on Friday, January 7, at 9 a.m. Those tickets will cost $20 tickets and can be purchased at whataburgerfield.com, the Whataburger Field Box Office or by calling 361-561-HOOK. Tickets will be available the day of the match for $22. To purchase group tickets (20-ticket minimum) at a discounted rate, contact Andy Steavens at 361-561-4677.
The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first five seasons and represented the United States in international competition four consecutive years from 2007-10. For more information, log on to www.HoustonDynamo.com or call (713) 276-7500.
Whataburger Field is utilized by Hooks Baseball for Texas League action and college and high school games. Ryan-Sanders Entertainment has presented these events at the venue:
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Friends, John Mellencamp (8/2009)
Top Rank Boxing seven-fight card with Jerry Belmontes and Brandon Rios (10/2009)
Houston Dynamo vs. Laredo Heat exhibition soccer (6/2010)
Los Lonely Boys postgame concert (7/2010)
Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling (9/2010)
Ziegfest 2010 (10/2010)
