ROOKIES
- 3/7: Evan Newton
- 3/8: Alex Dixon
- 3/9: Josue Soto
- 3/10: Will Bruin
- 3/11: Kofi Sarkodie
NEWCOMERS
- 3/14: Jordan Graye
- 3/15: Jason Garey
- 3/16: Colin Clark
- 3/17: Hunter Freeman
- 3/18: Jermaine Taylor
As the 2011 season draws closer, HoustonDynamo.com will introduce you to the newest members of the Dynamo roster. With 10 players who have yet to play a game for the Dynamo, the squad will feature a new look in 2011.
This week we look at five players who the Dynamo either traded for, or signed, since the end of last season. Today we speak with Jason Garey.
Garey came to the Dynamo last December in a trade from the Columbus Crew for a fourth round draft pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. In 2010, Garey appeared in 22 games for Columbus, tallying two goals and two assists. He appeared in all six games during the 2010-2011 Champions League qualifying round, notching a goal and an assist and helping Columbus advance to a quartefinal matchup with Real Salt Lake
Prior to joining the Crew, Garey was a standout forward for the University of Maryland Terrapins. In 96 career games, Garey scores 60 goals, with 20 assists and led the Terrapins to the national championship in 2005. That year he also won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college soccer player in the country.
Jason Garey player bio
MEET JASON GAREY
Watch Jason Garey introduction
HD.com: Give us a bit about your soccer background.
Jason: I grew up playing in Louisiana. It's not really not known as a hotbed of soccer, but we have some good players down there and every now and then a player will come out of there and do pretty well in the college or pros. I went to the University of Maryland for college and did pretty well there. We won a national championshpis my senior year. Then I played for the Columbus Crew over the past five years.
HD.com: How did you get into soccer growing up in Louisiana where football is the big sport?
Jason: I was pretty small. I didn't really hit my growth spurt until college so I wasn't really big enough for basketball or football. I gravitated toward soccer and just fell in love with the game.
HD.com: What is your earliest soccer memory?
Jason: Probably just being four or five years old and playing bee-hive soccer where everyone is running around and chasing the ball. My dad always told me to stay out of the pack so when the ball popped out I could go score.
HD.com: Who is a soccer player that you looked up to that you modeled your game after?
Jason: When I was younger I loved Michael Owen. He was always so aggressive and quick and my favorite team was Liverpool so that was the perfect match.
ARCHIVE: Dynamo acquire forward Jason Garey
HD.com: Did it help that he was also a little undersized?
Jason: Definitely, although I wish I was as fast as him. That would be nice.
HD.com: What is your most memorable soccer moment prior to joining the Dynamo?
Jason: My senior year of college when we won the national championship. I was with all my friends and we finally accomplished the goal that we set out to get.
ARCHIVE: Gulf Coast native excited for return
HD.com: Who is the better soccer player between you and your wife?
Jason: Between me and my wife, I think I have her beat, but my sister could kill me. She is the best of us all.
HD.com: What are your early impressions of the Dynamo?
Jason: I was really excited about coming here. It's been great. The guys in the locker room have been great. On the field, the practices have been intense and the games pretty good. We have been pretty successful so far and we are just looking forward to getting into the season and doing some damage.
HD.com: When you were traded to Houston, what were your initial impressions?
Jason: I was really excited. I have wanted to come here for a long time. It's pretty much the home-town team for Louisiana folks. I've been wanting to come back down south and be in Houston for a long time.
