Not only is Danny Cannon a longtime Houston Dynamo FC season ticket member, but he is also dedicated to the local community and committed to growing the sport of soccer in the Bayou City.
As a season ticket holder since 2008, Danny said he usually takes in gamedays with family and friends. However, the Houstonian of 21 years also enjoys donating tickets to silent auctions to raise money for local schools and PTAs and provide an opportunity for Dynamo fans, both new and old, to enjoy games at Shell Energy Stadium.
“I’m really community driven,” said Cannon, who is the social chair of his Oak Forest area neighborhood. “It’s mostly to raise awareness about the club and to show people how much fun the games can be. Those LA Galaxy games and LAFC games, usually the stadium is rocking with a lot of energy.”
Narrowing down a favorite Dynamo memory can prove to be a difficult task for any fan, and Danny is no exception. He said several came to mind, including Alex Dixon’s last-second goal against Real Salt Lake in 2011, or knocking out D.C. United in the first round of the playoffs during BBVA Compass Stadium’s inaugural season and maybe Will Bruin’s rookie hat trick against D.C. United in 2011 – the first Danny had ever seen in professional soccer.
“It’s probably the D.C. United playoff victory,” said Cannon, who was first introduced to the sport when the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup. “I’ve never heard the stadium rocking like it did for that game. It was electric. It was just a party.”
As with any longtime fan, nailing down a favorite player can also stretch the mind. Danny rattled off names like Brad Davis (2006-15), Geoff Cameron (2008-12), Adam Moffat (2011-13), Boniek Garcia (2012-21), DaMarcus Beasley (2014-19) and A.J. DeLaGarza (2017-19). However, one name stood out above the rest.
“Bobby Boswell might be the one I connected with the most,” Cannon said. “That center back position was just critical. He was a lock-down defender.”
But who is Danny’s favorite player currently?
“Hector Herrera has the most impressive skill set I’ve ever seen on a Dynamo player,” he said, mentioning Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla as a close second. “His passes are just different. The pace, the accuracy. He’s amazing.”
When it comes to matchday traditions, these days Danny said the Cannon crew enter the stadium an hour before kickoff to watch the players warm up, before ending every Dynamo win eating birria tacos at a favorite downtown spot. However, tailgating at Roberston and Shell Energy Stadium used to be their specialty.
“The value that I got from it was tremendous,” Cannon said of the tailgating days. “It allowed up to four or five hours of family time. In my mind, that’s big memories. The kids had a lot of fun too.”
Ultimately, Cannon said the sense of pride, loyalty, comradery and interaction with the team that comes with attending Houston Dynamo matches at Shell Energy Stadium is what he enjoys the most.
“We’ve always sat front row behind the goal every year,” Cannon said. “I just love to be down there. The last few seasons, we’ve sat right where the team steps on the pitch when they come out of the tunnel. We like being that close for penalty kicks, corner kicks and all the action down by the end line.”
Cannon will be honored as SeatGeek’s Member of the Match at Saturday’s matchup versus the LA Galaxy.
