(Out) Houston Mayor Annise Parker is honored by the Houston Dynamo

Saturday was a banner day for Houston, the Dynamo, and Major League Soccer with the opening of BBVA Compass Stadium.

The pre-game ceremonies were a beautifully emotional dedication to everyone who made the new home of the Dynamo a possibility, the club’s history, and players past and present.

Dignitaries including former Houston Mayor Bill White and team owners Oscar de la Hoya and Phil Anschulz received honors from the team as did current Mayor Annise Parker who I feel was the most appropriately dressed official at the event, proudly wearing her Dynamo jersey. Always proud to have her as part of the “family.”

There were several videos about the Dynamo’s history in Houston, and banners honoring the team’s pair of MLS Cups were revealed over the Walker End, which is the new home for Houston’s supporters groups. I may be a big old sap, but seeing the pride exuded in the video presentations was quite moving.

There were several nods to the first Dynamo game played in Houston with local singer Jessica Clemmons returning to perform the national anthem and the two players who were a part of both games, Brian Ching and Brad Davis, sharing in the stadium’s ceremonial first goal. (Davis went on to score the first actual goal in the second half.)

All in all, it was a pretty spectacular show, giving the appropriate due to the occasion without going overboard. I was immensely happy to share in it and will have a few more posts over the next few days about the stadium, the supporters, and someone with whom I had the opportunity to have a few conversations.