Each year the rivalry between Houston and Dallas takes center stage at the Texas Derby. Usually the front offices exchange banter leading up to the game, but this year was a little different. While Dallas released two viral videos and started a “Crush the Orange” campaign, Houston kept suspiciously quiet. Fans quickly reacted by poking fun at Dallas’ low ticket sales and weren’t afraid to point out that every MLS game at BBVA Compass Stadium has sold out. President Chris Canetti joined in, replying to a ‘crush the orange’ package he received, he tweeted “Thank u @FCDallas for the package. Appreciated. Sorry we haven’t reciprocated. Busy here w/ business.”

FC Dallas shipped in three busses worth of supporters, and Houston responded by putting them all in the top corner of the stadium, and rumor has it the section was surrounded by posters stating stadium policy regarding throwing objects on to the field and profanity.

Dallas was without eight players, including Brek Shea who did not make the trip to Houston due to injury. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Houston welcomed home Geoff Cameron, Andre Hainault, Je-Vaughn Watson and Jermaine Taylor all of whom played in World Cup Qualifiers for their respective countries.

The whistle blew and it only took Houston three minutes to score the first goal of the game. Will Bruin, who has been a revelation since joining the team in last year’s SuperDraft, converted a ball that bounced off of an FC Dallas player and swiftly put the ball in the back of the net. Afterwards, Houston dominated possession, but had few good runs of play on the ball. The FC Dallas offense took advantage of this, and created a few really good chances in the box. Houston’s backline struggled at times to clear the ball, but Hall came up big for Houston, effectively saving Houston fans from massive heart failure time and time again. Houston led 1-0 at the half and looked to retain their lead to the end.

Dallas put a stop to that early in the second half when Jackson fired off a strong shot and beat Tally Hall in the 59th minute to equalize. Dallas’ luck was smashed minutes later when Benitez was sent off with a red card. The red card saw both teams stress boil over and play became increasingly aggressive. Benitez was shown a red card when he elbowed Colin Clark unprovoked. It was the sideline official who saw the confrontation and signaled to the referee for a card. Immediately following the red both teams attacked, and Dallas’ Daniel Hernandez looked to be the most aggressive as fans watched him swing his arms violently as Dynamo Jermaine Taylor put him into a headlock. All of the players involved escaped without injury or further discipline from the referee. Later Hernandez alleged that he was spit on, a claim that has yet to be decided upon by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

Both Will Bruin and Brian Ching saw chances after Houston attempted to capitalize on the Dallas ejection, but neither saw the back of the net. It was midfielder Adam Moffat who scored the game winning goal in the 76th minute. Dallas ‘keeper Kevin Hartman got a hand on a corner kick and smacked the ball straight to Moffat’s feet. Moffat put Houston up 2-1 and ultimately won the game for the men in orange. Houston will keep El Capitan for another year, and extend their Texas Derby lead with 9 all time wins while Dallas remains at just 3. Dallas went home empty handed and couldn’t quite manage to ‘crush the orange.’ It just goes to show – if you’re going to talk the talk you’re going to need to walk the walk.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

The Houston Dynamo and Valencia CF take the field in the 2012 Dynamo Charities Cup

The Houston Dynamo took on La Liga’s Valencia CF in their annual Charities Cup last week. The Charities Cup benefits the Dynamo Charities organization, which works to benefit the local community. In past Charities Cups the Dynamo have fielded a mostly reserve team; this year was a little bit different. The starting XI was a mix of reserve staples like goalkeeper Tyler Deric and first team veterans like Brad Davis.

When Valencia scored in the 2nd minute, it looked as though the men in orange were going to face a big loss. Ultimately, though, the Dynamo pulled themselves together. Kinnear fielded the starting forward combination of Brian Ching and Will Bruin, but neither managed to score. The lone Dynamo goal came from a long range rocket fired off by Calen Carr. Kinnear has shifted Carr to the midfield in recent games, and he seems to play a bit more naturally there. With Dominic Kinnear’s knack for shifting versatile players around successfully (Geoff Cameron was a midfielder before Kinnear stuck him in the back line,) the Carr shift looks quite promising.

Valencia quickly answered the equalizer with what would be the final goal of the game. In the second half the Dynamo switched out the star forwards for a less conventional pairing. Cam Weaver, who started most of last season, got a look while Mac Kandji joined him up front. Weaver and Kandji managed to spark couple of chances, but in the end nothing caught fire. It wasn’t until the latter part of the second half, when the Dynamo subbed in rookies Colin Rolfe, Brian Ownby, and Josue Soto, that play really opened up.

Ownby, acquired in this year’s SuperDraft, created some excellent chances and had a couple of really good runs. Not surprisingly, he seemed to be low on confidence and that clearly affected his finishing. Despite the finishing issues, Ownby looked excellent in the minutes that he did play, and with some more development with the Dynamo, he will undoubtedly turn into a grade a player. However, the most impressive of the rookies on the pitch was Warren Creavalle. Creavalle made it into the starting XI and immediately showed fans why. Creavalle is a talented defender and had superb communication with all of the players on the pitch. The rookie saved the Dynamo from demise multiple times and looked incredibly strong and confident.

The atmosphere on the pitch was everything one could hope to have at a charity game. The players were respectful and good natured, and even seemed friendly at times. There were only a couple of minor fouls, and Valencia carried themselves with poise and class (not to mention beauty – Spaniards have boatloads of beauty.) Valencia CF and the Dynamo played a wonderful game of soccer and left fans looking forward to next year’s Charities Cup.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

Geoff Cameron tweets from USMNT Camp

The MLS Cup Finalists have struggled to make their mark in the standings and their backline is about to take a big hit.

Newlywed and resident Canadian Andre Hainault has been called up to camp for Canada. Hainault played a pivotal role in Houston’s late success last year, and helped take the team to the MLS Cup finals. Hainault is a Canadian National Team regular and will most likely see some minutes in their upcoming friendlies against the USMNT, Cuba, and Honduras. Fellow Dynamo, and another key to Houston’s backline, Geoff Cameron has been called up by Jurgen Klinsmann to join the USMNT camp. If retained, Cameron could face off against Hainault on June 3rd in Toronto. Midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson, also a regular member of the Dynamo’s starting XI, has also been called up for his country. Watson joins Jamaica for upcoming friendlies, and team mate Jermaine Taylor will most likely follow shortly. Dynamo midfielder and Jamaican Captain Taylor is on suspension due to a red card received in his last international fixture. It is expected that once his suspension is up he will join the Jamaican National Team.

With an MLS Cup re-match on Saturday, Houston’s depth will be tested. Though the backline has been shaky at times, it is one of the areas that Dominic Kinnear tends to have set in place. Fans could see a formation shift, or more likely, may see the emergence of Oscar Recio and rookie Warren Creavalle. The route in the midfield will almost certainly feature Nathan Sturgis who performed brilliantly in Houston’s May 15th match against the Portland Timbers. The Los Angeles Galaxy will also be without forwards Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane who have been called up for the USMNT and the Irish National Team, respectively.

Best of luck to the men in orange as they fight for their countries, and how cute does Cameron look in official USMNT gear?!

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

Tally Hall before the Inaugural Game at BBVA Compass Stadium on May 12th. Photo by Ivannah Bandalan.

On May 15th under the bright lights of BBVA Compass Stadium there was a battle of epic proportions. The Houston Dynamo took on the Portland Timbers in the first night time match at the new stadium. While the other twenty men on the pitch put in amazing performances, there were two who really shone that night. Those two men were Tally Hall and Troy Perkins. I have always had a soft spot for keepers. Scoring goals is great, but to me stopping those chances is even more impressive. Ultimately that man in the net is the deciding factor. It doesn’t matter how well (or how poorly) the rest of the team is playing, in the end it all comes down to the keeper. That is his box and what he does in it can make or break a game.

That said, I do not want to downplay the impact of the other players. There was some particularly beautiful (in every sense of the word) work by Michael Chabala in the second half, and Nathan Sturgis was on fire for the Dynamo. Despite that, this game was all about the keepers. Tally Hall and Troy Perkins, in my opinion, are a couple of the most hardworking keepers in the league and their performances on Tuesday proved that.

Tally Hall is relatively new to the Dynamo’s starting line up, and had an amazing year in his first season as starter in 2011. In the 2012 season Tally Hall has posted four shut outs, including a shut out on May 12th against D.C. United, and has made 22 spectacular saves allowing only 9 goals to get past him. In Houston he is known as Tally ‘the Wall’ Hall, and has quickly become fan favorite.

Troy Perkins came to the Timbers when they joined the league for the 2011 season with vast experience internationally and in Major League Soccer. Though he was injured during the Timbers inaugural season, he posted the very first ever league shut out for the Rose City against Real Salt Lake. In April Perkins took a boot to the face in a controversial scuffle with Montreal’s Nyassi. He sustained a laceration and was forced to leave the game. Despite being fitted with a protective mask for the Columbus and Houston games, Perkins has come up huge for Portland and was named their Man of the Match in both games.

On May 15th both Hall and Perkins were stars on the pitch and despite a 0-0 score line the game was far from boring. Both the Dynamo and the Timbers had lots of shots on goal, and the keepers were always there with an answer. Hall started early with an excellent save in the 11th minute on a long range strike from former Dynamo Lovel Palmer. Perkins best save of the night came in the 66th minute when Calen Carr played an excellent ball through to Camargo inside the box. The Dynamo ultimately had a whopping 18 attempts on goal, while the Timbers had 9. Despite all of the chances the keepers were just too strong at both ends of the pitch and the game ended in a scoreless draw.

In all of the excitement surrounding goals scored, sometimes the shots that are saved get lost. You might be surprised what you notice if you keep an eye on the keepers.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

The inaugural match at Houston’s long awaited BBVA Compass stadium is right around the corner. The stadium will officially open to Dynamo fans on May 12th when the men in orange take on D.C. United. Dynamo President Chris Canetti must have realized that fans couldn’t possibly wait that long, and the organization hosted back to back events over the past weekend that gave fans a sneak peek inside of the venue.

Colin Rolfe and Calen Carr sign autographs at the Dynamo Team Store Grand Opening

The events were kicked off by the grand opening of the official Adidas Team Store at the stadium on Thursday evening. Fans had the opportunity to shop around, and there was an autograph session with the entire 2012 roster. Reception was amazing and Canetti reported that there were a few fans who even camped out over night in order to be the first through the doors. The store itself is breathtaking. Like everything else in BBVA Compass Stadium, it is orange all over. The store features jerseys and scarfs and all of the obligatory merchandise that a soccer fanatic needs, but also features some amazing extras that could only be found in a team store. Dynamo fans can now purchase everything from shot glasses to tank tops to office supplies.

Immediately following the grand opening, the Houston Dynamo Front Office, in association with the Dynamo Supporter’s Groups held a town hall to cover support in the new stadium. The town hall was open to members of official Supporters Groups as well as unaffiliated fans. The Dynamo Supporters Groups were sanctioned at the start of the season for an undetermined amount of time. The sanctions were a result of incidents that took place at the MLS Cup at the Home Depot Center. A representative for the Texian Army revealed on Thursday that these sanctions are to remain in place until all four official Supporters Groups write and initiate a united Charter and Code of Conduct. The Supporters Groups have drafted both documents and have published them online at WalkerEndHouston.Com. President Chris Canetti was joined by Brian Ching and Brad Davis at the event. Canetti weighed in on hot button issues such as profanity. Ultimately he informed supporters that profanity is unacceptable in any situation and that if it continues there will be sanctions. Brian Ching also threw his two cents in on the subject saying that “there are more creative ways to make fun of Dallas.”

Cam Weaver visits with fans and signs autographs at the annual Meet the Team Event

Friday evening set the stage for another of Geoff Cameron’s LLS Man of the Year campaign events. Cameron was joined by Brian Ching and local radio station Hot 95.7 for a karaoke event at Drink Houston. The event ran from 7pm to 9pm to accommodate for the real gem of the weekend: Meet the Team Day. Each year Dynamo Season Ticket Holders are invited to a Meet the Team event which includes an annual fire sale, open practice, and autograph session. This year’s event was just a little bit more special because it was the first official practice at BBVA Compass Stadium. The team was over joyed at their new home, and the excitement in the crowd was palpable. Chris Canetti was on hand to greet fans as they entered the stadium for the first time. The fire sale kicked off the event and gave fans an opportunity to purchase unused team gear from previous seasons including training jerseys, boots, duffle bags, and other merchandise. All sales benefitted Dynamo Charities. Season Ticket Holders got to sit in their seats for the first time since purchasing seats in 2011. After an entertaining practice, players made the rounds and signed autographs for eager fans. BBVA Compass Stadium is the perfect home for the Dynamo, and even Stadium staff got excited and took time to chat with fans throughout the stadium.

Sunday rounded out the weekend with Dynamo legend (and assistant coach) Wade Barrett’s annual Go For Goal 5K benefiting Dynamo Charities. The week leading up to the 12th promises to be just as exciting. Season Ticket Holders were able to experience BBVA Compass Stadium one more time on Thursday as the watch the Dynamo Academy scrimmage the U.S. Men’s National Team U-17s. The Dynamo fell to the New York Red Bulls (and their excellent back line) on Wednesday. Hopefully their luck will turn around on May 12th when they play for a sold out crowd at BBVA Compass Stadium.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

Bobby Boswell bar tends at Geoff Cameron's Celebrity Pour

In support of his current bid for LLS Man of the Year Geoff Cameron has been busy at work. He is hosting a slew of events to raise money for the charity. Cameron’s $20k for #20 campaign supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which raises money for cancer research.

The charity has a personal connection for Geoff who recently had a close friend diagnosed with stage two Hodgkins Lymphoma. Dynamo fans will remember Danny Cruz’s work for the charity last season with his Cruzin’ for a Cure campaign. The first of Geoff’s events was held on the 18th at Bar Münich in Houston. The Celebrity Pour featured a silent auction and tons of free giveaways including team posters and MLS Pub pint glasses.

Local radio station Hot 95.7 provided free Bud Light which the players served up with tons of enthusiasm. I even got tricked into drinking Bud Light (the official beer of colleges the country over) because as soon as Geoff spotted us at the bar he got so excited about serving us that we couldn’t turn him down.

Cameron was joined by teammates Bobby Boswell, Colin Clark and Brian Ching. If every bartender was as cute I’d go out every night. The guys capitalized on this and all tips went to the charity. Midway through the event Dynamo staff announced that the tips already totaled approximately $1200. The event seemed to be a raging success and the bar was packed throughout the event. The next $20k for #20 event will be a FIFA Street tournament in the Houston Galleria on Thursday, April 26th.

Geoff Cameron at his first LLS Event of the Year

Later that week the Dynamo made their way up to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Columbus Crew. The Dynamo managed to steal another point on the road, however the team has slipped down to 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Sloppy play and frustration clearly got to the Dynamo and Columbus capitalized on their chances. Cam Weaver saw some minutes in the second half coming on for Captain Brian Ching. While another draw is doing nothing for moral, fans should remember that we’re only a few weeks away from opening BBVA Compass Stadium.

The stadium is progressing nicely and held its very first event for suite holders on Monday. The Dynamo will play a streak of games once the stadium opens in order to catch up to the rest of the league. The men in orange have only played five games this season thus far while most teams have played eight. Hopefully the Dynamo will make the most of their brand new stadium and home heavy schedule.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

On April 15th the men in orange take on the Chicago Fire after consecutive bye weeks. Due to unrelated suspensions, the Dynamo knew they would be without starting midfielders Adam Moffat and Colin Clark. Then, with a definite blow to morale, the team announced that Brad Davis had been injured. This announcement brought back memories of the 2011 MLS Cup. In the semi-final against Sporting Kansas City, Davis went down late in the game. The Dynamo went on to beat Sporting Kansas City, but had to face the Los Angeles Galaxy without their star midfielder. The Dynamo ultimately fell to the Galaxy, and many fans believe the deciding factor in that game was the loss of Brad Davis.

Now at the start of the 2012 season fans are reeling from the surprise loss. While Davis’ injury is minor, the loss of his presence on the pitch is immense. There is no question that there can be no replacement for Davis, but this could be a good opportunity for Dominic Kinnear to test the depth of his midfield talent. In the face of this adversity, what will the Dynamo do? It is safe to assume that left back Corey Ashe will be shifted up to the midfield, and the resulting hole in the back line will be filled with Jermaine Taylor. As far as the midfield goes, Kinnear will have to find depth with the loss of three out of four starting players. Luis Camargo is expected to be game fit and would be a good attacking midfielder to see on the pitch. Rookie Alex Dixon had an impressive start late last season and could also see some playing time this weekend. Je Vaughn Watson and Nathan Sturgis may also get opportunities to step up for La Naranja this weekend, however Sturgis is more likely to be used as a substitution. Ultimately the Dynamo will need to see a strong back line led by Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell paired with good finishing up front in order to get another road win when they take on the Chicago Fire this Sunday.

http://www.twitter.com/haptonstallgrp

In other news goalkeeper Tally Hall revealed on his twitter that the Dynamo goalkeeper third kit will be pink. If the kit looks anything like the pink kits worn for Breast Cancer Awareness last season, it will be amazing. The third kit for the other 10 men, however, leaves a lot to be desired. It is essentially the original orange kit sans the classy collar, but with the addition of light orange stripes on a heavy orange background. Clark Haptonstall, who manages fan favorites like Brian Ching and Stuart Holden, tweeted a picture of the jersey from local soccer supply store Soccer4All. It looks like the Major League Soccer curse of the ugly third kit continues.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

On the heels of the Houston Dynamo’s first loss of the season to the Seattle Sounders, the Dynamo find themselves facing multiple suspensions and a civil lawsuit. If you have been keeping up with our coverage of the Colin Clark incident, you should already know that Clark has been suspended for three games, was fined an undisclosed amount and will complete additional sensitivity training. It is now being reported that midfielder Adam Moffat will also be fined and suspended for one game for a reckless challenge on Sounders Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso in the 35th minute of the game.

Though the Dynamo made a great start to the season, their fantastic opening and the progress made to BBVA Compass Stadium has been overshadowed by continuous controversy. Dynamo Supporters Groups are still in a state of limbo while they fight for their rights at away games, and an incident which led to the arrest of two Houston Dynamo players in pre-season is coming back to haunt the club.

In pre-season goalkeeper Tyler Deric and draft pick Warren Creavalle were arrested outside of a nightclub in Houston. Warren Creavalle was accused of interfering with a public servant, while Tyler Deric has been accused of assaulting a public servant. The misdemeanor interference charges against Creavalle have since been dismissed. Currently, the charges against Tyler Deric are still pending. The two players attempted to get into a nightclub with a group of friends which included rookies Will Bruin and Alex Dixon. Bruin and Dixon were not arrested during the incident.

According to lawyers, the incident involving Tyler Deric and the off duty officer occurred when the players were turned away from the club, allegedly for having too many African-Americans in their group. Creavalle’s arrest is said to have been the result of taping “the beating of Tyler Deric.”

The officer involved in the dispute has since filed suit not only against Tyler Deric, but also against Warren Creavalle, Alex Dixon, Will Bruin and The Houston Dynamo Organization. I spoke with Creavalle’s attorney, Paul Doyle on Thursday. When asked if the suit is expected to affect the players ability to travel with the team at any point, Mr. Doyle responded with a simple “no.” I also asked him if there have been any attempts made to settle and if there is any validity to the case. Mr. Doyle stated that “there is nothing to settle. He [Creavalle] didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a stick up … and a frivolous suit. There is absolutely zero validity to this case.”

We see the men in orange back on the pitch on April 15th when they take on the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

When I went out of town this weekend and put the Houston Dynamo versus Seattle Sounders game on my DVR list, I never expected to come home to this game. I knew that the Dynamo lost and that Colin Clark said something controversial, but I didn’t look into it immediately. Instead I decided that I would wait and watch it myself. In hindsight I should have clicked on those news links because I was beyond unprepared for what I heard.

Personally, as a Dynamo fan and season ticket holder, I was immediately embarrassed. In all of the seasons that I’ve been a fan I have never heard anything so thoughtless come out of a players mouth, which says a lot considering all of the things Bobby Boswell has said in anger. In all seriousness though, I have a lot of faith that Dominic Kinnear came down on him. I know we haven’t heard anything official, but Kinnear is known to hold each player responsible for their actions and words on the pitch, and I hope this situation is no different. I also hope that the fans will hold him responsible for his actions. While Colin Clark wears our crest over his heart he represents every single one of us in his words and his actions and to me this is unacceptable.

In order to put the situation in some perspective, I talked to a straight male Dynamo fan. When I asked him what he thought and how he reacted, this is what he told me; “As a straight man who has played sports I’m sad to say that I get why that was the first thing that popped into his head. Discrimination like that is rampant within sports, especially between guy teammates. The difference is that usually, you get that it’s not an okay thing to say, especially in public. I’d never say anything like that or expect to hear anything like that if I knew there were cameras around. It’s just not cool. Mostly I was shocked that it wasn’t directed at another player. It was directed at a ball kid. While there is a culture of discrimination in sports, calling a kid who has no part in the game a f****ng f****t is terrible and stupid.”

I am glad that Colin Clark took it upon himself to tweet, what seemed to me, an honest and sincere apology. However, I do hope that he makes an official apology to the press once Major League Soccer’s investigation is complete. While the apology seemed sincere, there was no reason for Clark to make excuses for himself. He should own what he did. In order for discrimination to end within the league, there needs to be a zero tolerance policy. As Major League Soccer grows and evolves fans should take a page out of the English Premiere League’s book and start movements similar to the Red Card Homophobia initiative. If this league hopes to compete on an international level the players, fans, and directors should understand that this is the world’s game. Soccer is such a beautiful game because it belongs to us all, regardless of race, language or sexual orientation. There is no room for ugly language in the beautiful game.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.

rendering by HoustonDynamo.com

It has been a good week in the world of the Houston Dynamo. The men in orange won their second game on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes, fans got a new look inside the stadium and the club announced that they are expecting another sell out at BBVA Compass Stadium for the May 15th game when the Dynamo take on the Portland Timbers.

Fans can also register for the annual Go for Goal 5K. This 5K is headed up by assistant coach and former player Wade Barrett. Word has it that last year’s run had some pretty hilarious moments and I will be running the 5K this year in the hope that there will be similar antics. It is scheduled for May 6th as a part of events leading up to the Dynamo’s sold out home opener on May 12th.

The Dynamo took to their second of seven road games in a row this weekend versus the San Jose Earthquakes. Houston and San Jose have a little bit of history and a whole lot of player connections (think 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon – Major League Soccer style) including Chris Wondolowski, Cam Weaver and Brian Ching. The original team was moved from San Jose to Houston in 2005 and went on to win two MLS Cup Championships.

This weekend’s game wasn’t quite a grudge match, but there were a lot of fouls committed, one of which led to Houston’s lone goal. Tally Hall posted yet another shut out and Houston’s defense was on point. As a fan I find myself continuously impressed with the backline. While the game was well paced and evenly matched, both teams missed a few opportunities that could have led to goals. I can only attribute this to those San Jose kits.

I kid, but they sure did do a number on my eyes. At first I thought that my TV just had weird coloring and then I realized that San Jose did in fact have green numbers on black kits with blue accents. In theory this could have worked, but this one was a total soccer fashion flop. Houston hasn’t debuted its third kit yet, so I could be eating my words soon, but I will go out on a limb and say that San Jose might have made the biggest fashion faux pas this season. My advice? Keep the green, but try it on a white kit next season.

Ultimately the kits had nothing to do with the game, but Houston walked away victorious and have embarked on a 2 game winning streak to start out their stint on the road. Next week will prove to be a big challenge for the Dynamo as they face their toughest competition so far – the Seattle Sounders. If you caught the game on FSHouston you caught the debut of former player and new announcer Eddie Robinson. Eddie retired at the end of last season and landed a job in the Dynamo front office. He is one of the most genuine guys I have ever met and I thought he did a wonderful job in the booth! I can’t wait to see more of Eddie and hopefully he’ll insert some of that trademark sarcasm that the fans know him so well for.

Closer to home, Houston CultureMap was given an exclusive look inside BBVA Compass Stadium and has featured some top notch pictures of the tour. Houston Dynamo President Chris Canetti has said time and time again that there is not a bad seat in the house and the CultureMap pictures prove him right. This is a good thing, considering the fact that the home opener sold out in an exclusive season ticket holder pre-sale before tickets were even made available to the general public.

Tickets for the second home game on May 15th featuring the Portland Timbers also look to sell out as tickets went on sale to the public this week.

On the player front, this season Calen Carr joins the ranks of Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell and Brad Davis by adding his own player cause in affiliation with Dynamo Charities. These events are always awesome, and Bobby Boswell’s breast cancer awareness night is so much fun. Dynamo Charities hosts player causes as well as a slew of events to raise money for local and soccer related charities. One of these events, the annual fire sale, is scheduled for May 6th and offers season ticket holders a chance to get their hands on some great gear and merchandise for fantastic prices. If the Dynamo can continue their run on the road and bring it home to their brand new stadium in style this will prove to be a good year for the Houston Dynamo.

#g4s writer Ayla and other talented contributors can be found at gay4soccer.