Historical Moments:
2006: Before Houston's new MLS team played its first game it was dealing with controversy
as their chosen nickname Houston 1836 created an uproar Houston's Mexican community,
who were upset that the name celebrated Texas's war for independence against
Mexico. Eventually the team would decide to drop the name and chose Dynamo
to recognize the city's energy industry. There would be plenty of energy at
Robertson Stadium on April 2nd when they beat the Colorado Rapids 5-2 in their
first game ever, as Brian Ching became an instant fan favorite with 4 goals. The
Dynamos would go on to impress their new hometown, being in first place at a
couple points in the year. After flirting with the top seed in the conference,
Dynamo would finish in 2nd place with a record of 11-8-13. Their first playoff
opponent would be newcomers Chivas USA, and they would drop the first game of the
aggregate series, 2-1 after Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan stopped a late penalty
kick. In the next game at home, the teams were deadlocked in the series with two
goals apiece until Brian Ching scored the winning goal very late in stoppage
time. In the conference final against Colorado at home, Dynamo would fall behind
early to a penalty kick by the Rapids' Jovan Kirovski. The resilient Dynamo
would answer as Paul Dalgish scored two goals to put his team in the lead. Then
Brian Mullan scored the clinching goal and with a 3-1 win, Dynamo finished off
the Rapids and won the West.
2006 MLS Cup: Only having to travel 266 miles from Houston to Pizza Hut Park for MLS Cup, Dynamo
were confident about their chances, going up against the New England Revolution,
a team that had flirted with the title for the past 5 years. Despite the largely
pro-Houston crowd in the stadium and the hungry Revolution team, neither
team could find the net in regulation, and would settle for overtime. The first
overtime period went by without a goal. But in the 23rd minute of the extra session,
the Revs' Taylor Twellman ran down the Dynamo defense and took a shot that
went in the net, and Dynamo looked to be defeated. But in the blink of an eye,
Brian Ching responded and caught New England still celebrating, heading a cross
in less than a minute after Twellman's goal. This would propel the two teams
to the first penalty shootout in the 11-year history of MLS Cup. Holding a 4-3
lead in the final round of the penalty session, Pat Onstad would come up huge,
saving Jay Heaps' kick, clinching the championship for the men wearing orange
in their first season in Houston. For his tying goal in overtime, Ching was voted
MVP.
2007: A hangover from the title seemed to be in place as the Dynamo won only 2 of their
first 9 and sat in the West cellar for the first two months of the season. But
showing they had the mettle that is needed to be taken seriously as defending
champions, Dynamo went on a surge through the All-Star break, going on an 11-game
unbeaten streak that included a record-destroying 726 shutout minutes. In the
playoffs, second place in the West with a record of 15-8-7, the Dynamo lost the
first leg of their series to FC Dallas, 1-0 before crushing them 4-1 in the
next match at home to move on. In the conference final at home in front of 30,972
appreciative fans, a 2-0 win, thanks to goals by Nate Jaqua and Dwayne De Rosario,
propelled the Dynamo to another Western Conference championship.
2007 MLS Cup: November 18 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC was the Dynamo's second straight visit
to MLS Cup and again, they would earn a date with the New England Revolution.
To repeat as champions, the Dynamo would have to win without Brian Ching, who
was nursing an injury sustained in the playoffs. Early on, the Revs controlled
the game and went in front after 20 minutes on a goal from Taylor Twellman. Houston
seemed to let chances slip away in the first half as they trailed by that
1-0 score at halftime. Then the Dynamo were revived in the 61st minute on a goal
by Joseph Ngwenya following a missed opportunity to clear by the Revs' defense
in the box. With momentum shifted to their side, the Dynamo made it count in
the 74th minute. A cross from Brad Davis was met by the team's magician, Dwayne
De Rosario and he headed it into the goal. Pat Onstad would make a string of saves
the rest of the way, and in as many seasons in Houston, the Dynamo made it
two-for-two in titles, becoming the first team since DC United to repeat. De Rosario
predictably earned MVP honors for his game-winning goal, the first multiple
winner of the award.
2008: After winning the MLS Cup in their first two seasons in Houston, more greatness was
expected for the dynamic Dynamo. In the regular season they did not disappoint
as they finished in first place in the Western Conference posting a solid 13-5-12
record, which had them fall just six points short of the Supporter Shield,
for the best record overall in the MLS. However, in the playoffs the Dynamo were
stunned by Red Bull New York, who barely squeezed into the playoffs as the
eight seed. Losing the aggregate score series 4-1, losing 3-0 in Game 2.
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