Dynamo Press Release

CARSON, CA (Sunday, February 12, 2012) -- The Houston Dynamo lost their first match of the preseason, falling to the Portland Timbers 2-0 Sunday morning at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin provided the second-half goals for Portland.

The Dynamo continued to use a mix of trialists and first team players for each half, and controlled much of the run of play in the first half. Emerson Sato, a trialist from Brazil, nearly got the Dynamo on the board in his first action in orange. Sato picked up a loose ball from 25 yards out, cut to the middle of the field and attempted to curl the ball past Troy Perkins, but the Timbers goalkeeper moved to his right to stop the attempt.

Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall was forced into action in the 31st minute when center back Geoff Cameron slipped on the wet surface, allowing Timbers forward Bright Dike a one-on-one opportunity on goal. Dike struck the ball well but Hall parried it away to keep the game scoreless.

The Dynamo stormed back minutes later, though, as Will Bruin played a through-ball down the left flank to newcomer Macoumba Kandji. Kandji did well to beat his defender and fire a left-footed strike to the far post, but the ball trickled just wide of the net.

The Timbers finally broke through in the 63rd minute. Trialist Ryan Kawulok played a long ball into the Dynamo penalty box. The ball fell to an open Jewsbury who calmly placed the shot past second-half goalkeeper Erich Marscheider.

Portland doubled its lead in the 86th minute off a fantastic effort by James Marcelin. The Haitian international sent a laser toward the Dynamo goal after picking up a loose ball from 35 yards out. The ball ricocheted off the crossbar and dropped behind the goal line.

The Dynamo will wrap up their west coast training camp with a trip to Ventura County, Calif. Houston will train at Oxnard College on Monday before taking on the San Jose Earthquakes at Oxnard on Tuesday.

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Well it's just a preseason match and doesn't count for anything, but the Dynamo's 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy does give us the ever so slightest bit of retribution after last season. Nathan Sturgis scored his second goal of the preseason as the Dynamo defense continued it's streak of clean sheets with their fifth straight shutout of the preseason.

Here's the Dynamo's match report:

CARSON, CA (Friday, February 10, 2012) -- The Houston Dynamo posted their fifth consecutive preseason shutout, as they defeated LA Galaxy 1-0 Friday morning at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Nathan Sturgis scored the game’s lone goal as the Dynamo improved to 5-0 during their preseason campaign.

The Dynamo nearly got on the board in the 3rd minute, when Colin Clark picked up a loose ball around midfield. Clark raced down the left wing and sent a cross to Brian Ownby. The rookie midfielder took one touch and fired a low shot to the far post, but Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders knocked the ball away for a corner kick.

Much of the Galaxy action in the first half went through midfielder David Beckham, and the England international nearly had his hand in two scoring opportunities late in the half. In the 36th minute, Beckham played a through-ball to Edson Buddle who sent his shot directly at Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall. Minute later, Beckham curled a free kick from 28 yards out toward the top corner of the net, but Hall tipped it away with his out-stretched hand to keep the game scoreless.

Similar to Wednesday’s game against Montreal, Houston broke through in the second half. In the 68th minute, midfielder Josue Soto picked up the loose ball from 35 yards out and sent a looping cross into the Galaxy penalty box. Sturgis – who had moved up from his center back position for a corner kick second earlier – backpedaled and flicked a header past goalkeeper Bill Gaudette.

Rookie forward Colin Rolfe, who entered the game at halftime, was ejected in the 72nd minute for a harsh tackle on Galaxy defender Andrew Boyens.

The Galaxy tested Hall once more, on a late strike from Rafael Garcia, but the Dynamo goalkeeper punched the ball over the crossbar to preserve the shutout.

The Dynamo will play their next match Sunday morning against the Portland Timbers. The match will be played on University 2 and will kick off at 12:30 p.m. CT.

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Dominic Kinnear was predicitably asked after the match about former Dynamo capatain Brian Ching and he made a slightly surprising comment:

"I think in the beginning, we were a little bit liberal with what we were saying," Kinnear said. "I think it was a little bit rude, and I apologize for that, back when Brian first got selected by Montreal in the Expansion Draft. I think it was too easily talked about because of who he is, and I think now just to be very professional, we have to keep it as quiet as possible."

Ortiz from the Chronicle seems to think Ching will be back with Houston by the start of the season.

Ching and Bobby Boswell had some friendly banter during the match as well.

Enjoy some match highlights:

The Dynamo continued their undefeated preseason (for what that's worth) with a 2-0 victory over the Montreal Impact. This was the first MLS competition Houston has faced this preseason and it's fitting it was against Brian Ching and Le Impact. Colin Clark and Cam Weaver both scored for the Dynamo.

Enjoy the official particulars from the Dynamo:

CARSON, CA (Wednesday, February 8, 2012) -- The Houston Dynamo posted their fourth consecutive preseason shutout, as they defeated Montreal Impact 2-0 Wednesday morning at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, Calif. Colin Clark and Cam Weaver scored the goals and Tally Hall made four saves in his first preseason appearance of 2012.

In a back-and-forth first half, neither team was able to control the run of play. Montreal nearly got on the board first in the 27th minute when Sanna Nyassi ran on to a ball played over the top of the Dynamo defense. The Gambian forward took a touch and fired the shot low, but Hall dove to his right to stop the shot.

Although Houston was able to get some pressure on the Montreal back line in the first half, they were unable to test goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and the two teams finished the first 45 minutes scoreless. To begin the second half, the Dynamo subbed out half of their squad, including their entire back line.

The Dynamo broke through in the 67th minute, when Will Bruin received the ball in the Montreal penalty box. The second-year forward held off a defender before playing the ball to trialist Philip Aseweh. The supplemental draft pick from Liberty University moved the ball across the six-yard-box to midfielder Colin Clark who fired the ball into the empty net.

Houston doubled its lead in the 83rd minute off a cross from Warren Creavalle. The 2012 MLS SuperDraft pick raced past a Montreal defender and played the ball to Bruin in the box. Bruin dummied the ball to an open Cam Weaver who one-timed the ball past second-half goalkeeper Evan Bush.

The Dynamo will train tomorrow on the practice fields at The Home Depot Center before taking on LA Galaxy on Friday at 12:30 p.m. CT. Friday's match is open to the media but closed to the public.

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Enjoy some video highlights on the Dynamo's 4-0 preseason win over Houston Baptist University.

The Dynamo continued their preseason undefeated with another convincing victory over a college side. Several trialist played well as they try to convince Dominic Kinnear to offer them contracts for the 2012 season.

Press Release

HOUSTON, TX (Saturday, February 04, 2012) -- The Houston Dynamo defeated Houston Baptist University 4-0 on a wet Saturday morning at Houston Amateur Sports Park. Brian Ownby scored two goals and Philip Aseweh and Eder Arreola added one apiece as the Dynamo continued their preseason with a third consecutive shutout.

Similar to the first two matches, the Dynamo began the match with a lineup of mostly trialists. First team goalkeeper Tyler Deric got his second consecutive start and midfielder Alex Dixon began the match in the central midfield position. Due to inclement weather conditions, the match was shortened to two 40-minute halves.

Ownby, a 2012 Supplemental Draft pick, opened the scoring for the Dynamo in the 31st minute. The midfielder from the University of Virginia took a shot from the top of the box that deflected off an HBU defender and skipped past former Dynamo Academy goalkeeper Kevin Suarez for a 1-0 lead.

Houston doubled its lead minutes later when Arreola found a streaking Aseweh in the middle of the penalty area. Aseweh did not hesitate and buried the shot past Suarez to make the score 2-0.

Colin Rolfe continued to look dangerous against opposing defenses, and although he did not find the back of the net, he did set up Arreola for the third goal of the match. After some nifty dribbling, Rolfe got into the HBU penalty area and fired a shot on goal. His attempt was deflected by an HBU defender, but Rolfe was able to push the rebound out wide to Arreola who found the far side of the net for a 3-0 lead.

Dynamo defender Oscar Recio, a trialist who most recently played for Indios in Mexico, nearly got on the board in the 76th minute. Recio fired a shot from the top of the HBU penalty box, but his attempt was knocked off the post by goalkeeper Daniel Boyer.

Houston's final goal was set up and finished by Ownby. The young midfielder took a pass from goalkeeper Erich Marscheider at midfield, dribbled into the HBU box past several defenders and calmly placed the ball past a diving Boyer.

The Dynamo will train Monday and Tuesday in Houston before heading to California for a week of training and scrimmages against MLS clubs. Their next scrimmage is Wednesday against Montreal Impact at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

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The Dynamo had another positive preseason match today, defeating San Jacinto College 4-0. Goals from Nathan Sturgis, Will Bruin, Adam Moffatt and trialist Jorge Escobar did the damage for Houston.

Houston Dynamo Press Release:

The Houston Dynamo continued their 2012 preseason with a 4-0 victory over San Jacinto College, Wednesday morning, at the Houston Amateur Sports Park. Nathan Sturgis scored a first-half goal and Jorge Escobar, Will Bruin and Adam Moffat followed with second-half strikes to break the game open.

Houston's starting lineup featured a collection of trialists along with Tyler Deric, Andre Hainault, Josue Soto and Sturgis. Soto and Hainault nearly combined for a goal in the 4th minute, but Hainault's header off a Soto corner kick sailed just wide of the goal. Minutes later, Sturgis rose above the pack on a Soto corner kick, but sent his header over the crossbar.

In the 17th minute, Soto sent a curling free kick from 25 yards out toward the upper corner of the net, but San Jacinto goalkeeper Matt Dishno dove to his left to knock it away. Soto came close minutes later when a hard shot from the right side of the penalty area skimmed the top of the crossbar.

Sturgis finally broke through in the 31st minute, redirecting a Soto corner kick off his chest and into the net to give the Dynamo the lead.

The Dynamo out-shot San Jacinto 12-1 in the first half with a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

At the start of the second half, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear inserted more returning players into the lineup to mix in with a few trialists.

In the 55th minute Trinidadian trialist Darryl Roberts found space to the left of the goal and sent the ball across the goalmouth past Dishno to an open Jorge Escobar. The former Dynamo Academy midfielder made no mistake, firing the ball into the empty net to double Houston's advantage.

Less than a minute later, Sarkodie created space for himself on the right flank before delivering a cross to Bruin, who calmly buried the chance from 12 yards for a 3-0 lead.

In the 66th minute, Will Bruin got on the end of a Colin Clark corner kick but his header drilled off the post. The ball caromed back to Adam Moffat, who smashed home the rebound for a 4-0 lead.

The Dynamo will return to training tomorrow before taking on Houston Baptist University, Saturday morning, at the Houston Amateur Sports Park. Kickoff for the scrimmage is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

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The morning after losing a championship game is never enjoyable. Despite the fact that you tell yourself ahead of time, it's just great to be here, no one expected us to make this run, we're playing the best team in the league, all the things to try to prepare yourself mentally, it sucks.

Fortunately for Dynamo fans, the 2011 season which at one point looked on the verge of being a second straight season without playoffs, turned in to a magical run all the way to the brink of a third MLS Cup. Alas, that wasn't in the cards as Houston fell 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center on Sunday night. 

The Dynamo played the game they wanted to play, got the breaks they needed to get, but were ultimately undone by a wonderful bit of passing between Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan and their ultimate inability to replace Brad Davis in the offense. There were chances, there were moments, but it always felt like an inevitability that the Galaxy would get their goal, but the Dynamo were not embarrassed and they did their fans proud in pushing the best team in MLS nearly to extra time in the final.

What we learned above all last night is that fact that this team needs a second creative midfield force. With the true MVP Brad Davis out of the game, the likes of Corey Ashe and Danny Cruz couldn't create the type of offensive flow that Houston needed. It's not a knock on these two guys, they played hard and did the best they could, but trying to fill the huge empty shoes left by Davis' absence would be a tall task for anyone (and that wasn't a short joke, I promise).

The defense was strong all night, Luiz Camargo and Adam Moffat virtually erased Landon Donovan from the game and if not for his one run and goal, he would have been a virtual non factor. Tally Hall was superb in goal, Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell great in the middle, it just was an all around strong performance and the Dynamo were fairly beaten by the better team.

As we now walk away from the 2011 season, we as Dynamo fans can smile and know that we've got a young team that has learned a great deal this year and should have a great deal of confidence going in to next season. More importantly, we have a new downtown stadium ready to open in May and a ton of momentum from the fantastic close to this season...and we're playing in the CONCACAF Champions League!

Lots to be excited about despite the loss and lots to be proud of...except for the small group of knuckleheads in the Dynamo supporters section that were throwing a battery and mini-flashlights (I think) at Dononvan and David Beckham as they attempted to take a corner kick in stoppage time. You know who you are and you embarrassed yourselves and Dynamo fans. That's all that needs to be said about that.

The work never ends though, the expansion draft is coming up soon so let's get back to work. 2012 season here we come!