Walker End Houston -- A "fan" Point of View

There's been some recent buzz around the Houston Dynamo, and it's not all centered around the brand spankin' shiny new toy, BBVA Compass Stadium. As we continue to count down the final week until the first Houston Dynamo home match on their pretty new pitch inside their absolutely gorgeous new stadium, an announcement was made which has polarized certain entities and united others. Martek did a wonderful breakdown of the major points here, and if you have not watched the video yet (embedded in the article) you really need to as it answers a lot of questions you may have right now. So why am I hitting on the same thing? Cuz there's more to it, of course.

Back not all that long ago, MLS threw down some pretty rock solid consequences relating to incidents which occurred during the 2011 season at a "few" away games. These events brought about some questions to the accountability which was levied by the various Dynamo Supporters Groups, and then in turn the counter by Major League Soccer regarding the accountability of the SGs and their members. But I don't want to hit on that too much as it's done and in the past.

I said then the one thing I hoped with every fiber of my being would come from the sanctions was a unity. Not just unity of the Supporters Groups, but a unity which stemmed throughout the entirety of the Dynamo Organization (and all of MLS, even). I saw the opportunity in what happened and how it happened to turn a negative into an astronomical positive. Apparently, so did Chris Smink and Chris Canetti (as well as others), and they worked together toward a common goal.

They've brought in the players and have opened the doors to various charities. This is the beginning of something huge, and I'm obviously not the only one who feels this way. This is a chance to make a mark on the city of Houston beyond just the soccer community and even just the sports community. This is a chance to silence those critics of the game itself, and prove there really is something powerful beyond the game.

I look forward to the day when the MLS All Star Game becomes a gathering of all team Supporters Groups, with events rewarding the efforts and charities reaping the benefits. Can you imagine just how massive those types of events could become, and how unifying they can be?

Memories will be created on May 12th. They will be forever entwined with the city of Houston, and it's image will forever be altered. While I am unfortunate to not have the opportunity to be there, I am delighted to have the opportunity to watch the game live on TV and give a fan's view of the presentation of the stadium to the larger audience and TV viewership.

Some of us have had the chance to see the beauty that is becoming the NBC Sports coverage of MLS, and I am highly anticipating a national audience having the chance to christen BBVA Compass Stadium along with us. And I say us, because that is where this is headed, and where we're coming to rather quickly. I'm proud to be able to cover such a unique situation and a unique process, and I'm proud of the Dynamo for supporting Walker End in this endeavor.

As Martek said at the end of his story on the matter...

Forza Naranja!

P.S. If you're going to the stadium, I fully expect you to be loud. If you have a voice on Sunday, there will be repercussions!