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Gather round campers, and let me tell you a story, just so you know from whence I speak.
My mother, a native Houstonian and Catholic (don't worry, not a sectarian story in that sense, just bear with me), was 35 years old in 1960, the year the United States elected its first Catholic president, a young, energetic man very much of her generation. Years later, she would regale us, her assembled brood, with many tales about that time. She spoke of her affection for John F. Kennedy, her sense of hope, how much she loved Jackie, etc. etc. And then, when we asked her to tell us about the horrific events of Nov. 22, 1963, without even hesitating, this was her first response:
"Yeah, that took some of the steam out of Dallas."
Right then, I knew, as a native Houstonian myself, what was what, where was where and who was who.
So, this Saturday, when a team from that town -- a town, mind you, that after years living in the dreary confines of the then-Soviet Union and loving it, that a certain Mr. L.H. Oswald decided looked like a fine place to settle down -- comes to visit, we in the Orange Palace have a nice little welcome awaiting them. The moment Houston Dynamo arrived in 2006, various Houston fans let the recent arrivals know exactly what the score was. Winning in general was a powerful thing, but the Houston/Dallas border war was, well, über alles.
And the team has responded thusly, as, with the exception of the annus horribilus of 2010, the rivalry has been a trifle one-sided. The Orange is 8-3-7 all-time vs. Frisco in MLS play, but the breakdown of all competitions turns the mark even more Orange tinged. To wit:
US Open Cup: 1-0-0
MLS: 8-3-7
MLS playoffs: 1-1-0
Other: 1-1-1
Total: 11-5-8
Which means that in the 24 instances these two teams have kicked a ball in anger against one another, Dynamo have emerged either victorious or drawn 19 times. (And I know the 2007 playoff match can be legitimately tagged as a Dynamo win instead of 1-1-0 since it was a two-legged affair. But remember everyone, charity. When a pathetic beast has been kicked repeatedly, I think we can all grant it whatever scrap it can have. It's what makes us better than them, after all, right?)
But for more, including a take about how San Antonio actually has better attendance numbers than F(U)risco, click beyond the jump.
In a way, you have to feel sorry for Fort Worth. I mean, Cowtown is actually a nice place to be, has a definite history, plenty of art museums (musea?) and much to enjoy. And here they are with their troth eternally bound not only to Dallas, but to the unending ring of parisitic suburbs that suffuse the greater and lesser Metroplexopolis. Fort Worth's plight reminds me of this song:
Though of course, perhaps there are a few reasons to go to Dallas. Well, maybe just one:
Now, much has been written about how much better Frisco is doing when it comes to putting butts in seats, or at least selling tickets, or staging ticket giveaways, or whatever it is they're doing up there in We-Suck-So-Bad-We-Can't-Even-Keep-A-Stadium-Name-Sponsor Park. And thanks to the intrepid Kenn Tomasch, there's a handy-dandy way to keep track of these things. Let's take a look at the relevant particulars
The Major League Soccer G Total Average Median High Low
Seattle
8
308,698
38,587
38,380
39,312
38,301
Montreal
5
182,488
36,498
23,120
60,860
19,223
Los Angeles
7
155,694
22,242
22,143
27,000
16,512
Houston
3
66,117
22,039
22,039
22,039
22,039
Portland
7
143,066
20,438
20,438
20,438
20,438
Kansas City
6
115,061
19,177
19,876
20,404
15,161
Vancouver
6
114,074
19,012
19,333
21,000
15,382
Toronto
6
113,336
18,889
18,710
20,070
18,227
Salt Lake
7
129,403
18,486
18,219
20,415
16,738
Philadelphia
5
91,563
18,313
18,526
19,074
17,189
New York
6
94,939
15,823
15,517
21,024
11,315
Colorado
6
91,165
15,194
15,008
19,152
10,969
Chicago
6
82,380
13,730
13,852
18,075
10,489
DC United
9
123,013
13,668
13,975
16,314
10,135
Chivas USA
7
95,423
13,632
14,127
18,800
7,723
Columbus
6
79,314
13,219
11,747
18,197
10,479
Dallas
8
105,451
13,181
11,953
20,906
10,069
New England
6
70,512
11,752
12,318
16,414
6,149
San Jose
7
81,677
11,668
10,256
21,816
8,734
MLS TOTAL
121
2,243,374
18,540
18,027
60,860
6,149
North American Soccer League G Total Average Median High Low
San Antonio
5
49,750
9,950
9,536
13,151
8,310
So, Dallas is actually back in the land of five digits. Good going guys. Though of course, it is important to see that yes, indeed, those numbers make you the third most popular team in Texas. But how can this be perfesser? 13,181 is certainly greater than the San Antonio Scorpions' 9,950. Ahhhh, but let's look at something simple, like percentage of seats sold. With the BBVA Compass Stadium, that number through three homes games (four is you count this Saturday's sellout) is a nice round 100 percent. One-zero-zero. The Frisco ISD Stadium has a capacity of 20,500, and according to this little math tool here in my brain, I can see that FCD sells/gives away about 64 percent of their seats. San Antonio, meanwhile, plays in Northeast ISD's Heroes Stadium, with a capacity of 11K, giving them a sweet little percentage sold number of just over 90 percent. So hey, Frisco, at least you're in the Top Three. As your therapist no doubt reminds you regularly, we are all winners.
In any event, there are some things to remember here. One, unlike some places we could name, every president who has visited Houston has left alive, which many would consider to be at least the minimal standard. Two, when it comes to history, the book is decidedly orange. And three, while as was pointed out in Zach's post this morning, at that stadium up Frisco there are not spectators. Or at least, not many.