The future of Forever Orange, Brian Ownby Edition

Brian Ownby is what you would expect from a Dynamo midfielder, hardworking and gritty with great hustle on the ball. A third year player who came to the Dynamo through the Supplemental Draft, Ownby is looking for his chance to make a difference on the field this season.

He played four years at the University of Virginia scoring 21 goals and was part of the squad that won the 2009 NCAA Championship. Projected to be drafted in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Ownby wasn't and ended up as the 7th pick overall in the Supplemental Draft taken by Houston.

"I was disappointed I didn’t go in the SuperDraft at first. I expected to but when I look back on it I think I lucked out coming to Houston and having the chance to play some games my rookie year." Ownby said. "And I think depending on the teams if I had gone elsewhere I would not have gotten that opportunity."

After a month long trial he was able to prove himself and signed with Houston Dynamo. In his rookie season he made 7 appearances off the bench and had 2 assists in 115 minutes of play. His first game came against Vancouver when he subbed in for Nathan Sturgis in the 78th minute. Less than five minutes later Ownby crossed the ball to Mac Kandji who sent it into the back of the net for the Dynamo's lone goal in a 3-1 loss. He also played 7 games with the Reserves during 2012 earning 5 starts.

After not having as strong of a 2013 pre-season as had been hoped and with a full midfield, Coach Dom Kinnear and Ownby decided that he would be best served going on loan. This meant he would be able to get more minutes on the field than he would if he stayed in Houston playing in sporadically occurring Reserve matches.

A native of Virginia, Ownby contacted the head coach of the USL-Pro Richmond Kickers who he knew from his hometown and worked out a loan deal. The team was made up of players from DCU, their affiliate MLS team, as well as players Ownby knew from his collegiate days at the University of Virginia. He played in 19 matches for the Kickers and scored 7 goals and 6 assists."I got back to my regular self- my confidence level and gamesmanship" Ownby said of the time in Richmond.

By the end of the loan spell Dynamo fans were wondering when they would be seeing him on the field at BBVA. He played in three games upon returning from loan before an injury sidelined him. But it was easy to see that he came back an improved player.

"I feel like last year that was my year to go on loan, get more experience and this year I am looking to come in strong in preseason, work real hard and make the 18." Ownby said when asked about the upcoming season "We got guys like Brad and Boniek in those positions but we have a lot of minutes to go around, so I’m trying to prove myself and that when they go away for World Cup, if they do, that I can step in and cover for us or if something was to happen to someone else in the lineup that I can come in easily..."

As for his future playing career plans?

"I would like to go overseas, but I am taking it one step at a time. I don’t want to look too far ahead and forget what I am doing right now. If I want to do that I need to get in a starting line up and perform well for a team...I am here for the next couple of years to prove myself and be a player in MLS"

With his confidence back up you can expect any time Brian Ownby is on the field for the Dynamo things will start to happen.