5 Reasons to Attend the Home Opener

The Dynamo open the MLS season on Saturday at BBVA Stadium against the LA Galaxy. Some tickets remain, but they’re going fast. Here are 5 reasons you need to be at BBVA Saturday.

1 . FRESH START

We can all agree that 2019 for the Houston Dynamo fan was a real roller-coaster of emotions. From the best start in club history to biting your fingernails to the bone every last ten minutes of every game because you never knew if the team was going to be able to hold up and close the game. We went from being very optimistic about possibly having the greatest counter attacking trident in MLS with the Quioto-Elis-Manotas partnership to benching Romell Quioto for the last few games of the season and then trading him to Montreal Impact in the off-season. There was even the parting of ways with head coach Wilmer Cabrera and closing the season with interim coach Davy Arnaud. But, this is a new year, a new decade, a new opportunity to start fresh and look forward to what this season may have in store for Dynamo fans. The greatest thing about the start of a new season is that every team starts at zero, on equal ground and with the chance to pull away from the others as the season moves forward. A breath of fresh air.

2 . NEW COACH

I could sit here and name off all the things that Tab Ramos has done for soccer as a player in the United States all day, which includes representing the United States in 3 different World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998). But let’s be honest- we have seen many cases of soccer players/stars that tried to make the transition from player to coach without it working out for them at all. Tab Ramos, on the other hand, has been one of the few that has been able to transition with some great results in his career as a coach on the international level. Tab led the U-20s to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 with three consecutive quarterfinal appearances. He also led them to 2 consecutive CONCACAF U-20 Championships with wins against Honduras (2017) and Mexico (2018). Let me also add as well that he served as Assistant Coach under Jurgen Klinsmann in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Now we sit in 2020 and Tab Ramos has his first head coaching role in Major League Soccer and personally, I think the Dynamo could not have had hired a better person to lead the club in what it hopes to be “the third star on the crest” season. One last thing, Tab Ramos is known to give opportunities to the younger guys, so if everything works out, Tab could help create a hotbed for talented future stars in Orange.

3 . NEW PLAYERS

I know, I know, the Front Office (FO) weren’t able to sign Messi, and CR7 was too busy with his new hairstyles to come down to Texas, but the Dynamo were able to sign a few guys. Let’s take a look.

Darwin Quintero: The Colombian could easily be the #10 Dynamo fans have been waiting for. He could also play as a winger or second forward depending on the formation Ramos wants to run.

Kyle Adams: The newest addition, the New Zealander makes his way up from RGV FC. The 23 year old centerback will come in to this Houston Dynamo team that is stacked with players in that position, but fans should be hopeful that having him will elevate the competition to always have the best XI on the field at all times.

Marko Maric: After the Houston Dynamo parted ways with not 1 but 2 goalkeepers this off-season, it’s safe to say that everyone was a little worried about who the FO was looking at to take care of this more than important position. Well, it seems that they found their man in Maric. The Croatian comes in from Lillestrom in the Norweigan Eliteserien with tons of experience at a young age (24), having played in multiple leagues in Europe. He is expected to be the starting goalkeeper in 2020.

Cody Cropper: Making his way down from New England Revolution after spending 4 seasons with them, Cody comes in to fight for that starting role under the 3 posts (“bajo los tres palos” as we say in Spanish). He brings years of experience under his belt, from playing at Southhampton FC in England to appearing for the USMNT and having some caps for the US U-20 and U-23 squads.

Marcelo Palomino: Since the age of 11, Palomino has been part of the Houston Dynamo Academy and now at the age of 18 he gets his first MLS contract as a Homegrown player for the Dynamo. Now, he will look to prove why he has been called up to the National Team from U-15 to U-19 without skipping a year.

Victor Cabrera: The Argentine came in via trade from Montreal Impact, where he was a strong piece in their defense and helped them reach the playoffs in multiple years and win the Canadian Championship in 2019.

Zarek Valentin: Outside back was another position that needed some reinforcement after AJ DeLaGarza made his way down to Inter Miami and the G.O.A.T., DaMarcus Beasley retired. Zarek comes in from Portland to try and gain a spot in the starting XI in one of those two positions. Valentin also has a great social media presence, which is a plus outside the field.

4. PARTY WITH THE HUSTLE TOWN SUPPORTERS

In this off season, the Houston Dynamo’s FO introduced the Hustle Town Supporters initiative in conjunction with El Batallon, Texian Army, The Surge and Bandera Negra. So if you were feeling alone, or just wanted to be part of something that supports the Dynamo as much as you do, come join the fun. You don’t have to be member of any of the groups to join the fun but singing, chanting, jumping is better with fellow #ForeverOrange folks. Also, all groups have “meeting spots” where they gather before and sometimes even after the games. Join in with your fellow brothers and sisters in black & orange!

5. WE HAVE TO #HOLDITDOWN FOR HOUSTON

New year, new slogan. This year the Dynamo and the Dash came together under one slogan to represent the city and hopefully represent it well. As the players #HOLDITDOWN on the field and give the blood, sweat and tears, the fans should do the same in the stands. Not only is it the first game of the season, but plenty of people in the US and dare to say, around the world, will watch as some dude called “Chicharito” will make his debut for the LA Galaxy. This is the perfect chance to make a statement in the soccer community and in the world, that Houston, Texas is a “futbol” city and we deserve the respect as such. A strong showing will also help our city in the future as the FIFA World Cup 2026 comes to North America and our town has the opportunity to become a host city of the biggest international sporting event in the world.

Come out and bring your family and friends or just come to support the Dynamo as they attempt to start this season on the right foot and Houston can go back to being one the toughest cities to play in for other MLS clubs.