Dynamo Theory - The Dynamo Decade: An Oral History of Houston's DynastyYou may all go to hell and I will support the Dynamo.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48763/dynamotheory-fave.png2015-03-23T11:30:02-05:00http://www.dynamotheory.com/rss/stream/80053842015-03-23T11:30:02-05:002015-03-23T11:30:02-05:00The Dynamo Decade: An Oral History, Part IV
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<p>The fourth and final in a multi-part series, "The Dynamo Decade" traces the history of the club throughout their ten years of existence as told by those who lived it. In this part, Houston gets a stadium, the city says farewell to Brian Ching, and the Dynamo begin an evolution.</p> <p>This is Part IV of a multi-part oral history. The previous posts cover the history of the team from the San Jose days through 2011. They can be found here -<a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1/in/8005384"> Part I</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/18/8225055/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-2/in/8005384">Part II</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/20/8250445/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-3/in/8005384">Part III</a>.</p>
<p><i>On December 15, 2005, Major League Soccer and AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) announced that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/">San Jose Earthquakes</a> would be moving to Houston for the 2006 season. The club was unable to find a permanent stadium solution in California and Oliver Luck, at the time a member of the Houston Sports Authority, led the charge to lure the franchise to Texas.</i></p>
<p><i>That would ultimately mean moving a highly successful team coming off a 2005 Supporters' Shield victory (and two previous MLS Cups), leaving their accomplishments behind, and starting fresh in an unproven and uncertain market.</i><i>That team, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/">Houston Dynamo</a>, would go on to record its own achievements and results that rivaled any other expansion team in MLS history.</i></p>
<p><i>Ten years later, the Dynamo are equipped with their own stadium, training facilities, multiple MLS Cup Final appearances, and a long, exciting tale to tell. As the historic tenth season gets underway,this is the oral history of the Houston Dynamo franchise, from its checkered past in San Jose to the new "3.0 era" it currently embarks on. This is a story told by many of those who experienced it and still live it today.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><i><u>Home</u></i></p>
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<p><b>Pat Onstad, Goalkeeper (2006-2010): </b>"We were promised the stadium was going to come and it was going to come soon. Didn't come soon enough for me. [laughs]"</p>
<p><b>Eddie Robinson, Defender (2006-2011): </b>"BBVA Compass Stadium - thank heavens for Oliver Luck and Phil Anschutz for the time and energy those guys put in to make that stadium a part of reality... After going through what we went through at San Jose, then at UH - the way we were treated in both places. It's just amazing to see."</p>
<p><b>Chris Canetti, President (2010-current): </b>"When Oliver was here, that was his thing. He was spending probably close to 100% of his time on the stadium while I was spending 100% of my time running the club day-to-day."</p>
<p><b>Oliver Luck, President (2006-2010): </b>"The Dynamo stadium was a challenging deal to put together... but it was fun to do. I enjoyed it because I was really the only one doing it. [laughs]"</p>
<div class="pullquote">It was my baby, for better or worse. <span>- Oliver Luck</span>
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<p><br id="1427086862453"><b>Canetti: </b>"We had opportunities to build the stadium out in the suburbs and we probably could have gotten it built sooner and with less private investment. But we were convinced we needed to be downtown so we held firm on that and it might've taken a couple extra years and it might've cost us a lot more of a private investment but no doubt we did the right thing.</p>
<p><b>Luck: </b>"When you do these [deals], you have to be very pragmatic. You have to compromise all over the place but one compromise that I refused to make was putting it outside of downtown. I thought it was crucial to the long-term success of the team.</p>
<p>Annise Parker became mayor and the morning after her election, I wrote a two or three-page memo to Annise that said, 'We've gotten 90% of the way there. Here's exactly the stadium play, if you will, from my perspective... We're not trying to change any of the deal points, here's just a summary.'... She basically said, 'Let's get this done. This is a good thing for the city.</p>
<p>It was a challenge to get AEG to a point where they were willing to put in a substantial investment. That's a long way to get the deal done. If we had demanded the stadium be 100% financed by the city and county... we'd still be playing in UH.</p>
<p>There's lots of people that can build buildings but the fun part for me, the important part for me, the challenging part for me was putting the whole financial deal together. You had to make sure the money was there and it worked. But that was done. I felt very comfortable leaving here [in 2010] and knowing that Chris, and more importantly, the contractors and all that were going to be able to pull that deal together and actually build the building. I didn't worry about that at all."</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"It wasn't until Oliver left in the middle of 2010 when I had to dig in and, at the time, the deal wasn't finished. The table had been set in a very nice way but we still had to get the thing across the goalline."</p>
<p><b>Luck: </b>"I will say this. There were a lot of Dynamo supporters from all across various areas and ethnicities that got together to watch games that were really, really supportive of the stadium effort. I have fond memories of those guys coming down to city council meetings, county commission meetings, you name it. That was pretty cool because a lot of politicians really do respond when people show up. They were always respectful of the political process and all that, but a large part of the success that the stadium had, including the [Houston Amateur Sports Park], was they contributed to the engagement of Dynamo fans who really felt strongly. They loved the team and enjoyed watching them at UH but wanted a house that you could call your own. It was fun. It was very enjoyable work."</p>
<p><b><span>Ricardo Clark</span>, Midfielder (2006-2009, 2012-current):</b> "It was great to come back and play in that stadium and just see the whole changes that had gone on not only with the Dynamo but the whole league... Coming back with the Dynamo and just being able to train at the facilities they had that were top-notch with the locker room setup and not having to worry about getting kicked off the field at UH. It was awesome.</p>
<p>I can remember in San Jose, having to train at a local college about thirty minutes away that we had to drive to after we had met in the locker room... [At BBVA], I can say 'this is my club team. This is my locker room. This is ours.' It was a really cool feeling to come back and experience that and still experience being in this league and the team."</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"It was an unbelievable moment. You can't imagine what it means to go through that process, to close out a deal, to break ground, to have a vision for the stadium and watch it rise out of the ground and come to fruition. Then, for it to open, it was storybook... The crowd, Brian Ching comes back after that mess with Montreal, Brad scores the goal to win it. I mean, it couldn't have been any better. In fact, that whole season was really good. We didn't lose a game at home, we went to the MLS Cup Final... It's going to go down in history forever as a major turning point for the Houston Dynamo."</p>
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<p><b>Clark: </b>"It's obviously disappointing because we didn't win [the Cup Final]. We make it so far and have such a good season and grind through the playoffs. You obviously want to win and especially after losing to the same team last year. I'm thankful for the opportunity but you always - I'm a competitor at the end of the day and we were disappointed to lose but thankful that we had a relatively successful season."</p>
<p><i>For all the Dynamo's 2012 successes on the field, one player - the face of the franchise- was dealing with harsh realities.</i></p>
<p><b>Brian Ching, Forward (2006-2012):</b> "To be honest, it was to the point where it was painful. I was coming home from practice everyday and I had to lay down. It hurt to walk downstairs and get up the stairs. It was just debilitating sometimes, affecting the quality of my life. Then I came to a point where I started getting worried about my health and what I was doing, taking anti-inflammatories just to play and be okay.</p>
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<div class="pullquote">I was taking Toradol shots for games and I was just like, 'I don't think this is healthy.' <span>- Brian Ching</span>
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<p>If I didn't take it, I definitely noticed that I was a step slower and it would frustrate me so I'd come home and I wasn't enjoying it anymore the way I used to. That's where I was like, 'Okay, I need to stop doing this to my body, one. Two, if I stop taking those things, then I definitely couldn't play the way I wanted to play.' That was frustrating for me. It was all those things together that was like, 'Okay, this is it for you.'"</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"I was very proud of [Ching's Testimonial]... I knew that he was a big enough icon here in this city that it would be worth it to do it and it proved to be worth it. Not only was it a great night just from an experience perspective, but we raised a ton of money - I think it was $125,000 - to give to his charity to build homes for people."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"I was a little nervous, to be honest, about people coming out and enjoying themselves. The fact that everyone did and everyone still tells me about being there at the game - even fans - it was pretty special and something that obviously I'll never forget."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"Brian's event was so much fun and so deserved... The roast the night before, God, that was one of my favorite moments in the history of being part of this Dynamo organization - just being able to roast Brian Ching."</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"He's a Houston icon, the greatest player in dynamo history, just an unbelievable person and we're very, very fortunate that he was a part of our team as a player and as a part of our organization in the front office going forward."</p>
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<p><b>Paul Dalglish, Forward (2006-2007):</b> "When you were in tight games and you were looking for someone to produce a little bit of inspiration to win you the game, you didn't have to look much farther than Brian... I think Brian was the player that really epitomized, at that time, everything the Dynamo organization stood for and everything Dom wanted the team to be known for."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"The stereotypical Earthquake-slash-Dynamo... You look at what Brian does for the community, for charity, he's always been available for an interview. He never turns down a picture or an autograph."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"It was very special in the sense that I started soccer playing in the streets with my friends and I got to end soccer in a home stadium that I felt like I helped be a part of building with a bunch of my friends. Having fun with no pressure just the way that everyone loves playing the game. Just out with a bunch of friends, having a good time - and it was all going to a good cause with 'The House That Ching Built.'"</p>
<p><i>After an Eastern Conference Finals exit to Kansas City in 2013 and a poor playoff-less 2014, the Dynamo announced they would be parting with the club's only coach in nine seasons, <span>Dominic Kinnear</span>. </i></p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"We had an unbelievable working relationship and personal relationship... It was pretty obvious that perhaps change was in order. I knew where Dom was at and I knew where the club was at. So no, there was no surprise. There were lots of heart-to-heart conversations and, at the end of the day, I had to grant permission to let him go... Everybody felt like it was time to allow him to have that conversation with San Jose and eventually move on."</p>
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<p><b>Dalglish: </b>"With the budget that Dom had compared to other people in the league, you've got to say Dom has probably overachieved more than any other coach in the league with the tools he's got and the resources he's got."</p>
<p><b>Wade Barrett, Defender (2006-2009): </b>"He wanted to win every single day and that was his main focus in practice and it was his main focus in the games. It wasn't so much about how it happened but just that it happened, period. I think that's one of the most valuable lessons that I've learned is to compete every single day and try to do the best that you can on that day. It'll either work your way or it won't but I'm back again the next day and you do the same thing."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"Everybody knew how fiery he was but I think there were very few players or fans or people in the media that saw compassion... Every now and again, he'd be a bit condescending but his compassion for his players was pretty amazing. He was the one that inspired that team mentality... If there was ever anything wrong or ever any issues with any of the players, he was there. He was there for you."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"I knew what to expect from him and he knew what he was getting in me. He was one of the reasons I got back into the league... I think he stood by me even longer than he probably should have. I learned a lot from him. I learned about the passion you need to succeed at that level, learned a lot about loyalty, I learned a lot about playing the game as a man... I can't thank him enough for giving me the opportunity to get back in the league and sticking by me my entire career."</p>
<p><b>Canetti:</b> "This is evolution and we're building the club... Now, with this change, we're able to go through this evolution and bring in the resources that I've deemed appropriate that are going to help us become far more sophisticated and advanced."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"It's hard because there's never in the history of the Dynamo been a season with so much change... I look at the current roster and the quality of players and I can certainly say there's never been so much competition for places in Houston. That makes me happy... If I'm being honest, outside of right back, every other position in this team for Houston has significant competition. <span>DaMarcus Beasley</span>, <span>Brad Davis</span>, <span>Giles Barnes</span> - none of those guys can rest. They have to be good day-in and day-out because there's somebody right behind them that can be and will be just as good."</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"I want 2015 to be as exciting as it can be for our fans... We want to compete. We want to compete again."</p>
<p><b>Barrett: </b>"From our perspective, there's a tremendous level of excitement about the new season... Owen has come in and stamped his style on the team. A whole new staff has come in... and they all have brought a fantastic level of expertise and energy. It really is a fun staff to be a part of.</p>
<p>The one thing that I've noticed in Owen's training and also in the games is that he demands a lot from his players. He demands that they put their full effort into every single training and for things to not fall below standard and he wants to win. In that regard, I think he and Dominic are very similar. It's one of the best coaching qualities that I can point to is just the desire to win every single day."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>The Dynamo Decade</u></i></p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"Time flew. It doesn't seem like it's the tenth season and, in some ways, it feels like we've been around for a lot longer because of the success we've had but... it kinda went by in the blink of an eye. It's pretty crazy to think about where we are as an organization as opposed to where we were. I look forward to another ten years but I think it's a great opportunity to reflect on how far we've come in such a short period of time."</p>
<p><b>Clark: </b>"It's pretty cool to just sit here and think that the team has been around for 10 years and know that you were a part of that early success and part of the start of it. Thankfully, we can look back on the ten years and have good memories and not just pretty crappy seasons and crappy memories. I'm really thankful that we're able to bring a core group of guys to Houston and have set a standard for the quality of soccer and success and, hopefully, the new guys that come in here know how to build off that and thrive."</p>
<p><b>Canetti: </b>"Ten seasons is an important thing to celebrate. I also think it's a time to not only look back but to look forward... We have a vision to become a great American sports franchise. For me, what that looks like is the New York Yankees, the Boston Celtics, the Green Bay Packers, the LA Lakers - teams that are defined by success on the field, great histories, great traditions, star players, great venues, special brands. Time get you there. We're only nine years old. But every year, we want to get better and better and better towards that."</p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"The biggest thing, for me and my memory of Houston, is the people. Not necessarily just the fans, but the people of Houston. We lived out in Shadow Creek Ranch in Pearland and, as a family, we loved Houston. We loved the people and we really felt a part of the community. There's not too many cities where you get to feel that way so we felt very fortunate we got to spend five great years in Houston."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"I think, as an organization, we're blessed with some really great players throughout its history in the sense that they all want to give back and be a part of the community. I think the guys in the beginning have a lot to do with that - the Craig Waibels, the Stuart Holdens, the Mike Chabalas, Brian Mullans, <span>Dwayne De Rosario</span>. All those guys all wanted to give back and we were blessed with an organization that was able to help us in doing a lot of those things. As an organization, we always felt like our fans gave us so much on the field that we always wanted to give back and be a part of them."</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">(Photo Credits: Troy Taormina/USA Today; Kelvin Kuo/USA Today; Troy Taormina/USA Today; Troy Taormina/USA Today; Thomas B. Shea/USA Today)</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/23/8261605/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-4Justin Jerkins2015-03-20T11:30:03-05:002015-03-20T11:30:03-05:00The Dynamo Decade: An Oral History, Part III
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<p>The third in a multi-part series, "The Dynamo Decade" traces the history of the club throughout their ten years of existence as told by those who lived it. In this part, the Dynamo double down on the MLS Cup and face transformation after parting with San Jose veterans.</p> <p>This is Part III of a multi-part oral history. The preceding segments (<a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1/in/8005384">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/18/8225055/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-2">Part 2</a>) cover the team's transition from San Jose through the 2007 MLS Playoffs.</p>
<p><i>On December 15, 2005, Major League Soccer and AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) announced that the <a href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Jose Earthquakes</a> would be moving to Houston for the 2006 season. The club was unable to find a permanent stadium solution in California and Oliver Luck, at the time a member of the Houston Sports Authority, led the charge to lure the franchise to Texas.</i></p>
<p><i>That would ultimately mean moving a highly successful team coming off a 2005 Supporters' Shield victory (and two previous MLS Cups), leaving their accomplishments behind, and starting fresh in an unproven and uncertain market.</i><i>That team, the <a href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Dynamo</a>, would go on to record its own achievements and results that rivaled any other expansion team in MLS history.</i></p>
<p><i>Ten years later, the Dynamo are equipped with their own stadium, training facilities, multiple MLS Cup Final appearances, and a long, exciting tale to tell. As the historic tenth season gets underway,this is the oral history of the Houston Dynamo franchise, from its checkered past in San Jose to the new "3.0 era" it currently embarks on. This is a story told by many of those who experienced it and still live it today.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>MLS Cup 2007</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Pat Onstad, Goalkeeper (2006-2010): </b>"We dug ourselves a hole. We were pretty lucky to only be down 1-0 at halftime. We played probably our worst half we played all season. Funny enough, I remember thinking at halftime - I think there were probably a few of us that were looking at Dwayne, saying 'Dwayne, if you play like that again, we're gonna kill you.' He'll never admit it but that was probably one of the worst halves of soccer I think I've ever seen him play and I've known him since 1997. He was horrific."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Eddie Robinson, Defender (2006-2011): </b>"We were using a 4-4-2 and it wasn't working. <span>Dominic Kinnear</span> said, 'What do you think about 3-5-2?' and we were like, 'Hell yeah, let's do it'... Dwayne was playing in the midfield and he was outnumbered. Now you put him in the midfield where it's even-numbered, now it's 1-v-1. <span>Dwayne De Rosario</span> when it's 1-v-1? There's no way to stop him."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Paul Dalglish, Forward (2006-2007): </b>"Dwayne was really unorthodox. He could do the unexpected."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Brian Ching, Forward (2006-2012): </b>"He was always the guy that wanted the ball in those big situations and, more often than not, he came through for your team. He provided that kind of creativity, that spark, that little bit of flair that our team lacked without him."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"Then the second half, he was the exact opposite and single-handedly won that game for us and it was a fantastic second-half performance by him. I've never seen him score a header like that. <a href="https://youtu.be/QvFL6I7mmgE?t=1h20m15s">It was ridiculous</a>."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"Joe Ngwenya got the goal to tie it up. When Dwayne scored, we're going back and look at Dom and Dom's telling us to go back to a 4-4-2 and I look at Dom and I said, 'Hell no. 3-5-2, let's stay'... Thankfully, I got Wade to agree with me and we said, 'Dom, let's stay 3-5-2' and Dom was like, 'Okay' because we were really taking it to them when that second goal came.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">New England, they revved it up. They knew they didn't want to lose <b>another</b> one... I'll never forget the save that Pat made on <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span>. I don't remember who was marking Jeff when that ball came across but I was about three feet from him and I knew I couldn't get a hand to him so I kicked him as hard as I could in the leg. Go back and <a href="https://youtu.be/AFiBxy7d9PE?t=7m50s">watch the replay</a> and I kick him in the shinguard as hard as I can and whether that had any effect or not, I don't know. Pat's reflex save on that was amazing and it won us the game."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b><span>Ricardo Clark</span>, Midfielder (2006-2009, 2012-current):</b> "Obviously, I wanted to be on the pitch for both [Cup Finals]. I was just glad that the team could come through and the way they did was absolutely crazy."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"I look at '01, Dwayne scored the goal in overtime... In '03, Pat Onstad saves an Ante Razov penalty kick... In '06, Pat Onstad saves <span>Jay Heaps</span>... In '07, Dwayne De Rosario scores a stupid headed goal from nowhere. I owe my four rings to freaking Canadians. How does that work?"</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Futbol</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>The 2007 season also marked the beginning of international soccer for Houston Dynamo. Participating in CONCACAF Champions' League and SuperLiga play, the Dynamo would foster a strong, competitive rivalry with Mexico's Pachuca.</i></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"Pachuca. The games we had against Pachuca, I think, are some of the best games I've ever been involved in at the club level. They were a fantastic team. Not just in Mexico, but they were just a fantastic team and a great team to play against. Those were good games."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"To be honest, we didn't really know too much about [Pachuca] before we stepped on the field with them the first time. Once we got on the field, we knew they were an extremely talented team - probably one of the best teams we ever faced as an organization... Those were some of the funnest games to play because they were so talented and difficult."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Wade Barrett, Defender (2006-2009): </b>"Every game we played against [Pachuca] was competitive and I think there was, again, a kind of healthy respect between both teams that understood that every time you stepped on the field against them, it was going to be a tough game... A couple of those games against Pachuca were some of the most memorable and rewarding games I had played in my career because they were a top-quality opponent that really brought out the best in our team."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Clark: </b>"I remember SuperLiga and I remember that being an absolutely awesome tournament. Honestly, I think they should bring that back. It was really super-competitive, there was a lot of energy in the crowds... I remember we had some very heated games that year."</p>
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<div class="pullquote">"Oh man, [the refereeing] was a joke. The refereeing still is, to this day, a joke." <span>- Eddie Robinson</span>
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<p><b>Robinson: </b>"I just remember getting so angry at times and really wanting to get into a fist-fight, getting stopped or grabbed by somebody else. When I was younger, I just thought I was Johnny Bad-Ass and I would talk crap to guys. Then, late in my career, I just realized, 'Y'know what? If you're gonna talk crap to me, I'm going to tell you that I'll be at your hotel after the game if you want to fight or shut up.' I didn't want to fight. I just wanted to talk crap."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Transition, Again</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish:</b> "My body was done. My ankle was fully healed but [a problem developed in the pubic bone] wasn't going away. I had been told the only cure for it was two years' rest... It's very, very hard when you're being a professional to admit when you're done and, especially with it being through injury... I just couldn't accept that my body was broken down on me."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson:</b> "[In 2008], the Soccer Gods said, 'Hey guys, you've won enough. It's somebody else's turn.'"</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad:</b> "[<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aui86Rxd5uQ">The 3-0 home playoff loss to RBNY</a>] was disappointing. We had the 1-1 draw in the first leg. I think we were pretty confident, maybe overconfident. Unfortunately for us, we blew it. Probably my biggest disappointment with that group of players."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson:</b> "We weren't terrible but we made a couple mistakes and [RBNY] were capitalizing off it and that was the difference. It was frustrating. People ask me, to this day, who was the best forward I ever played against. I don't hesitate or take a breath when I say <span>Juan Pablo Angel</span>. The guy's movement, his manipulation [of defenders] was unbelievable and second to none."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>In 2009, the Dynamo bounced back pushing into the Western Conference Final in Los Angeles, a/k/a, "</i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpmpfy-Oxko">The Blackout Game</a><i>".</i></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"It was disappointing, y'know. I think that year, we had a good year but not a great year. I thought we gave ourselves a good chance in the playoffs and I think that a lot of that was just experience. Unfortunately for us, we ran up against what I think was a pretty talented team in LA. A few momentum swings, y'know. I think we had momentum when the lights went out but that happens. By no means do I think it was about flipping the switch off-and-on. I think it just happened. The whole area went out in California at the time - that whole community. Unfortunately for us, it was just bad timing. We still should have been able to bounce back but we didn't. It was a tough way to go out but I was actually pretty proud of that team. That was a team that fought through a lot that year to get as far as we did."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Barrett: </b>"I was just ready [to retire]. Everybody has to come to that decision on their own and I had many good years in the league. The opportunity came up to potentially join the coaching staff and I was ready to move on... I'll be forever thankful [to Dom] for that first opportunity to try coaching and I really, really enjoyed it."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>The 2010 season marked the first in franchise history that the Dynamo did not advance to the playoffs</i>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"I think the goaltending stunk that year... It was a difficult year. Nothing seemed to be going our way. Soccer is so low-scoring at times, you need a lot of things to go your way... Everything went our way in '09, outside of maybe the lights going out (probably the first thing that didn't go our way that year). It tends to balance itself out in our sport. 2010, whether it was injuries or guys didn't play up to par, myself included, it was just a tough year. Unfortunately, that was the end of it for me."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Chris Canetti, President (2010-current):</b> "It was a rough year missing the playoffs that year. I think it was pretty evident to everybody who watched the team that the players that had been so great and helped us become so successful - the group just didn't work anymore."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"That group of guys that held the locker room to a specific standard started to fade or were not on the field anymore. That's when you saw that fundamental change in how the Dynamo would need to play to win games."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"You play 34 games and you look back and you're miles off from the playoff spot. Well, there's a reason you are. You aren't good enough and you have to make changes."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"I think that was hard for Dominic, too... I personally feel like I saw a lot of frustration set in for him because that's the way it was and now he had to expect different things out of his players. I certainly think that being away from California just took its toll on him."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"Basically, Dom didn't offer me a contract. That's how I came to the decision [to retire]. [laughs] Y'know, I was 42 and I know I didn't have a good year. I had a few injuries as well that, unfortunately, I didn't bounce back from. It comes to that time -- time catches up to you no matter who you are or what you're doing. Unfortunately for me, that was my last year. That was it."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"[2010] was a little frustrating because you've been in a group for seven years and I'd gotten to the point where I couldn't count on my body to do certain things and perform in certain ways. It was a learning experience for me that my body couldn't specifically perform to the level that I expected it to or wanted it to. And that was hard. It was very hard to deal with because I was still in this 'I'm tougher than you' mode and I think it was too late that I realized I can't play like that."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Canetti: </b>"Dom and I knew that it was time to make changes to the roster and I think we went out that offseason and made substantial change... I was really proud of the fact that we went from not making the playoffs to going to the MLS Cup [in 2011]."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"You look back and be like, 'Wow, we really accomplished a lot as a young team.' Having all that turnover, it was just different than the past because in the past, we had all these veteran guys that knew what it took to win. In 2011, you had a lot of young guys... that had never been to that point in the playoffs or in those situations. A lot of those guys grew up and became men and played really, really well in that playoff run.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It was a different perspective. You're kind of a leader-slash-captain of the team. To be able to bring up a young group of guys, after we've had so much turnover in the past two, three years... [In MLS], it was extremely difficult to keep together a good team and the fact that [the club] could turnover that much and get back to the Final -- it was pretty special."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"[In 2011], I felt like I was in the best shape of my life but that was physical. Mentally, it got to a point where I wasn't playing - I wasn't even first-team choice. 'Do I have the energy to sit through that again?' Not really. It wasn't like I'd never won an MLS Cup, I'd never won a Supporters' Shield. I'm not gonna extend my career because of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/us-open-tennis">US Open</a> Cup... I was fortunate to have quite a bit of work available to me should I decide to not continue playing. That made it easier.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I'm smart enough to know that, at some point, this club is gonna find someone way more worthy of having their banner up on a column at BBVA Compass Stadium, so I'm prepared for that. Y'know, I know only played for six years so in thirty years, there'll probably be some kid that's played for fifteen. And he's probably going to take my spot and that's fine, I have no problem with that. I'm just thankful to be able to do what I did for as long as I did and to meet and play with the people I did."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Imprévu</u></i></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching:</b> "Right after the Final, you're still dealing with the loss and you get told that you're going to be left unprotected [in the Expansion Draft]. I felt like [Montreal] wouldn't pick me because of my age, my salary, dealing with injuries I did that previous season. When Dom told me I was left unprotected, I was like, 'Okay, that's fine.' [laughs] Y'know? Not really thinking about the consequences of what would actually occur.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="pullquote">"Hey, we're thinking about picking you up. Would you want to come play here?" And I said, "No." <span>- Brian Ching</span>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Then Montreal calls me and they say, 'Hey, we're thinking about picking you up. Would you want to come play here?' And I said, 'No.' [laughs] 'I want to finish my career in Houston. I've always been a loyal person and I'd like to stay here and, obviously nothing against you or the city, it's just the fact that I've spent most of my career here and I really enjoy it with this organization.' Having that conversation the day before the draft, then seeing I got drafted, it was a shock. I literally turned off my phone for a good while while I dealt with the emotions. You just lost the MLS Cup, then you turn around and you find out that you're moving and you have to be in a different city when you made your intentions clear to Montreal that you didn't want to go.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">[The Dynamo] said that they were going to work on getting me back, which was great and I appreciate it. I knew it was going to be a process but I also prepared myself for the fact that I might have to play a year or two in Montreal. I enjoyed those guys. I really had a good time during my preseason there. I felt like whenever I'm on the field, I always give 110%, wherever I was. I'll fight for my teammates and that was kind of the approach I took up there.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Part of it was I did want to be a part of the stadium opening... because we felt like we were a big part of that stadium here and a big part of the progress of soccer here in Houston. For me, to be a part of that was such a special moment, not only for me and our organization, but for our fans. It's something I didn't want to miss at all.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Fortunately enough, they were able to come to a deal for me to come back to Houston."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>In Part IV, Oliver Luck and Chris Canetti walk us through the process of building BBVA Compass Stadium and Houston says goodbye to an icon, Brian Ching.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/18/8225055/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-2">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/23/8261605/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-4/in/8005384">Part 4</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">(Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images; Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; Dario Ayala/Montreal Gazette)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/20/8250445/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-3Justin Jerkins2015-03-18T11:30:02-05:002015-03-18T11:30:02-05:00The Dynamo Decade: An Oral History, Part II
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<figcaption>Victor Decolongon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The second in a multi-part series, "The Dynamo Decade" traces the history of the club throughout their ten years of existence as told by those who lived it. In this part, the Dynamo stake their claim to destiny in MLS Cup 2006 and battle a Guatemalan villain on their run to repeat.</p> <p>This is Part II of a multi-part oral history. Part I can be found <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1">here</a> and covers the team's transition from San Jose.</p>
<p><i>On December 15, 2005, Major League Soccer and AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) announced that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/">San Jose Earthquakes</a> would be moving to Houston for the 2006 season. The club was unable to find a permanent stadium solution in California and Oliver Luck, at the time a member of the Houston Sports Authority, led the charge to lure the franchise to Texas.</i></p>
<p><i>That would ultimately mean moving a highly successful team coming off a 2005 Supporters' Shield victory (and two previous MLS Cups), leaving their accomplishments behind, and starting fresh in an unproven and uncertain market.</i><i>That team, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/">Houston Dynamo</a>, would go on to record its own achievements and results that rivaled any other expansion team in MLS history.</i></p>
<p><i>Ten years later, the Dynamo are equipped with their own stadium, training facilities, multiple MLS Cup Final appearances, and a long, exciting tale to tell. As the historic tenth season gets underway,this is the oral history of the Houston Dynamo franchise, from its checkered past in San Jose to the new "3.0 era" it currently embarks on. This is a story told by many of those who experienced it and still live it today.</i></p>
<p><b>Brian Ching, Forward (2006-2013):</b> "We were confident in who we were. I think that resilience, that toughness, that 'difficulty to play against' were all there and were lessons that we've learned over the years. I think we were a team that expected to win, we were a team that was tough to play against, and we just went about our business."</p>
<p><b>Wade Barrett, Defender (2006-2009): </b>"It was a group of players that seemed like they understood what needed to happen over the course of a game. We learned lessons from previous seasons that we brought into the next year and we all kind of helped guide the team at different points of the season. [As captain], the biggest responsibility for me was just going out and trying to win the coin toss."</p>
<p><b>Paul Dalglish, Forward (2006-2007):</b> "It was a quite mature dressing room compared to most... The guys came in to work and there was a little corner with Pat Onstad, Wade Barrett, and <span>Brian Mullan</span> - they used to like to call themselves the 'Coffee Club'... but we called them the 'Book Club'. [laughs]"</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Settlin</u>g<u> In</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>James Clarkson, Director of Youth Development (2006-current):</b> "When the first team were at Robertson, they didn't really have a lot. They were sharing the field. You'd go there some days and the band were marching on the field, the women's team were there, or people were throwing javelins. All that sort of stuff the first team had to deal with."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Eddie Robinson, Defender (2006-2011):</b> "We're in this old stadium at the University of Houston that we have to get out of for football gamedays and go dress out of the women's softball locker room. But the days that we do get to be in the football locker room, there's stray cats that run through the ceilings, and down the tiles there's roaches everywhere... But we said, 'Y'know what? I don't care. You're not gonna give us anything? We're gonna show you.' That was the attitude."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Pat Onstad, Goalkeeper (2006-2010):</b> "Honestly, the biggest thing we were worried about wasn't playing in a football stadium but was when we first got here, I think the deal with Houston was they were going to lay down FieldTurf. For us, the last thing we wanted was to play on FieldTurf in August in Houston. Can't imagine how hot that would be. So, we were pretty happy when they said they would keep grass in for a couple of years."</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"It was hot. I mean, it was August [when I came to the team] and I genuinely came out and I said, 'How do people play in this?' I presumed we must play indoor or Dom must train indoor so I couldn't believe that people would go outside and train in the heat... I remember getting up in the morning [of my first day]... and I went downstairs and I was just sat outside waiting to be picked up and I was sweating. And it was only around 7 o'clock in the morning."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"It was certainly nice being in the middle of December. It was probably about 60 degrees out and that was a different experience for a Canadian from Vancouver."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"I don't think anybody ever gets used to it. You only learn how to prepare - to prepare for it better."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>The Inaugural Playoffs</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"I came in towards the end of the season and you could tell the team was just taking over."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"I think in '06 - not that it felt easy - but it always felt like we were always building up going into the playoffs and it felt like we were hitting our stride."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"The team that we played in the round before to get to the game against Colorado - the Chivas team under Bob Bradley - was a really, really good team. They were two really tough games. We knew once we got through those games that we felt really comfortable and really, really confident in our chances against anybody at Robertson Stadium."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"That was a difficult series especially for us. I don't think we ever felt like that was going to be an easy way."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish:</b> "I think it was Fernando Clavijo came out and called us 'predictable' before<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdsujMryMaU"> the [Colorado] game</a>. That was just a little bit of motivation we needed to make sure we focused our minds going into that game... So when they scored very early on in the game, there was no panic. Because they scored so early, it wasn't even really a setback.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I think the first goal was a great little pass around the corner from DeRo. Joe Cannon was in goal for Colorado... and I remember seeing him coming out quickly and I knew that when he was moving forward that quick, he wouldn't be able to change direction very easily. I knew I had to just get it through his legs or touch it either side and he wouldn't be able to move his feet. I managed to keep it low and score that first goal that really got us on our way.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="pullquote">It was certainly enjoyable saying "we are predictable" in the locker room after the game. <span>- Paul Dalglish</span>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The second goal was an overhead cross from Brad [Davis] and Mullan was on the other side... and I kind of anticipated where Mullan was going to cross it to and it was - I don't think I've ever had a simpler header than that in my career. Three yards out and I managed to head it down and obviously put us in front. We were never going to let that game go away from us at our home."</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><u>MLS Cup 2006</u></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br></div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"It was an ugly game, an ugly Final."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"Oh, it was a shit game. It was shit."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"It was a real kind of boring game, if you were to watch it."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"There were a few moments that I remember distinctly. I think one was coming out for the warm-up. Y'know, as the goalkeeper, we always come out a little early. I was out maybe ten minutes before the rest of the group but I came out and all you could see was a sea of orange. One side was predominantly orange and there was a tiny little pocket of blue in the far corner. You just knew it was a home game. I don't think anyone expected that."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"Y'know it did feel a bit like destiny for us - in the sense that it was Dallas and the whole stadium was orange. It was pretty special."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"Just the emotion of it made you feel a bit heavy-legged before the game."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"I remember the buildup to it. Watching local news every night and it comes out that Mattress Mack is going to cater food for all the fans that drive up. And there was a caravan of about 2000 people that drove up from Houston and he fed them all. Man, it was like, 'Wow, that's awesome.'"<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Barrett: </b>"I think we had developed a really healthy rivalry with New England... It was a team that was very similar to us and they had a really quality group of players - more than one or two leaders on the team. It was a group that understood how to play together and fought hard for each other."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"The kind of pressure of the situation got to people and it was a real kind of boring game until Twellman scored."</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"Khano Smith had the ball. I saw <span>Taylor Twellman</span> off to my right make a run in behind me so I moved to take away the passing lane and just as I did that, Khano Smith hit the ball and I was right in the path of it. Somehow, it went through my legs. I couldn't believe it. I was dumbfounded... I turned and watched Taylor Twellman do what Taylor Twellman does, finishing in the far post and I'm just like, 'You <b>have</b> to be kidding me.' Part of me is thinking 'How is this happening?', part of me is thinking, 'Well, I guess it's their turn. They've been to the MLS Cup plenty of times, it's finally their turn.' I was gutted. I was destroyed. I looked up, the ball is put down, the whistle blows, and I looked down at the ground. I was gutted. I picked my head up when I hear the crowd roar."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"I remember [Twellman] running the whole length of the pitch where they had a little corner of supporters. And he ran past all the Dynamo fans and ran the whole length of the pitch to celebrate. I think everybody was watching, y'know, kinda feeling sick to their stomach and it didn't take very long for Chingy to pull us back into contention."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"They score in Extra Time and, like we did all year, we were a team that never gave up. We always fought to the end. We always believed we had a chance and, lo and behold, we get a little bit. It was one of those things where when they scored, you kinda put your head down for a second but then you turn around and you're like, 'Alright, we still got five or ten minutes to rectify this and turn this around.'"<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"You're gonna get one more opportunity and that was the one message that, right away, guys started buying it. 'We're gonna get one chance. Let's put it away. We're gonna get one chance.' Fortunately for us, we did. Then Brian made no mistake."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"I think Brian [Mullan] gets by somebody on the wing and we get a little bit fortunate with the deflection on the cross. But putting yourself in good situations, luck is on your side sometimes. I found the ball and was able to put it in the back of the net."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"There's Brian Ching on the back post and the ball goes in the goal and I'm like, "What just happened?' I didn't see it. In the run of play, I didn't see it. I had to go back and watch the replay that night because I didn't see the goal because I was so upset about [Taylor's goal]."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"I think that game epitomized what that team was all about. We weren't a fancy team, we weren't the most beautiful team to watch but I think what people admired (and what our fans definitely picked up on) was our resilience and our willingness to fight and grit and grind things out... I think that game was all about that."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson:</b> "I remember going to the penalties and Dom starts calling out and I'm telling him, 'I want one' and he says, 'No chance.' [laughs]"<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad:</b> "They had penalty kicks against Chicago [in the semifinal]... so we had a big advantage. I was able to see all those penalty kicks. I had a look. Three of the five guys - <span>Matt Reis</span>, <span>Pat Noonan</span>, and Twellman - had all taken in that game against Chicago so I had a pretty good idea where those guys were going. Well, two or three of them scored and then Noonan put his over. <span>Jay Heaps</span>, I hadn't seen. The only thing I could say, looking at Jay coming down there, he didn't look the most confident. And who would? There's no bigger pressure moment - certainly for an American guy - than the MLS Cup Final. I just kept saying to myself, 'If you guess right here, you can have a shot.' Fortunately for me, I did guess right. He didn't hit it well at all but it happens.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div class="pullquote">I'm sure if he could hit nine more of those, he'd hit them a lot better than that. <span>- Pat Onstad</span>
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<p> </p>
<p>I was able to hold the ball and it's not so often that goalies get to go slide in on their knees. I remember just kinda running to the orange group and seeing them going crazy. It was pretty fun to watch, actually. Then, at that moment, I got absolutely annihilated by my guys. [laughs] Even to this day, I can remember that just two or three seconds that I had with the fans. It was pretty special."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Chris Canetti, President (2010-current): </b>"I remember the moment of standing there behind the goal. I went and joined all the supporters behind the goal where the penalty kicks were taking place, watching us win the Cup from that perspective. It was a very emotional moment after everything we had gone through in that brief period of time in less than a year and to stand there and be a champion. It was unbelievable."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"It was all a little bit surreal. Five, six months before, I was really happy playing in [Hibernian] in Edinburgh and all of a sudden I was winning the MLS Cup. It was pretty surreal and a rapid journey to go from one country to being a champion of another."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"One of, probably, the proudest moments of my life... because of all we had been through that year, and what we achieved and the way we achieved it. It wasn't easy for us and we had the resilience to see it through... It takes a special group of guys to deal with that much distraction and get the job done on the field and not let it really affect us. I don't think too many groups of guys could actually deal with the things we had to deal with that year and win the MLS Cup at the end of it."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"I tried to maintain some sense of perspective and humility and be like, 'Wow' but at the same time, it was, 'You all just kicked us out of San Jose. What do you think about that, San Jose? What do you think about that, Major League Soccer?" I was happy but I was still angry."<br><b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad:</b> "I will never say who has the game ball but let's just say I have pretty good hands. [laughs]"</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Repeat</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Canetti: </b>"Generally speaking, 2006 was a whirlwind. The team arrived so late on the scene and it was such a fast startup. We threw things together the best we could and we had this run all the way to the MLS Cup. It was kinda like we didn't even have a chance to catch our breath and we had to start all over again in 2007. Success created opportunity but it also didn't exactly give us a chance to slow down and ever catch our breath."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Barrett: </b>"Any time you go on a good postseason run and, of course, when you come home with the Cup, it builds a little bit of extra confidence within the group. So yeah, I think that momentum carried over into 2007. I think that feeling in the locker room was absolutely that we could compete to defend that championship and to bring home another one."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish: </b>"I felt really, really good. I was really excited for the season. The game against Colorado in Colorado was the first game we won, I think. It was the first game of the year that I really felt back up to 100% fitness. It was after that I injured my ankle. That was my last game that I ever played for the Dynamo."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"I do know that was a weird year. It never felt that we really hit our peak. It never felt like it was an easy season for us... I think in '06, we just felt like the game was on our side and in '07, it was a lot more difficult."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"It got to a point, I think, people were pissed off that the little guy was winning. No longer were they going to take us softly - 'Screw you guys. We're going to kick your ass. You won MLS Cup. Everyone's like San Jose, Houston, dynasty. Screw you guys.'"</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PA_c1FClBMo" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Clark: </b>"It was just an incident where we were battling all game. He had come at me a couple times that weren't appropriate. I lost my cool and just retaliated. Probably not the smartest way. Obviously, I got my fine, my suspension. It was difficult because I had to miss the rest of the year and the playoffs and we did special things that year"</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"Certainly not happy for Ricardo. The fine he got, the games he missed. But I can't say it wasn't deserved. You get what you deserve in life and [Carlos Ruiz] deserved it and unfortunately it didn't happen when we ran into him at a nightclub but it happened on the field and in front of a bunch of cameras. I felt bad for Ricardo but I don't feel bad for Carlos."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"Yeah, [Eddie and <span>Carlos Ruiz</span>] didn't like each other very much. Here's a good story. Carlos and I played against each other with Canada and [Guatemala] and I have a lot of respect for him. He's a very good striker, a very good player in our league, good International in CONCACAF. I wouldn't say I developed a friendship but I played in the All-Star Game with him and sat beside him in the locker room and spoken to him a little bit. [One day, Ruiz's team] was training before us and so I just talked to him for a couple minutes after training, shook his hand, and off he went to his bus. We went through training and I remember all training, Eddie was just irritable and I wasn't quite sure why. We get back to the bus and the next thing I know, Eddie is going off on me, getting in my face [laughs], 'How could you talk to that scumbag?' He's going crazy to the point where I'm thinking, 'He might want to fight me here about this.' That was just Eddie. There was no switch. You're either all in or you're against him. I learned that... if I ever saw Carlos, just to look over my shoulder that Eddie wasn't watching. [laughs]"</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"I did respect Carlos Ruiz for how good he was because the guy could finish from anywhere... I just felt like he didn't have the level of respect for the game of soccer that I thought he should."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Rivalry in the Playoffs</u></i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"That's the thing about the playoffs... you can get in by the skin of your teeth, peak at the right time, and win. That's what we did but look at the players we had. Is it surprising? We had <span>Dwayne De Rosario</span>. The guy just scored goals."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad:</b> "I think we had a pretty good record against [Dallas]... We lost the first one 0-1 away. I remember for us, that was actually where we were a little bit shocked like, 'We actually lost to these guys? We never lose to these guys.'</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Even at 1-0 down, I don't think we were worried about it because we were like, 'Listen, we don't lose to these guys. That was a fluke goal.' I remember when<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjYfD_ZqCKw"> [Carlos] Ruiz scored</a>, looking around and we were like, 'Ohhhh, this isn't the script we were supposed to be writing.'"</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"I think we were a little bit fortunate that [Arturo] Alvarez got red-carded that game [in the 47']. I think even though we went down 2-0, we were a team that felt like we were gonna come back. I think we were a team that were really, really confident when it came to playing in front of our own fans."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Dalglish:</b> "Although the new stadium's beautiful and the facilities are incredible, I do believe that the atmosphere that Robertson created when it was full was hard to beat."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"I think some of those playoff games at Robertson were still some of the best games... [the fans] really helped carry us through those games."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Onstad: </b>"Alvarez gets sent off. That pretty much, for us, turned the tide."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Ching: </b>"For that first goal, I had a long ball played in the box and I headed it back down and Stuart [Holden] scored a nice volley to get us our first goal. Then Dwayne played me through at the top of the box and I left-foot finish near post on that keeper to tie us.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We ended up scoring two in overtime. The ball came across on a go-ahead goal and I think <span>Joseph Ngwenya</span> kinda mis-hit it and it went right to me in front of goal and I just knocked it in. Once that goal goes in, and they're down a man, I think the wind just went out of their sails. Then Brad hits a beautiful free kick to finish them off."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Robinson: </b>"That's why we beat everyone... Nobody could match our effort and our intensity. I go back and I look at it and I'm like, 'Man, I feel bad for New England for that MLS Cup.'... I feel bad for guys like Steve Nichols, Taylor Twellman, Matt Reis, and Pat Noonan - these guys who were so good for so long that arguably deserve to win an MLS Cup. But, unfortunately for them, they ran up against us and our attitude as players - not just individuals, but as a team."</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>In Part III, we'll go inside MLS Cup 2007 and the transitions that would re-tool the team for years to come.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/20/8250445/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-3/in/8005384">Part 3</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/23/8261605/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-4/in/8005384">Part 4</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">(Photo Credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images; Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/18/8225055/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-2Justin Jerkins2015-03-16T11:30:02-05:002015-03-16T11:30:02-05:00The Dynamo Decade, An Oral History: Part 1
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<p>The first in a multi-part series, "The Dynamo Decade" traces the history of the club throughout their ten years of existence as told by those who lived it. In this part, hear about the move from a decorated San Jose team to an unproven Houston market and the memorable first-game that kicked off ten years of success. </p> <p><i>On December 15, 2005, Major League Soccer and AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) announced that the <a href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Jose Earthquakes</a> would be moving to Houston for the 2006 season. The club was unable to find a permanent stadium solution in California and Oliver Luck, at the time a member of the Houston Sports Authority, led the charge to lure the franchise to Texas. </i></p>
<p><i>That would ultimately mean moving a highly successful team coming off a 2005 Supporters' Shield victory (and two previous MLS Cups), leaving their accomplishments behind, and starting fresh in an unproven and uncertain market. </i><i>That team, the <a href="https://www.dynamotheory.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Dynamo</a>, would go on to record its own achievements and results that rivaled any other expansion team in MLS history. </i></p>
<p><i>Ten years later, the Dynamo are equipped with their own stadium, training facilities, multiple MLS Cup Final appearances, and a long, exciting tale to tell. As the historic tenth season gets underway,this is the oral history of the Houston Dynamo franchise, from it's checkered past in San Jose to the new "3.0 era" it currently embarks on. This is a story told by many of those who experienced it and still live it today. </i></p>
<p><b>Eddie Robinson, Defender (2006-2011): </b>"When I got drafted [in 2001], the roster size was 18. I remember going into San Jose and that's when [head coach Frank Yallop] and Dom did a complete re-tool of the team. We went through preseason and about halfway through, I start showing up in the locker room in the morning and I see guys cleaning out their locker. Guys that I think are better players than me, that I think have more experience than me... Slowly but surely, the season approached and they gave me a contract for $24,000. Which, in San Jose, California, was really a joke but screw that. I'm not going to turn that down. Are you kidding me?"</p>
<p><b>Pat Onstad, Goalkeeper (2006-2010): </b>"Frankie [Yallop] and I had a history. We played together with the national team for years and we actually roomed together... I was pretty lucky because in '03 when they were trying to bring me to San Jose, [A-League team Rochester Rhinos] had nixed the deal and wanted a significant transfer fee. And it didn't look like it was going to happen and, of all things, the goalkeeper got hurt in San Jose and that changed everything. They paid the transfer fee and then off I went."</p>
<p><b><span>Ricardo Clark</span>, Midfielder (2006-2009, 2012-current): </b>"For starters, [2005] was my first year in San Jose. I had just gotten traded to there from New York. It was new beginnings for me, moving from East to the West coast and just being a part of a new team. It was a lot of excitement that year for me."</p>
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<div class="pullquote">
<b> </b>"That's the best team I've ever played for and I would put that team up against any in the history of Major League Soccer." <span>- Eddie Robinson</span>
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<p> </p>
<p><b>Wade Barrett, Defender (2006-2009): </b>"[2005] was one of the most rewarding seasons that I had in MLS... The team that was assembled that year was just very good from the first roster spot all the way through the last. It was very typical of the kind of teams that Dom put together that were very hard-working. They work for each other and it was a good team that got on a really good run and got into the habit of winning."</p>
<p><b>Brian Ching, Forward (2006-2013):</b> "Seeing what that team accomplished and being a part of it was pretty special. We had a good group of guys. I think we just worked hard as a team. Defensively, we made it difficult for other teams to play."</p>
<p><b>Clark: </b>"I think [the 2005 Earthquakes] was probably one of the best group of guys that I'd played with in a long time. I think we had a really good understanding of each other on the field and there was a lot of chemistry that year from the coaching staff all the way down to the players... We clicked on the field. It was really something special. A special team to be a part of."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"It was a team that, yes, our owner owns <a href="https://www.lagconfidential.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">LA Galaxy</a>. They have this really nice place down in LA and we have this double-wide. We literally had two double-wide trailers backed up against each other that had eight showerheads - two of them weren't hot. We just felt like we were the red-headed step-children and we played with a chip on our shoulder."</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><i><u>Rumors</u></i></p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"When I got to the team in 2003, the guys had been talking about moving even before I got there. The three years that I was there, you kinda always heard a rumor here and there about the team moving. At that point, I think the rumor kind of loses its luster."</p>
<p><b>Barrett: </b>"Dom did a great job of just keeping [move rumors] completely separate. It wasn't anything we thought about. That was something Dominic instilled in us was not thinking about anything except that particular day. We thought about that day in training, then we thought about the next day, then we focused on the game on the weekend and we didn't really look too far ahead."</p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"I think San Antonio seemed to be the frontrunner if I remember correctly and then I believe there was an election there that changed everything... Then in the '05 season, there was rumblings but not until about midway through and, at that stage, you a had a terrible start to the season... and we were just focused on what we were doing."</p>
<p><b>Clark: </b>"I remember there was a lot of debate. We knew it was potentially going to happen. One week you'd hear the move was gonna happen then you hear it wasn't going to happen."</p>
<p><b>Oliver Luck, President (2006-2010): </b>"[As a member of Houston Sports Authority], we were discussing stadium issues, rodeo, football. Soccer came up. There was no MLS team but it came up in the context of, 'Should we be developing venues for soccer? Can soccer play in a football stadium?' Soccer came up but it wasn't a driving force... [Houston Texans owner] Bob McNair had expressed a real strong interest in a potential franchise out at what was called Reliant Park. Actually, if I remember correctly, in some of the original documents, McNair had an option to buy an MLS team to play out at Reliant Park.</p>
<p>We put a little group together that started to talk to the league, to look at a couple of the franchises in the league that were struggling... I think Kansas City was having a difficult time, Columbus were struggling a little bit, San Jose was obviously struggling.</p>
<p>Eventually, it sort of pointed towards San Jose and I remember going out there and visiting with Alexi Lalas, the president and GM of the club up there. They were really struggling with their relationship with San Jose State University and Spartan Stadium."</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="pullquote">I remember saying to Don Garber, 'San Jose is a great marketplace, a phenomenal town, a really cool place in the Bay Area but Don, you're never going to get them a building. You know that. Everybody knows that.' <span>- Oliver Luck</span>
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<p> </p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"We had a pretty good idea when the season ended but then it kind of went quiet. I remember after the season and going with my family to Hawaii and having a vacation. When I came back, I think it was actually the day I arrived back at the house, there was a voicemail and I called <span>Dominic Kinnear</span> and the next day we went down to the office."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"We had a meeting. I think we had a meeting in our double-wide or double-double-wide. The quad-wide."</p>
<p><b>Ching:</b> "I remember we got a call in the middle of December that year saying that the team was moving... which was, I would say, kind of a shock to all of us because you hear all these rumors for so long, you don't put any stock into it. Then, all of a sudden, you're up and moving."</p>
<p><b>Clark:</b> "I was kinda excited for the move just to be somewhere different. Obviously, it was a little bit stressful especially with guys with families at the time. That was an obstacle we had to overcome."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"I wasn't upset. At that point in my career, I had gotten to the point where I was old enough and wise enough to have a little bit of perspective... to know that, 'Okay, that's fine we're moving but I'm still going to get to do what I love doing. I'm still going to get to play soccer for a living. Who am I to complain about where it's done?"</p>
<p><b>Barrett: </b>"For us, it was an exciting time. Also a little bit of an uncertain time. There was just a little bit of uncertainty about how that was going to go and what it was going to be like when we made the move. You didn't have a whole lot of time to be nervous about it. You had to get very focused very quickly on just the logistics of how you were going to move your family."</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><i><u>Transition</u></i></p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"Myself, Wade Barrett, and Dominic hopped on a plane and flew to Houston for a press conference [the next day]. It was pretty surreal, too. I've never been on a private jet like that but Mr. Anschutz flew us all out on a private jet, which was pretty impressive, and then we were introduced to what was a pretty fantastic group of people as we certainly found out later in Houston. It was a pretty nice welcoming and certainly a sign of things to come."</p>
<p><b>Luck:</b> "The announcement was made. I was the first employee of the Dynamo. We had a game to play in two and a half, three months, which is absurd when you think about it. We had no name, no colors, working on a stadium lease so the players can practice, they haven't found a place to live, haven't sold one ticket, didn't have a sponsor. You had to do all that stuff in a very short time period."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"I had to be in LA the beginning of January [for USMNT camp]... I had one day to look around while I was [in Houston] and then found a place in the Galleria that day. Turned around and ended up buying it. I saw the place, put an offer in, and ended up buying a house in a day and not knowing much about the city of Houston at all."</p>
<p><b>Barrett: </b>"The one thing that was a little different in this move typical from other MLS moves - because everybody in the league understands that you might have to move during your career - but there was no support structure in place in Houston. It wasn't as if there was a full team there that had been there for awhile and you were just one person moving into that new environment."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"When we left San Jose and we were told by Major League Soccer that 'all of your accomplishments - the two MLS Cups, the Supporters Shield, the Conference Championships - you don't get to take those with you. They're going to stay here.' I was offended. I'm still offended to this day. Completely and utterly disgusted that there was eventually going to come another group of guys that got to wear those stars, who got to have a history they didn't earn... It really pissed me off. It really upset me. There wasn't a lot of respect."</p>
<p><b>Onstad:</b> "Fortunate thing for us is that Mr. Anschutz did a great job of looking after the guys out there. He wasn't obligated to do that in the CBA we had at the time. He stuck his neck out for the guys. He knew he was putting the guys in a bad spot that no one had before."</p>
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<p><b>Robinson: </b>"At the time, I think that Major League Soccer only was responsible for about $5,000 in relocation fees. AEG took every single cent of it. Players that had homes and guys that had 10, 15, 20,000 dollars in relocation fees - AEG paid every single cent and I put that on Phil Anschutz... I have more respect for him than pretty much anyone that I've come in contact with that had anything to do with Major League Soccer."</p>
<p><b>Barrett: </b>"The one thing that it did was it brought our group of players and the families closer together. Just the shared experience of going through that together... I think really helped the team in our first year. It brought us all together a little bit, probably a little bit closer than what we had been."</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><i><u>Unveiling</u></i></p>
<p><b>Chris Canetti, President (2010-current):</b> "For the Dynamo or any MLS team, I think you want a year and a half, two years of runway to build up to your grand opening."</p>
<p><b>Luck: </b>"[Houston 1836] was one of maybe four or five names that we looked at and MLS looked at. We didn't really have time to focus group... Once we announced that name, it became pretty clear pretty quickly it wasn't acceptable within the Mexican-American community... We quickly realized, 'This isn't going away... It's definitely going to get worse. A lousy way to launch ourselves. We should change it. If we have to apologize, we apologize, we make some statement.' We did it very quickly.</p>
<p>It was a very good cultural experience and it did teach us a number of things. One of which was, as Anglos, we often just say, 'There's the Latino community. The Latino community speaks with one voice.' But it really doesn't. The Latino community is as diverse as the Asian community or the European community. There was some really good lessons for all of us in there."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"The first appearance I ever did was at a small indoor soccer complex. There were maybe thirty people there. Somebody brought some Chik-fil-a chicken nugget trays. We signed autographs and took pictures and it was still probably just as much or more than anything we ever done in San Jose. Again, we weren't very popular in San Jose. Nobody cared that we were in San Jose until we were leaving San Jose and it was too little, too late."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't really get a feel for what anything was going to be like until, really, that first game."</p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"We knew we had a good team. The year before, we had won the Supporters Shield. We really hadn't made any changes. If anything, we felt a year stronger and a little bit more hungry because we had blown it in the playoffs the year before. We didn't want to have that feeling again. We knew coming into Houston in '06, we had a great shot of winning the thing."</p>
<p><b>Clark:</b> "I remember the first game was awesome. There was a lot of energy, a good crowd. All of us didn't really know what to expect coming in and I remember we had a great game that day."</p>
<p><b>Ching: </b>"I heard stories of Phil Anschutz out collecting tickets to get people in because we weren't prepared for the amount of people."</p>
<p><b>Onstad: </b>"I think we knew there was a pretty big buzz in the city but... you knew as we walked down the tunnel that there was something special right off the bat. For us, it gave us a little extra lift and Brian scoring [four goals] and then the goal of the game was Alejandro Moreno's bicycle kick. There was some great moments in that game and I think everyone had played a part in that game. I think everybody either made a big tackle or a big pass or got an assist or a goal."</p>
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<p><b>Ching: </b>"For that kind of statement to be made right from the beginning, it really went a long way and that, I guess endeared us to Houston and the fans and kickstarted a great relationship."</p>
<p><b>Robinson: </b>"People can say what they want about the Galaxy teams but you put this current LA Galaxy team - even with <span>Robbie Keane</span>, <span>Landon Donovan</span>, and <span>Omar Gonzalez</span> - against our '03 - '06 teams, we would've done to them like we did to everyone else. We would've bashed them in their mouths and we would've scored goals along the way."</p>
<p><i>In the next part, we'll retrace the steps of the back-to-back MLS Cup Champions through their first two seasons.</i></p>
<p><a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/18/8225055/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-2/in/8005384">Part 2</a>,<a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/20/8250445/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-3/in/8005384"> Part 3</a>, <a href="http://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/23/8261605/dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-4/in/8005384">Part 4</a></p>
<p>(Photo Credits: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Harry How/Getty Images; Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)</p>
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2015/3/16/8173167/houston-dynamo-decade-oral-history-part-1Justin Jerkins