Houston Dynamo

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Houston Dynamo
Full name	Houston Dynamo
Nickname(s)	Dynamo, Orange Crush, La Naranja, The Men in Orange, The Orange
Founded	2005
Stadium	Robertson Stadium Houston, TX (Capacity 32,000)
Owner	Anschutz Entertainment Group Golden Boy Enterprises LLC Brener International Group
Coach	Dominic Kinnear
League	Major League Soccer
2007	Western Conference: 2nd Overall: 3rd Playoffs: MLS Cup Winners
First game	Colorado Rapids 2–5 Houston Dynamo (Robertson Stadium; April 2, 2006)
Largest win	4-0, three times
Largest defeat	Gamba Osaka 6–1 Houston Dynamo (Aloha Stadium; February 23, 2008)
All-time top scorer	Brian Ching (18)
Supporters groups	Texian Army, El Batallón
Honors	MLS Cup (2)
Home colors 　 Away colors
Current season

Houston Dynamo is a North American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Founded in 2005, the team plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) and is the back-to-back MLS Cup champion.

Houston Dynamo's home is the 32,000 capacity Robertson Stadium, located on the University of Houston campus in southeast Houston, where they have played since their foundation. A three-year lease was signed to play at the stadium while plans for a soccer-specific stadium are finalized. The team is owned by majority owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) in partnership with Brener International Group (headed by Gabriel Brener), and multiple world and Olympic boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Choosing a Name 1.1.1 Controversy 1.2 The Awesome Inaugural (2006) 1.3 2007 season: Repeat 1.4 Partnership with Golden Boy Promotions 2 Crest 3 Mascot 4 Stadium 5 Sponsorship 6 Supporters 7 Average attendance 8 Rivalries 9 Television and radio 10 Honors 10.1 Domestic 10.1.1 League 10.1.2 International 10.1.3 Invitational 11 Current roster 12 Notable players 13 Head coaches 14 Team records 15 Home stadium 16 General managers 17 Year-by-year 18 Year-by-year stats 19 International Competition 20 All-time record vs. opponents 21 See also 22 References 23 External links

[edit] History

The team was created on December 15, 2005 when the San Jose Earthquakes players and head coach Dominic Kinnear were relocated, due to AEG being unable to secure a soccer-specific stadium. Although all of San Jose's players and Kinnear moved to Houston, the team's name, logo, history and statistics were not transferred and remained inactive in San Jose until the Earthquakes were reactivated in 2007. The Dynamo was thus a new team, similar to the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League (NFL).

[edit] Choosing a Name

On January 25, 2006, Houston 1836 was first announced as the team name. This followed an online survey for the fans to provide unofficial suggestions for the new team name, with given options of: Apollos, Bulls, Eagles, Gatos, Lonestars, Stallions, Toros, Americans, Buffaloes, Generals, Houston 1836, Mustangs, and Stars. According to MLS & AEG, who chose the name, the 1836 name referred to the year that the city of Houston was founded by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, though it had perceived ambiguity, as it is also the year of Texan independence from Mexico. Houston 1836's logo featured a silhouette of General Sam Houston, one of Houston's and Texas' most famous historical figures.

[edit] Controversy

The choice of Houston 1836, however, soon became a political issue. While their stated intent was to link to the founding year of the city, the team name was changed to Houston Dynamo after the Houston 1836 name raised a furor among some locals of Mexican descent, a target audience, who related 1836 with the war for Texas independence. Sylvia Garcia, Harris County's first Hispanic commissioner in more than a century, rallied for a boycott of the team name. Most of the problem was because most of the people protesting did not understand Mexican and Texas history, and did not realize that Texas was not the only Mexican state to revolt against Santa Ana, and that Hispanics played a major part in Texas gaining independence, just like they did when the Yucatan broke away from Mexico at the same time and for the same reason as Texas. Hispanics revolted against dictator Santa Ana, not just whites. But because of lack of knowledge of history by the masses, the name was changed.^{[citation needed]}

After the controversy, MLS selected the team name "Dynamo". It refers to Houston's energy-based industrial economy, as well as two previous Houston soccer teams, the Houston Dynamos who played in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance from 1987 to 1991, and the Houston Dynamos who played in the United Soccer League (USL) in 1984. The official reason for the name is that "Dynamo is a word to describe someone who never fatigues, never gives up. The name is symbolic of Houston as an energetic, hard-working, risk-taking kind of town." The team colors are orange, white, and "Space City" blue (light blue), meant as a symbol of yet another team in Houston's sports history - the Houston Oilers of the NFL.

[edit] The Awesome Inaugural (2006)

Main article: 2006 Houston Dynamo season

The Dynamo played their first game on April 2, 2006. In front of a crowd of 25,462 in Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo beat the Colorado Rapids 5–2.

Brian Ching led the charge for the Dynamo with four goals, all of which were set up with assists from teammate Dwayne De Rosario. Later in the season they went on to beat established MLS clubs such as D.C. United, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire and eventually their Texan state rivals FC Dallas.

The Dynamo finished their first season in Houston with an 11-8-13 record, earning them second place in the Western Conference. In the Conference Semi-final playoffs, they beat Club Deportivo Chivas USA (Chivas USA). On November 5, 2006, they beat Colorado Rapids 3-1 in the Western Conference Final to advance to the MLS Cup.

On November 12, 2006 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, Houston beat New England Revolution 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie to win the 2006 MLS Cup. The game was scoreless until the second half of extra time, when New England's Taylor Twellman scored. Only one minute and six seconds later, Brian Ching headed in the tying goal for Houston, and the championship was, for the first time in MLS history, decided by a penalty shootout. Substitutes Kelly Gray and Stuart Holden scored Houston's first two penalty kicks. Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching scored the last two. Ching's gave Houston a 4-3 lead, and goalkeeper Pat Onstad saved New England's Jay Heaps penalty kick to secure the MLS Cup for Houston. By winning the MLS Cup, Houston qualified for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

[edit] 2007 season: Repeat

Main article: 2007 Houston Dynamo season

Houston began the 2007 season early, competing in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. After winning a dramatic quarterfinal, beating Costa Rican team Puntarenas F.C., Houston went out of the competition in the semifinals, beating Mexican team Pachuca 2-0 in the first leg but losing 5-2 after extra time in the return leg.

Immediately after, Houston began its 2007 MLS league season with consecutive shutouts against Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. Houston then struggled in the regular season, losing against Red Bull New York, Chicago Fire, Toronto FC, and New England Revolution. Due to their success in winning the MLS Cup in their first season, Houston were invited to spend the day at the White House on May 29, 2007 and meet with President George W. Bush. Only one other team, D.C. United in 1997, has visited the White House.

Houston also made some significant trades during the 2007 season They traded Kevin Goldthwaite and a first round pick in the 2008 SuperDraft to Toronto FC for Richard Mulrooney. They also traded Alejandro Moreno to Columbus Crew in exchange for Joseph Ngwenya. And they traded Kelly Gray to Los Angeles Galaxy for Nate Jaqua. After regrouping and pulling off a win against FC Dallas, Houston began an unbeaten streak of eleven games and a shutout streak of 726 minutes,^[1] a new MLS record.

Houston was also invited to compete in the inaugural North American SuperLiga, where they dominated the group stages before losing in a semifinal shootout against Pachuca.

They finished in second place in the regular season in the Western Conference, advancing to the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they met state rivals FC Dallas in the first round. Dallas won the first leg 1-0, but Houston won the second leg at Robertson Stadium, 4-1 in extra time, to win 4-2 on aggregate. Houston faced the Kansas City Wizards in the Western Conference final, winning 2-0 to advance to the MLS Cup championship game for the second year in a row. Just like in 2006, they faced the New England Revolution for the championship, and won it 2-1 on a game-winning goal by Dwayne De Rosario in the second half, thus winning their second MLS Cup in a row.

[edit] Partnership with Golden Boy Promotions

Late in 2007, Major League Soccer informed Dynamo owners Anschutz Entertainment Group that they should divest their interest in the Dynamo, as they wanted each ownership group to own only one team. AEG also owns the Los Angeles Galaxy.^[2] On November 21, 2007, it was announced that AEG was in negotiations to sell the Dynamo to a partnership of Brener International Group and Golden Boy Promotions, owned by the famed boxer Oscar de la Hoya.^[3]

On February 26, 2008 Houston Dynamo President Oliver Luck revealed the planned negotiations to the media stating that the Houston Dynamo would be managed in majority by original owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (who will hold 50% of ownership) along with newfound partners Gabriel Brener, head of Brener International Group, and multiple World and Olympic boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya (each with 25% ownership each).^[4]

[edit] Crest

The colors of the Dynamo crest are orange, black and white, with Carolina blue added as an accent and border color. That color is represented on the uniform with the adidas snake. The star on the crest is an ad hoc adoption, likely a nod to the "Houston 1836" crest concept. It also retains the soccer ball with the star in the middle from the "1836" logo, though the shadow is changed to Carolina blue, likely to simplify coloration.

With the 2006 MLS Cup win, a sanctioned star has been added above the shield in 2008, after wearing the scudetto in 2007. Since they won the MLS Cup again in 2007. they will wear the scudetto for the second consecutive year in 2008. Consequently, a sanctioned star will be added to the logo in 2009 for their win at MLS Cup 2007.

Original Houston 1836 Crest

Original Houston Dynamo Crest (2006–2007)

Houston Dynamo Crest with MLS Cup 2006 Championship star (2008)

Houston Dynamo Crest with MLS Cup 2007 Championship star (Beginning in 2009 after completion of 2008 season with MLS Scudetto in place of star)

[edit] Mascot

In 2007, Houston started a search for a mascot by asking members of the Art Institute of Houston to submit drawings, from which several finalists were selected and an official mascot would be decided through an online poll, both for the mascot design and name. The winning design was of an orange haired fox and named, Dynamo Diesel. He was unveiled at Houston Zoo on 3 April 2007.^[5] Dynamo Diesel began working alongside the Houston Dynamo marketing and community outreach programs. He is not only present at games, cheering on the team, but also joins the Houston dancers, the Dynamo Girls^[6] helping to promote the Dynamo in Houston.^[7]

[edit] Stadium

Houston Dynamo plays its home matches at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus. The Dynamo signed a three year lease, through 2008, to play at the stadium temporarily as they make make plans to construct a permanent soccer-specific stadium.

Club owner, AEG, is hoping to finalize an agreement to construct a 20-22,000-seat soccer specific stadium in Downtown Houston east of Minute Maid Park, across Highway 59 which would be the third sporting facility for Downtown Houston. The new stadium is projected to open in time for the 2010 season.^[8]

[edit] Sponsorship

The Dynamo reached a four-year sponsorship deal with Houston based retail electricity provider, Amigo Energy, worth US$7.5M,^[9] making it the largest sponsor in team history.^[10] Amigo Energy became the official jersey sponsor. Houston were the fifth league team to sign jersey sponsors, after Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC^[9] with Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire each adding jersey sponsors for the 2008 season

The Amigo Energy logo appears on all team jerseys, along with other on-field gear, and Amigo Energy also became the official home and business retail energy provider of the Dynamo. As part of the deal, Amigo Energy established a focused marketing strategy that uses the Dynamo in co-branded advertising, customer retention, and new customer acquisition programs.^[11] The replica Dynamo jersey with the Amigo Energy logo is being produced by Adidas, with replica jerseys expected to be available at retail establishments in January 2008.^[11]

[edit] Supporters

The Dynamo enjoyed good fan support in its first season. Their first ever match attracted 25,462 fans against Colorado Rapids on April 2, 2006. Attendance gradually declined throughout the remainder of the spring and summer months. During July and August they played five matches at Robertson Stadium, and the average attendance for those matches was 10,348.

The team's attendance figures received a boost on 9 August when they played a game against Los Angeles Galaxy in Houston's Reliant Stadium as part of a double-header, with the other game being an exhibition match between FC Barcelona and Mexican side Club América), which attracted a crowd of 70,550. Home attendance began to rise again as the weather cooled and the playoffs approached.

For the 2006 season they averaged 18,935 over the 16 regular season home games. Attendance remained high during their playoff run, where home attendance was 17,440 and 23,107 in games against Chivas USA and Colorado Rapids. Dynamo fans contributed greatly to the sell-out crowd of 22,427 in the 2006 MLS Cup, which was played about 275 miles (450 km) from Houston, in Frisco, Texas.

There are currently two Supporter groups, the Texian Army and El Batallón. Both groups work together when supporting the team, as well as when going to support the team at away games.

[edit] Average attendance

Although regular season attendance dipped a little bit in 2007, in spite of the Dynamo's MLS Cup win in their first year, they nearly sold out the second leg of their Western Conference Semifinal match against FC Dallas, and then they did sell out the Conference Final match against the Kansas City Wizards.

regular season/playoffs

• 2006: 18,935/20,274
• 2007: 15,883/30,530

[edit] Rivalries

Main article: Texas Derby

The team's main geographic rival is FC Dallas. Each season they compete in the Texas Derby, or El Capitán Clasico, in which the victor wins an 18th century cannon named El Capitán. Houston won the 2006 series with a win on August 12, won the 2007 series with a win on August 19.

Season	Played	Dynamo Win	Draw	FCD Win	Dynamo Goals	FCD Goals	+/-	Texas Derby Winner
2006	4	2	1	1	6	5	+1	Houston Dynamo
2007	4	3	1	0	6	1	+5	Houston Dynamo
2008	2	0	2	0	5	5	0	To be determined
Total	10	5	4	1	17	11	+6	Houston Dynamo (2), FC Dallas (0)

Current as of May 28, 2008

[edit] Television and radio

Local English coverage is carried by KTBU channel 55, when not carried by the national MLS broadcast partners such as ESPN and the Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). Charlie Palillo calls the play-by-play with Glenn Davis usually calling the color-commentary. Spanish coverages is on KHLM-LP "TV Informa", channel 43.

English radio broadcasts (18 matches only) are carried by KBME (AM) 790 AM. Spanish radio broadcasts are carried by KEYH-AM and KXGJ-FM "Concierto".

The Soccer Hour or Houston Dynamo Power Hour, which it is called during the season, is a local Houston radio broadcast on KBME (AM), which is hosted by Glenn Davis. It regularly features Head coach Dominic Kinnear and the teams players.

[edit] Honors

[edit] Domestic

[edit] League

• MLS Cup
  • 2006 2007

[edit] International

• CONCACAF Champions Cup
  • Third Place (2): 2006, 2007
• Pan Pacific Championship 2008
  • Runner Up (1): 2008

[edit] Invitational

• Carolina Challenge Cup (2): 2006, 2007
• Texas Pro Soccer Festival (1): 2008

[edit] Current roster

As of May 7, 2008. ^[12] The players in bold have senior international caps

No. Position Player 1 GK Tony Caig 2 DF Eddie Robinson 3 MF Johnny Alcaraz 4 DF Patrick Ianni 5 FW Kyle Brown 6 MF Erik Ustruck 7 FW Chris Wondolowski 8 MF Richard Mulrooney 9 MF Brian Mullan 10 FW Franco Caraccio 11 MF Brad Davis 12 FW James Georgeff 13 MF Ricardo Clark 14 MF Dwayne De Rosario

No. Position Player 16 DF Craig Waibel 17 MF Mike Chabala 18 GK Pat Onstad 19 MF John Michael Hayden 20 MF Geoff Cameron 21 MF Nick Hatzke 22 MF Stuart Holden 23 DF Stephen Wondolowski 24 DF Wade Barrett 25 FW Brian Ching 26 MF Corey Ashe 30 GK Corbin Waller 32 DF Bobby Boswell 99 FW Guy-Roland Kpene

[edit] Notable players

• Wade Barrett (2006–)
• Bobby Boswell (2008–)
• Brian Ching (2006–)
• Ricardo Clark (2006–)
• Dwayne De Rosario (2006–)
• Brian Mullan (2006–)
• Pat Onstad (2006–)
• Eddie Robinson (2006–)
• Craig Waibel (2006–)
• Paul Dalglish (2006-2008)
• Stuart Holden (2006—)
• Joseph Ngwenya (2007)
• Nate Jaqua (2007)
• Richard Mulrooney (2007–)

[edit] Head coaches

• Dominic Kinnear (2006–)

[edit] Team records

• Games: Wade Barrett, 70
• Goals: Brian Ching, 23
• Assists: Brad Davis, 15
• Points: Dwayne De Rosario, 32
• Shots: Dwayne De Rosario, 161
• Shots-on-Goal: Dwayne De Rosario, 70
• Game-Winning Goals: Brian Ching , 8
• Shutouts: Pat Onstad, 17
• Saves: Pat Onstad, 202
• Wins: Pat Onstad, 27

MLS regular season only, through June 8 2008

• All-Time regular season record: 29-19-25 (through June 8 2008)

[edit] Home stadium

• Robertson Stadium (2006–)

[edit] General managers

• Oliver Luck (2006–)

[edit] Year-by-year

Year	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	SuperLiga
2006	2nd, West	Champions	Semifinals	Not qualifed	Started in 2007
2007	2nd, West	Champions	Round of 16	Semifinals	Semifinals

[edit] Year-by-year stats

Season	League Record									Top Scorer			Top Goalkeeper					Notes
	P	W	L	T	F	A	+/-	Pts	PPG	Player	GP	G	Player	GP	GA	GAA	SHO
2006	32	11	8	13	44	40	+ 4	46	1.438	Brian Ching	21	11	Pat Onstad	32	40	1.25	5	MLS Cup Champion
2007	30	15	8	7	43	23	+20	52	1.733	Brian Ching	20	7	Pat Onstad	27	22	0.815	11	MLS Cup Champion
Totals	62	26	16	20	87	63	+24	98	1.581	Brian Ching	41	18	Pat Onstad	59	62	1.069	16	2 MLS Cups

Statistics current as of November 18, 2007

[edit] International Competition

• 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
  • Quarterfinals v. Puntarenas F.C. - 0:1, 2:0 (Dynamo advanced 2:1 on aggregate)
  • Semifinals v. CF Pachuca - 2:0, 2:5 (Pachuca advanced 5:4 on aggregate after added extra time)
• 2007 SuperLiga
  • Group Stage v. Club América - 1:0
  • Group Stage v. Monarcas Morelia - 1:1
  • Group Stage v. D.C. United - 1:0
  • Semifinals v. CF Pachuca - 2:2 (Pachuca advanced to the final, winning the penalty shootout 4-3 after extra time)
• Pan-Pacific Championship 2008
  • Semifinals v. Sydney FC - 3:0
  • Grand Final v. Gamba Osaka - 1:6
• 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
  • Quarterfinals v. Municipal - 0:0, 3:1 (Dynamo advanced 3:1 on aggregate)
  • Semifinals v. Deportivo Saprissa - 0:0, 0:3 (Saprissa advances 3:0 on aggregate)
• 2008 SuperLiga
  • Group Stage v. Atlante F.C.
  • Group Stage v. CD Guadalajara (Chivas)
  • Group Stage v. D.C. United

[edit] All-time record vs. opponents

Opponent	First Meeting	Last Meeting	GP	W	L	T	PPG	F	A	+/-
CA Morelia	2007	Superliga, July 2007	1	0	0	1	1.000	1	1	0
Cal Berkeley	2008	Exhibition, February 2008	1	1	0	0	3.000	2	0	+ 2
Carolina Dynamo	2006	U.S. Open Cup, August 2006	1	1	0	0	3.000	4	2	+ 2
Charleston Battery	2006	U.S. Open Cup, July 2007	3	1	1	1	1.333	2	2	0
Chicago Fire	2006	MLS, May 2008	5	2	2	1	1.400	8	5	+ 3
Chivas USA	2006	MLS, May 2008	11	5	2	4	1.727	15	7	+ 8
CF America	2007	Superliga, July 2007	1	1	0	0	3.000	1	0	+ 1
Colorado Rapids	2006	MLS, May 2008	9	6	2	1	2.111	19	11	+ 8
Columbus Crew	2006	MLS, April 2008	5	1	1	3	1.200	5	5	0
CSD Municipal	2008	CONCACAF Champions Cup, March 2008	2	1	0	1	2.000	3	1	+ 2
D.C. United	2006	Texas Pro Soccer Festival, March 2008	7	3	2	2	1.571	6	6	0
Deportivo Saprissa	2008	CONCACAF Champions Cup, April 2008	2	0	1	1	0.500	0	3	- 3
FC Dallas	2006	MLS, May 2008	13	7	2	4	1.923	24	13	+ 11
Gamba Osaka	2008	Pan-Pacific Championship, February 2008	1	0	1	0	0.000	1	6	- 5
Kansas City Wizards	2006	MLS, April 2008	6	3	1	2	1.833	8	5	+ 3
Los Angeles Galaxy	2006	MLS, April 2008	9	3	3	3	1.333	11	11	0
New England Revolution	2006	MLS, March 2008	7	1	2	4	1.000	8	11	- 3
Pachuca CF	2007	Superliga, August 2007	3	1	1	1	1.333	6	7	- 1
Puntarenas FC SAD	2007	CONCACAF Champions Cup, March 2007	2	1	1	0	1.500	2	1	+ 1
Real Salt Lake	2006	MLS, October 2007	7	4	2	1	1.857	11	10	+ 1
Red Bull New York	2006	MLS, May 2008	7	4	1	2	2.000	12	4	+ 8
San Jose Earthquakes	2008	MLS, May 2008	3	1	1	1	1.333	2	2	0
Sydney FC	2008	Pan-Pacific Championship, February 2008	1	1	0	0	3.000	3	0	+ 3
Toronto FC	2007	MLS, June 2008	5	3	1	1	2.000	9	5	+ 4
			112	51	27	34	1.670	163	118	+45

Includes all in-season MLS and Playoffs, Domestic and International Club Competitions, plus pre-season and exhibition matches as of June 8th, 2008. Games decided by penalty shootout are counted as ties.

[edit] See also

• Dynamo (disambiguation)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Houston Dynamo Official Website
• Texian Army — Houston Dynamo Supporters
• El Batallon — Houston Dynamo Supporters
• Official Houston Dynamo board, courtesy of BigSoccer

v • d • e Houston Dynamo Houston, Texas The Club History • Seasons • Records • Players • All articles Stadiums Robertson Stadium Culture Texian Army • El Batallón • Dynamo Girls • Diesel • Mike Jones • Houston Sports Curse Rivalries Texas Derby • Dynamo-Galaxy rivalry Important Figures Brian Ching • Ricardo Clark • Paul Dalglish • Dwayne De Rosario • Stuart Holden • Patrick Ianni • Dominic Kinnear • Oliver Luck • Brian Mullan • Joseph Ngwenya • Pat Onstad • Eddie Robinson • Wade Barrett Key Personnel Owners: Anschutz Entertainment Group • Oscar de la Hoya • Gabriel Brener • General Manager: Oliver Luck • Manager: Dominic Kinnear Honors (6) MLS Cup (2) 2006 • 2007 Western Conference Championship (2) 2006 • 2007 Carolina Challenge Cup (2) 2006 • 2007 Major League Soccer Seasons (3) 2006 • 2007 • 2008 Website: www.houstondynamo.com

Major League Soccer v • d • e

Eastern Conference Western Conference Chicago Fire | Columbus Crew | D.C. United | Kansas City Wizards | New England Revolution | New York Red Bulls | Toronto FC CD Chivas USA | Colorado Rapids | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo | Los Angeles Galaxy | Real Salt Lake | San Jose Earthquakes Former teams Expansion teams Miami Fusion F.C. | Tampa Bay Mutiny Seattle Sounders FC (2009) | Philadelphia (2010) Miscellaneous MLS Cup | All-Star Game | SuperLiga | Pan-Pacific Championship | USSF | CSA | Central Division | U.S. Open Cup | Playoffs | Supporters' Shield | Two-team Cups | Reserve Division | Drafts | Stadiums | Current Players | Foreign Players | Capped Players | Designated Players | Records and Statistics | Hall of Fame game | Transfers Seasons 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 Major League Soccer on television ESPN Major League Soccer | MLS Primetime Thursday | MLS Soccer Saturday | List of MLS Cup broadcasters | ESPN Soccer Broadcast Teams | MLS ExtraTime

	This box: view • talk • edit Sports teams based in greater Houston
Baseball	MLB: Houston Astros, CBL: Bay Area Toros
Basketball	NBA: Houston Rockets, WNBA: Houston Comets, ABA: Houston Takers
Football	NFL: Houston Texans, IFL: Katy Ruff Riders, af2: Texas Copperheads, APFL: Conroe Storm, NAFL: Houston Sharks, Montgomery County Bulls, Bay Area Gamblers, IIFA: Harris County Militia, Galveston Tidalwave, WPFL: Houston Energy
Australian Rules Football	USAFL: Houston Lonestars
Soccer	MLS: Houston Dynamo, PDL: Houston Leones
Hockey	AHL: Houston Aeros
Tennis	WTT: Houston Wranglers
College athletics (NCAA Division I)	Houston Cougars • Houston Baptist Huskies • Prairie View A&M Panthers • Rice Owls • Texas Southern Tigers