It was a beautiful, crisp cool morning at Robertson Stadium today for the Dynamo season ticket holder event.
A great mix of fans were treated to up close and personal interaction between fans and players. Not to mention an exhibition game against Montreal.
Again, I marvel at the amazing mix of passionate fans representing all types of groups enjoying the soccer atmosphere with like minded individuals.
My thanks to all those that came up and introduced themselves to me. It is great to connect with such passionate fans.
I also must tell you it was great to be amongst you.

Ok, on to the game the Dynamo won 3-2 and Brian Ching scored twice including an outstanding header to add to a 9th minute goal from Chris Wondoloski.
Good to see the big man Ching hit hit the net a few times prior to the Tuesday match against Atlante.
Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear used mixed lineups allowing a number of reserves to get significant minutes but also gave quality minutes to those regulars expected to get the majority of the playing time this Tuesday in Cancun.
An elbow throw by former Colorado Rapid Roberto Brown on Eric Ustruck emptied the benches.
Manager Dominic Kinnear and owner OSCAR DE LA HOYA addressed the crowd after the game.

GET A GLIMPSE

Tonite you can catch ATLANTE against CRUZ AZUL of MEXICO at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City starting at 7pm…Meanwhile Liverpool suffered another set-back this weekend losing to Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Riverside in a match that also saw star midfielder Steven Gerrard go off due to injury. Middlesbrough got goals from Tuncay Sanli and Matthew Bates both in the second half.
Manager Rafa Benitez conceded the EPL title to Manchester United and his future remains up in the air at Liverpool. For Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate this will be one of the biggest victories as a manager as they look to survive the EPL.

What did you think of the Dynamo season ticket holder event?

A wind aided blast by Peter Byers in the final seconds from long range opened a few eyes……Former Dallas Burn goalkeeper Matt Jordan played for Montreal.

Catch Texas native Clint Dempsey this morning on the Fox Soccer Channel for Fulham as they take on Arsenal.
Dempsey hit a bomb last weekend that crashed off the bar against West Bromwhich Albion.
If you catch the game give me your thoughts…..

“I’m pretty sure their going to try to take it to us. If we sit back and let them get comfortable it will be a long night. We need to take our home field mentality to Mexico.” ~Brian Ching on second leg of Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals at Atlante on Tuesday.

“It is a difficult qualifying process. Honduras is hard to beat at home. Costa Rica is difficult to beat at home.” ~ Brian Ching on U.S. qualifying process.

DYNAMO FANS CHECK OUT THE VENUE AND ATLANTE
Dynamo fans have an opportunity tonite to catch Dynamo Concacaf Champions League opponent Atlante on tv in Cancun against Cruz Azul tonite at 7pm on KUVM.
For those who are heading to Mexico, enjoy.

SUNDAY CLINIC

FREE! At San Jacinto College for youth players. Event is FUTBOL FIESTA sponsored by Fiesta and features a free clinic plus an exhibition match between nationally ranked San Jacinto and Ligas Unidas. This Sunday from 2-4 pm to the first 200 players. Call 281-922-3475 to pre-register!

The Dynamo will sign Academy goalkeeper Tyler Deric today at a press conference.
Deric from Spring, Texas played soccer at the Texas Soccer Club before spending a season at North Carolina before leaving school and returning to Houston.
Deric has been pushing hard in training for the Dynamo and has gotten solid reviews from veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
Nothing like having another local boy on the Dynamo along with midfielder Stuart Holden.
A dream come true for this young man………I remember the first professional contract that I signed and like any pro it is a moment you don’t forget.

Andrew Hainault is coveted by manager Dominic Kinnear who feels he could center back or play right back and add to the depth of the squad at the back. The Dynamo are in negotiation to try and sign the former Canadien U20 player.
The Dynamo have money to spend and have to open roster spots out of their 20 players with the prime target an additional striker.

CONCACAF MOUTH WATERING

Lets face it.
A major opportunity is out there for the Dynamo, Puerto Rico Islanders and Montreal Impact.
The way the draw has been set up in the Concacaf Champions League means there is an interesting yet difficult path to possibly get to the World Club Cup.
With Montreal having a real shot with a two goal cushion to knock out Santos, the Dynamo still in it with Atlante and Puerto Rico having the edge against Marathon the sky is the limit.
Who will rise? Hard to tell as these two legged affairs are tricky and can change by the minute or by the goal.
The Dynamo will scrimmage Montreal tomorrow who could potentially be a semi-final opponent.

Cruz Azul holds a 1-0 edge over Pumas in a tie that will see a solid Mexican Club eliminated.

*U.S. SOCCER PRESIDENT SUNIL GULATI AND U.S. WOMENS NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER LESLIE OSBORNE ON DYNAMO ALL ACCESS WITH GLENN DAVIS
These two great guests will join Dynamo coaches and players on Monday night from 7-9pm so line up your questions now.
WOMENS SOCCER FANS I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU?
Email me at gdavis98@swbell.net

RAFAEL OUT

Talented young Manchester United defender Rafael will be out for a month with a fractured ankle. The 18 year old got the injury in the 2-1 Red Devils win over Blackburn.
I have equally enjoyed and been amazed by the attitude of this young player in games I have watched him. He has appeared 11 times in EPL play scoring one goal and has been a regular in Carling Cup play.

So what does your soccer weekend entail? Heading to the youth fields? Playing in an amateur league? Coaching? Or taking in the Dynamo Atlante match.
Don’t forget the free clinic at San Jacinto College this weekend!!!!
The event called Futbol Fiesta sponsored by Fiesta is a free soccer clinic followed by a game between nationally ranked San Jacinto College and Ligas Unidas.
Register at 281-922-3475………limited to the first 200 youths between 6-14…..I am heading to Austin to take a look at the Aztex and the NE Revolution after the Dynamo game.

Here are Wednesday Champions League results:

Chelsea 1 Juventus 0 Didier Drogba with the lone goal in the 12th minute. Match feature new Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink and Claudio Ranieri coming back to Stamford Bridge.

Villareal 1 Panathinakos1 Bad result for Villareal who got a pk from Giuseppe in the 67th minute to equal a Giorgias Karaqounis goal. Villareal dominated possession and chances.

Real Madrid 0 Liverpool 1 Monster win on the road for Liverpoolwinning at the Bernabeu. Yossi Benayoun 82nd minute header stuns 85,000 fans…..

Sporting 0 Bayern Munich 5 Germans crush Portugues and have booked themselves a place in the final eight. Ribery runs wild with 2 goals. Landon Donovan does not make the
bench.

Give me your thoughts on both the Champions League and the UEFA Cup?

Lots of interesting soccer options this weekend. The Dynamo have a season ticket holder only event as they will play the Montreal Impact on Saturday morning. Montreal comes off a fantastic 2-0 win last night over Santos of Mexico. It leads me to believe that this is a huge opportunity to win this tournament for the Dynamo if they can get past Atlante.
A trip to the World Club Cup would be historic for the Dynamo!

The New England Revolution will be taking on the Austin Aztex up in Austin this Saturday night. I may be headed up to that one also to get a look at the Revolution and Aztex.

Here is a fantastic opportunity provided by FIESTA called the FUTBOL FIESTA. Bring a canned food item to San Jacinto College South Campus at 13735 Beamer Rd. and enjoy a free clinic from the NATIONALLY RANKED SAN JACINTO COLLEGE COYOTES, stick around for a match between the Coyotes and Ligas Unidas.
Hurry up and sign up as this is limited to 200 youth age 6-14.
Register at 281-922-3475 for this great free event SUNDAY from 2-4pm.

The 6+5 rule has the backing of 155 of FIFA’s 208 members and would restrict the amount of foreigners playing in domestic leagues (could you imagine the EPL without foreigners?).
The rule states that at the start of a game a club must field at least 6 players who would be eligible for the national team of a country of the club. There would be no limits on subs so that means at the end of the game it could be eight foreigners on the field thus 8+3.
Essentially if changed it could limit players movement and would be a considered a regression from a player standpoint from the 1995 Bosman ruling which opened the door to player movement in football.
FIFA it seems will continue to challenge the European commission on this ruling and FIFA President Sepp Blatter desperately wants to see this rule instituted by 2012-2013. The European commission is determined to stop him claiming this rule would be discriminatory.
Do you want to see this rule instituted or are you happy with where football is now?

The WPS modeled their new uniforms at a Puma fashion type show. If you saw these what do you think?

It is hard not to take notice of the Montreal Impact and what they did last night against Santos of Mexico.
Behind two goals from Eduardo Sebrango the Impact will now take a two goal cushion to Santos Laguna next week for game two.
Even more impressive was an amazing 50,000 fans in Montreal which is a city that had it’s bid turned down by MLS.
Now depending on whose side you are listening their are a few theories. MLS contested that the bid presented by Joey Saputo and Montreal was lacking some financing . Montreal claims they were not willing to pay $40 million dollars which is considerably more than what Toronto FC paid a few years earlier.
Now to be fair this was a special event but one can’t overlook the fact that Montreal draws 13,000 fans per game in the USL.

Key moment: Goal number two was a communication mistake between a Santos defender and goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

So do you think Montreal should be in MLS or is too much expansion in Canada harmful for the growth of U.S. soccer?

As for the Dynamo they will play Montreal in an exhibition game this Saturday morning at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo could play Montreal if they advance in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The drive home last night from Robertson Stadium was disappointing mainly because of the late goal conceded by the Dynamo.
Going down to Cancun for the return leg looks alot more challenging at 1-1 as opposed to a 1-0 win that many felt the Dynamo could hold on to last night.
But this is football right?

To be fair none of us should have expected the Dynamo to hitting all the elements of their game and Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear even admitted on Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis that spirit and collective play would have to get them through the tough periods . They are only a few weeks into pre-season and that is what we must remember when judging after one game. A lot of unforced errors in the passing department.
Conversely Atlante were on their third game in seven days.

* TACTICS…. As many expected ATLANTE came in defending deeper essentially just playing for the draw intent on matching the Dynamo work ethic.
Did Atlante really play? Not in my opinion. Yet their plan was clear and may also have been based on the fact that they have had a high volume of games in the Mexican league. Was it ugly? Yes. Was it effective in the end and did they get the result they wanted? Yes.
The deep defending Atlante made it difficult for the Dynamo to find their possession game. The high number of rhythm breaking fouls at 42 also chopped the game up.
This coupled with the Dynamo not at their sharpest yet on the ball told alot of the story.

*BEST DYNAMO TIME PERIOD…..It came during the final 20 minutes of the first half and it was also the time period the Dynamo produced their goal.
Flashes of good play and bits and pieces of better possession became evident. A Richard Mulrooney cross in the 31st minute was almost headed in by Kei Kamara forcing a save from Gato Ortiz.

*DYNAMO GOAL….A corner from Brad Davis in the 34th minute found Bobby Boswell who made a great play in the air to put the Dynamo in the lead. Pulling off a defender, actually moving away from goal, Boswell used the pace in the delivery to beat Ortiz with a beautifully accurate header and a 1-0 lead…. Now the push was on for the Dynamo and many felt a second goal was coming with a dis-oriented Atalante…Could the Potros survive this time period?
The Dynamo needed to get the second goal during their best times here at the end of the first half but it never came yet it was agonizingly close.

SUCCESSION OF MISSED CHANCES……Stuart Holden would get in 1v1 against Atlante goalkeeper Ortiz only to make the wrong choice and pass in the 37th minute as the Dynamo again pushed for goal number 2. Shortly thereafter came one of the most spectacular moments of the match as Brian Mullan blew down the right side past the Atlante right back and whipped in a tremendous cross that Kei Kamara timed beautifully leaping into the air and heading spectacularly off the cross bar.
Holden would then get set up by Kamara but shot high.
In the end not getting the second goal towards the end of the first half would be crucial.

SECOND HALF…..the Dynamo would keep trying to find their game but referee Neil Brizan added to the uneven nature to the game with some questionable calls.
The Dynamo in the second half never were able to find the same danger in their game that they did at the end of the first half. They fatigued a bit at the end and ultimately got caught for an equalizer on a corner kick that the Dynamo did not think Atlante deserved.
Off the corner Atlante equalized in a moment of poor concentration by the Dynamo. Atlante were sharper and turned a far post cross back in the middle by Luis Venegas and three Atlante players were far sharper to the ball than any Dynamo and Gabriel Peyrera got the equalizer….

STAR MAN…BOBBY BOSWELL
He was talkative, intense and set the tone from his position at center back in the role of a leader. Might have been a perfect night for him if Atlante had not scored.
Scoring a goal added to it.

OLD SCHOOL
Brad Davis wore the old school black soccer boots .

FANS…….
An excellent turn out from Dynamo fans on a night with a late start at 9pm. Most stuck it out despite the fact it was on the Fox Soccer Channel.
Dynamo supporters groups were in full season form…..

CANCUN BOUND
So the squad will have a few days to tune up for ATLANTE in Mexico including a practice match against Montreal on Saturday at Robertson. Remember the “away goals” rule is in effect so the Dynamo could conceivably draw with a total of 2-2 or higher and go through to the semi-finals. A 0-0 draw will not do it. It is also an opportunity for the Dynamo to get their first ever win in Mexico and lets not forget their amazing 4-4 draw last year at UNAM Pumas.

RUMOR MILL
Do buy the press article of defender Raul Salinas of Club America coming to the Dynamo. The Dynamo front office confirmed their has been no contact.
Many times newspapers, agents etc. use the media to promote or create the sense that a club has interest in a player. This is totally bogus on Salinas and the Dynamo if they sign a defender would look to sign Andrew Hainault the Canadien under 20 player.
Josoph Ngwenya has been playing with the Zimbabwe National team and the Dynamo have offered him the opportunity to come back but Ngwenya is still pursuing playing in Europe.

Ok, you got my thoughts…How about yours? I also would like your thoughts on the Champions League play of yesterday and what about today’s Chelsea vs. Juventus match involving manager Claudio Rainieri.

SUPER SOUNDS
* Led Zeppelin- The Ocean
* Soundgarden- My wave
* Panjabi Hit Squad- Hit Squad Mix
* Link Wray-Rumble
* Kinky- Tonos Rosas

It was billed as the battle of managers but in the end it ends a stalemate and it is back to Old Trafford the home of Manchester United next week for the second leg.
So the leaders of their respective league’s end up in a draw.
The game ebbed and flowed with Manchester United clearly dominating the early stages and were unlucky to score with a very active Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter having some positional problems at the back. Ryan Giggs blasted a shot straight at Julio Cesar which in the end he should have squared across the face of the goal to Dimitar Berbatov who had beaten his mark.
Inter Milan found a little more balance and control prior to halftime in the final 15 minutes.
The start of the second half saw the best of football from Inter with a much more evident Zlatan Ibrahimovic and they seemed dangerous and more confident in front of the home fans.
They may have had the territorial advantage but Manchester United remained dangerous on the counter-attack .
Wayne Rooney featured off the bench for United a picked up a yellow he did not deserve for a legitimate challenge.
The first goal will be critical at Old Trafford with the away goals rule. If Inter scores first it will then be on United to score two goals.

Star man: Inter Milan goalkeeper JULIO CESAR who produced timely and important saves.

What were your thoughts on this game?

GARCIA not selected

*So the saga of young 18 year old talent Felix Garcia continues.
A player that was expected to play a pivotal part in Concacaf qualifying for the u20 national team was not selected by coach Thomas Rongen for Concacaf qualifying in Trinidad. The U.S. are attempting to qualify for the U20 World Cup in Egypt Sept. 25 to Oct. 16.
It seems has become a bit overwhelming for the young man who also is a father and maybe it is time that he needs without the pressure of playing professional football.
He is still considered a Houston Dynamo player and is back finishing school.
Maturity levels are different for young men and these things happen. Lets also not forget that he has spent he entire soccer career in the comfort of Laredo in and around family.
A small problem is that he also has a fear of flying. When he left Houston it was by bus.
It is going to take a lot of guidance to bring this young man back to potentially making it as a pro he also may need time to process all that he is going through from being a father to a coveted soccer player.

Things are not looking to good for this guy Allen Stanford of Stanford Financial who has an office here in Houston.
Now Stanford has not been found guility of the fraud with which he has been charged but if he is it will be amazing who his reach includes.
The Texan billionaire from Mexia seems to be quite the creepy and ego driven character. Now having just been down in the Caribbean the word was already on the Caribbean streets that the man who lives in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands was being investigated by the SEC and was going to be brought down.
He has contributed to Barack Obama’s campaign, used the sport of cricket as his play toy and as a way of engaging potential investors. The cricket community took to Sir Allen Stanford and his millions that he donated to the sport.
He even but an England vs. West Indies match together with the winners taking home a million each. Caribbean cricket players became instant millionaires.
Even the soccer world’s Michael Owen is wrapped up with these guy. Owen endorsed the Stanford Investment Bank and invested an undisclosed amount of money with the company as a “global ambassador”.
Keep an eye on this story with this guy, it has only just begun.

DYNAMO vs. Atlante

*Atlante sit at the bottom of group 1 in the Mexican Clausura struggling to score goals under head coach Jose Guadalupe Cruz.
They played two games this past week drawing against Tigres 1-1 at home on Wednesday and then drawing 1-1 at San Luis Potosi.
Their record is 1-4-2 having conceded 9 goals while only scoring 8. As indicated they are struggling to score goals.
The Dynamo hammered them 4-0 in Superliga play this past summer in a game that could be pointed to as a game that helped get the Dynamo on track towards the playoffs. The game featured a clearly frustrated Atlante who not only left Robertson that night in a bit of shame but the poor sportsmanship continued after they were beaten by the NE Revolution who ultimately won the tournament.
If you followed the last two games by Atlante you can see that they have rested certain players for large portions of Saturday’s against San Luis match looking towards to tonite. A sign of respect? Absolutely.
Expect changes to the starting lineup from this Saturday. Defender Clemente Ovalle, midfielder Christian Bermudez and Giancarlo Maldonado could all start. Gerardo Ruiz will start in goal for the suspended Federico Villar and yes he is the same guy that caused post game problems in both Houston and NE.

STAR MAN- Colombian striker Luis Gabriel Rey who leads team with four goals.

The Dynamo could start both Stuart Holden and Brad Davis in midfield and keep an eye on Julius James who will start at center back along Bobby Boswell. Eddie Robinson is suspended.
Questions around the Dynamo is can they go a full 90 minutes without showing signs of fatigue at this stage of 2009? Can they break the rhythm of the Atlante passing game.
How will the Dynamo attack sans Dwayne DeRosario look? Don’t expect the squad to hitting all cyclinders at this stage of the season and there might be a few unforced errors and periods of tough play for the Dynamo to fight through with their spirit and collective nature.
Hear the thoughts on tonite’s game from Dominic Kinnear, Craig Waibel, Brian Mullan and Pat Onstad by going to 790thesportsanimal.com, click on podcasts, click on Glenn Davis.
Some great insight on the game and the squad to this point from a coach and his players.

Other notes:

*The Dynamo have not made any contact with OMAR BRAVO currently in Spain. He would be a great fit for MLS though!
Can you imagine him in Dynamo strip? His work ethic, talent and versatility would fit in perfectly for the Dynamo.
Not to mention he would be a huge draw in Houston, Tigres and Cruz Azul are rumored destinations.
A phone call never hurt……Maybe Omar would like a U.S. adventure.

* Stuart Holden is expected to start or play a part in this one off the bench despite the passing of his father .

* The Dynamo will play the winners of the Santos/Montreal Impact series. Now Montreal will be here this Saturday morning to play a practice game against the Dynamo and you can get a peak what a potential next round opponent could look like.
Interesting in that they may play each other if they get past Mexican competition.
Montreal plays Santos in Montreal on Wednesday and have sold 45,000 tickets!!!!

* The “away goals rule” will be in effect in these two game aggregates.

* Don’t forget today Manchester United vs. Inter Milan in the champions league.

See you at the Rob!!!

Catch all these Dynamo players tonite on Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis from 7-9pm.
The players all weigh in on their match-up against Mexican League club Atlante tomorrow night.
Call in number is 713-212-5790, streaming live on the internet at 790thesportsanimal.com or MLSNET.com

Dynamo All Access tonite with Glenn Davis features a preview with players and coaches around the Atlante quarterfinal Concacaf Champions League match tomorrow.
Dynamo players will weigh in along with head coach DOMINIC KINNEAR who will take phone calls from fans.

Fans also will have an opportunity to win tickets on tonite’s show as well as call in at 713-212-5790

More guests are to follow and the show airs on 790thesportsanimal from 7-9pm and can be caught via the internet at MLSNET.com and 790thesportsanimal.com
Fans are encouraged to bring their “takes” on the beautiful game!!!!

LIVERPOOL done?
So are you buying that Liverpool is out of the title race in the EPL? After a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City the “reds” are now 7 points behind leaders Manchester United who beat Blackburn 2-1.

DYNAMO AGAINST ATLANTE

This can’t get any better, the Dynamo open their season with meaningful international competition against Atlante. Atlante drew two games this week including a 1-1 draw on Saturday at San Luis. They are struggling to score goals but will look for revenge after the Dynamo crushed them in Superliga competition 4-0.
So what is the scoreline in tomorrow’s game?