Fan activism is not a new sensation in the world of soccer.
Brazilian fans have been known to storm a locker room or two after disappointing performances from their beloved squads in South America.
English fans have rallied outside of the offices of management when ownership has changed hands.
Players and owners alike have been burned in effigy.

When famed Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced to Real Madrid fans after signing with the Spanish club this past year an amazing 85,000 fans showed up!
Once while in Dortmund, Germany covering a game for Espn I attended a German national team practice where 15,000 fans showed up. Many held up public signs and chanted their displeasure with then current coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Fans can bring both positive and negative emotion to the table. Now I am not condoning storming locker rooms but it is clear that soccer fans here in Houston are being noticed for their passion that goes beyond just attending the game.
“It is not a sport, it is a religion,” says El Batallon member Miguel Sada. “You think about it (soccer) all week. Going to a stadium is like going to church, you have a temple. We care about the name on the front of the jersey not the name on the back.”
Today when Dynamo fans congregate for a stadium rally near Minute Maid Park at 1pm on the site of the proposed downtown soccer stadium you will realize that passion, loyalty and feeling of being a “deeper” fan will be present and it is a “soccer temple” that they want.
Many of these will be “hardcore” fans that rarely miss a game and have incorporated soccer and the Dynamo as lifestyle. It is not hard not to look around professional sports in Houston to see that a few soccer “practices” have been adopted by the Rockets and the Astros in an effort to create fan groups. Why not?
What makes today’s rally even more interesting that it is a further glimpse into the future of the soccer fan in Houston, this is a grass-roots effort birthed by fans who want an answer on the stadium issue I
It is an effort not staged by a front office of a sports team but an idea spawned from those loyal fans of the Dynamo and the sport of soccer.
No one is expecting 15,000 fans to show but it is clear that the fan culture of the Dynamo and soccer is tuned in to their sport and take pride in the fact that with other like-minded individuals, they can be heard.
These are fans that are fierce in their loyalty to soccer but are also up on the issues. The soccer IQ in Houston is high and fans are quick to praise perfromance but also not afraid to criticize which brings healthy pressure. A healthy pressure that reminds us that the sport is maturing.

As for the issue at heart today, the stadium and the fans are in the know.
“This is the best stadium deal that has ever been presented in the city of Houston,” says Dynamo fan and local attorney Eric Nordstrom. “At a time of great uncertainity, the club stands ready to pour 60 million dollars of it’s own money into the stadium. Opponents often insist if the club wants a new stadium they should pay for it themselves. That is exactly what the Dynamo are trying to do.”

Many soccer fans that have yet to sample the Dynamo and the MLS product and are content to watch the English Premier League and Mexican league on tv fondly remember their times attending live games in their country of birth possibly with their fathers.
I have always wondered why those who have gone through this ritual going to stadiums would not want to re-create it in Houston with their sons or daughters.
Why miss out?
A confident message is being sent by the knowledgable soccer fan that they have the power and strength to speak out and support their sport. A sport that will be more influential in the city of Houston as time ticks by.
This message from Sada sums it all up.
“The players will come and go, coaches will come and go, CEO’s will come and go, but we the fans will always be there,”!

Are Dynamo fans the most passionate and loyal sports fans in the city?

Saturday at 1pm near Minute Maid Park Dynamo fans will convene in the area of the proposed stadium site.
This is a tremendous grass roots effort spurned and spawned by Dynamo fans who are being pro-active.
So if you believe in the sport in this city and you believe that a stadium for the sport of soccer and other events is of value then hopefully you can show up tomorrow even if it is for a little while.
I look forward to this great grass roots effort organized by YOU THE FANS !!!

Also don’t forget to catch the second act of Landon Donovan in England as the Toffees entertain a red-hot visit from Manchester City and hat trick hero Carlos Tevez.
This is as interesting as it gets. Another week for Donovan to train and get acclimated after a good debut against Arsenal where he produced an outstanding start. Now this game kicks off on FSC at 11:30am and of course we will all have to tape this in Houston because we will be at the stadium rally!!!!

*The re-air of Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis brought to you by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute airs today on Fox Sports Houston at 3pm…..

*Dynamo fan rally tomorrow at 1pm downtown near Minute Maid Park…….FIESTA Unsung Soccer Hero Award weekly on Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis

TORRES SPEAKS OUT

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has spoken out criticizing management for lack of player signings in the off-season. Liverpool which ended up second in the league last season were eliminated Wednesday in the FA Cup by Reading.
“It’s frustrating,” said Torres. “We finished second last season. This should have been a turning point for us-a chance to do something great. Manchester United sold Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo while Chelsea didn’t sign anyone- but it hasn’t.”
Now more rumors flow around the “reds” with Rafa Benitez being given to the end of the season with Dutchman Guus Hiddink apparently set to take over.

Meanwhile Manchester United will welcome the return of 39 year goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar this weekend who had been away with his wife who suffered a stroke but has apparently now made full recovery. Dimitar Berbatov has struggled with an on again of again injury while Wayne Rooney has carried the load. In the case of Rooney one has to wonder if the work load is too much heading into the World Cup.

Twitter.com: Soccermatters gd………check out the soccer coverage at Foxsportshouston.com and more thoughts on your game!

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis brought to you by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute re-airs Friday at 3pm…..Ching, Alvarez, Donovan, Oliviera , Maccarone and more!!!!

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Draft day in MLS is a great moment for young soccer players in the United States.
I have been to many of these and it is always refreshing to see the look on the faces of young talent when they are called to the podium as draft choices and get set to embark on the next part of their career. The reality is that a small percentage of these players will have a long career and an even smaller percentage will actually come in to the league and get vital playing time in year one.
Which leads me to Geoff Cameron who came out of nowhere two years ago. What a dramatic entry into the league he had (who can forget his finish against FC Dallas) and what dramatic growth in two years for the Dynamo center back who can now say he is an MLS best 11 player. Cameron did it in year two of his career!
So with that in mind here are today’s Dynamo draft choices:

3rd round (43rd overall) David Walker UC Santa Barbara
3rd round (46th overall) Samuel Appiah Boston University
4th round (62nd pick overall) Euan Holden University of New Mexico

Now I do know that Euan Holden did train with the Dynamo last year and played at Uconn before transferring to University of New Mexico. Samuel Appiah is 24 years old and from Ghana while Walker scored a few goals at UC Santa Barbara whom have a solid program.

Interesting choices and to be fair I don’t know alot about these players I have not seen them play consistently. More important information on these players will come out when Dominic Kinnear comments on the reasons why he chose these players. None are a guarantee to make the roster but whose to say there is not a gem amongst them.
Exciting times for these young players but more importantly the Dynamo are hoping to discover a player that can contribute.
Danny Cruz was one of the Dynamo highly touted draft choices last year and you saw how difficult it was for him to get minutes.

Nonethless the MLS Superdraft was a good show but I estimate that anywhere from 6-10 players out of this draft will truly get significant minutes and be impactful based on playing time.
Surprises and possibility all make this interesting…….twitter: Soccermattersgd

Catch Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute at 5pm.
Set your DVR (show airs on Comcast and ATT Uverse) !

Brian Ching is a guest and weighs in on Stuart Holden situation plus the reason he is not in national team camp.
Arturo Alvarez on why he chose El Salvador over the U.S. internationally as he joins me in studio.

Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine information from Doctor Jones, top ten goals, fans weigh in on Holden plus the MLS coaching carousel.
Landon Donovan debuts in England plus African Nations Cup tragedy………..

DRAFT DAY

The MLS Superdraft takes place today in chilly Philadelphia.
The wheeling and dealing is already beginning so expect trades and dealmaking in the city of brotherly love.
I can’t tell you how excited I am for Philadelphia to come in to MLS plus maybe a new beginning in New York for the Red Bulls.
Memo to Red Bull management…do not believe a new stadium will be the answer to all your problems.
Now the Dynamo hold later draft picks from the third round on and lets see if the brain trust of Dominic Kinnear can pull off another unknown gem like Geoff Cameron from two years ago. This is what makes this intriguing.

GBANDI brothers free agents and in Texas

Both Chris Gbandi formerly of FC Dallas and his brother Sandi are back in Texas and looking to get into MLS.
Sandi played for the Puerto Rican Islanders and is coming off post season surgery and is close to 100 percent.
He scored goals against Cruz Azul both in Puerto Rico and Mexico City during the Concacaf Champions Cup.
His brother Chris is a left back who recently played in Norway and was formerly at FC Dallas. Both are local area products playing for the Cy-Fair Dynamo and Hurricanes Soccer Club.

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It is a grass roots movement that is not being promoted or pushed by the Dynamo organization. It is fans taking action and wanting to be heard.
This Saturday at 1pm near Minute Maid Park on Rusk and Dowling soccer fans are asked to come unite in support of a new downtown soccer stadium.
If you have the time all you need to do is be present.
I am planning on being there and I hope you will be also…….I am thinking a few impromptu small sided games might just be breaking out !!!!!!

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The African Nations Cup has been over-shadowed by the tragedy of the Togo national team bus resulting in three deaths and the indecisivness as to whether Togo will participate.
Nothing can ever be more important in this tournament than this tragedy.
The tournament did start in stunning fashion with the host nation Angola going off to a four goal lead against Mali who amazingly answered with four goals in the final 11 minutes to earn a draw 4-4.
Former Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare who no plies his trade in France started and played the entire match for Mali. The host nation stunned.
Ironically Soumare and Denis Hamlett who got in a locker room fight this past season in MLS are no longer involved in the league.

Catch my column in the Houston Chronicle on the impact of futsal and what it could mean to your son or daughter in their player development. I believe all youth clubs should implement futsal into their overall player development calendar. Youth players, do you want to improve your game? That get in a futsal league…..or better yet, get your entire team in a futsal league. Go to Chron.com, click sports, click soccer/dynamo to find the article…….

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*Fiesta Unsung Soccer Hero on Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis tomorrow night at 7pm

Juventus vs AC Milan today at 1:30 pm on Fox Soccer Channel

Didn’t think there were appealing games on tv this weekend. Well check this one out today between two of the most historic soccer teams in the history of the game.
Lots of stars fill up both of these squads but their are a number of other points of contention in this one:

1.) Inter Milan won dramatically yesterday 4-3 with two goals in the final minutes against Siena to remain atop of Italy and both Juventus and AC Milan are their contenders.
Inter 45 pts, AC Milan 34 and Juventus 33 shows us the importance of this in the table. AC Milan are undefeated in their last five while it has been up and down for Juve who
have won 2 out of their last five. No many slip ups can be in the cards for these two teams.

2.) Ferrara watch: Juventus manager Ciro Ferrara a former Italian international is on the hot-seat and a loss at home could seal his fate.

3.) Injury concerns: They effect both teams as Alex Manninger will star for Gig Buffon who is out with a knee injury for Juve. AC Milan is missing an number of players like the
talented Brazilian Pato, Clarence Seedorf and Gianluca Zambrotta.

4.) Beckham- MLS and England fans will be keeping an eye on the influence of David Beckham who played well in an AC Milan demolition of Genoa mid-week 5-2.

Don’t miss this one today!!

EMILIO HE GONE

Luciano Emilio is headed to Brazilian second division side Rio Branco. The 2007 league MVP scored 41 goals at DC United.

Check out my recent soccer column in the Houston Chronicle by going to chron.com, click sports, click Dynamo/soccer
The column is about futsal and the impact it can have on the youth game as an ancillary part of all youth soccer club’s player development program.
My nephew who is 11 years old played futsal yesterday in a tournament at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The Houston area has dedicated facilities to the sport but with many leagues or tournaments being played on basketball courts…check out the column for more and why your son or daughter should be playing futsal…

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Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis the tv show on Fox Sports Houston is brought to you by presenting sponsor MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE and Danish Inspirations Contemporary Furniture……Next Thursday at 5pm and Friday at 3pm on FSH!!!!!

FIESTA presents Smart Soccer Tips with Glenn Davis

Landon Donovan was thrust right into the starting lineup for Everton today and played 70 minutes in helping Everton gain a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal.
Donovan was credited with an assist in the 12th minute as he delivery from a corner was headed in by Leon Osman to give the Toffees a 1-0 lead.
Donovan played the match as a right sided midfielder wearing the number 9.
Arsenal’s Denilson would tie things up in the 28th minute ……..Steven Pienaar would give Everton a 2-1 lead in the 81st minute but the dream win would not occur as Arsenal sub Tomas Rosicky would equalize in stoppage time before a crazed 60,000 fans.
Everton and Arsenal were equal on shots at 9 with Everton getting three on goal to two for the Gunners. Arsenal dominated the possession especially after Everton spent long periods inviting play in.
So a good debut for Donovan in front of 60,000 in one of the few EPL games to be played due to weather in England.
Thoughts on Donovan and his debut where he got good reviews from the English press particularly going against Arsenal left back Traore?

FC DALLAS ACTIVE
The Hoops have signed Aziz Ansah a Nigerian defender pending paperwork.

ONE NOT TO MISS

JUVENTUS and under pressure manager Ciro Ferrara host AC Milan at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow. This is one not to miss for a variety of reasons one which is most intriguing that neither team has lost in their last five Serie A matches. Beckham played a starting role in a 5-2 win over Genoa this past Wednesday.
Catch this beauty on Fox Soccer Channel at 1:30 pm this Sunday.

Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad will work with the Canadien Olympic team from January 11th through 18th in Florida.
Onstad will leave early to attend the MLS player combine this weekend and will work with u23 coach Tony Fonseca a former Portugues international who is the head coach.
Onstad mentioned he is particularly excited because he is an assistant coach and not a goalkeeping coach.

Onstad has in my opinion always had a very cerebral look at soccer from is perspective in goal and remains one of the best interviews when it comes to breaking a game down.
Oh and Dynamo fans don’t worry…for the moment this is just a temporary job for Onstad who told me players are preparing for a lockout come February 1.

TOGO TEAM BUS ATTACKED

More coming out from this horrific incident as the Togo team bus crossed the border into Angola from the Republic of the Congo. The bus came under fire and according to an interview on French radio with Togo goalkeeper Kossia Agassa the team wants out of the African Nations Cup and is urging other countries to do the same after a team meeting with captain Emmanuel Adebayor who plays for Manchester City in the English Premier League.
An assistant coach and spokesperson apparently died in the attack and an unnamed back-up goalkeeper is said to be in serious condition and some say the death toll has risen to four so this all seems a bit nebulous.
Of course Angolan officials say the tournament will go on and that it can still be a great party……..sure tell that to the families of the slain individuals.
This also will most definetly put a bit of fear and hesitation into some over the ability of South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.
English Premier League managers have always been concerned with the African Nations Cup and are weighing in over the safety concern of their players.
Should the African Nations Cup go on?

Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis on Fox Sports Houston is presented by MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE and Danish Inspirations Contemporary Furniture.

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