History
Back in 2005, it was revealed that MLS would grant permission to San Jose Earthquake’s owners Anschutz Entertainment Group to move their team for the 2006 season. It was here where the Houston Dynamo was born.
Their inaugural season in 2006 went about as perfect as an inaugural season can go. The Dynamo finished 2nd in the Western Conference, and then went on to beat Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, and lastly, the New England Revolution to hoist the MLS Cup in their first ever season.
And as if winning MLS Cup in their inaugural season wasn’t impressive enough, the Dynamo would repeat in 2007, beating the Revolution once again for their second Cup in a row. Their MLS Cup streak would come to an end in 2008 but they still managed to reach the Western Conference semifinals.
In 2009 they made the Western Conference Final but lost to the L.A. Galaxy, in 2010 they missed playoffs for the first time, but bounced back in 2011 to make yet another MLS Cup Final appearance. But this time they didn’t come out victorious as they lost again to their familiar foes, the Galaxy.
At this point, Houston had been in the league for seven years and had outgrown their current stadium. In 2012, construction on their new soccer-specific home, BBVA Stadium, was completed. With the help of their home form, the Dynamo would reach their fourth MLS Cup final in seven seasons.
Houston would make playoffs in 2013 but would have to wait until 2017 to return to them. However, it was the following season that the Dynamo would end their 11-year trophyless drought by winning their first U.S. Open Cup.
Present
This season has been the first under the Dynamo’s new majority owner, Ted Segal. He’s already shown his intention to bring the Dynamo back to winning ways by making ambitious signings like Sebastián Ferreira and most notably Mexican international, Hector Herrera.
Houston are in rebuilding mode but have still managed to find ways to win this season. They currently sit in 9th place in the West and are still very much in contention to make playoffs. But after starting strong this season, they’ve lost seven out of their last ten matches, the most recently against the Portland Timbers.
Key Players
Darwin Quintero: The Colombian has been one of MLS’s top playmakers since his arrival in the league in 2018. He’s the type of player that may have a quiet game, but can create a single moment of brilliance that bails his team out and earns them the points.
Sebastián Ferreira: One of Houston’s marquee offseason signings, the striker came into the league as one of the top prospects out of Paraguay. He’s had a strong debut season thus far scoring six goals and assisting three others. He’s a versatile striker who’s agile and scores in a multitude of different ways.
Steve Clark: In this tenth season in the league, Clark is as experienced as they come for MLS goalkeepers. He’s been a rock for the Dynamo since his move from the Portland Timbers.
