| Full name | Houston Dynamo | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Dynamo, Orange Crush, La Naranja, The Men in Orange The Orange, Die Oranje |
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| Founded | 2005, as Houston 1836 | ||
| Stadium | BBVA Compass Stadium (Capacity: 22,000) |
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| Owner | Philip Anschutz (AEG) | ||
| Co-Owners | Oscar De La Hoya (GBP) Gabriel Brener |
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| Manager | Dominic Kinnear | ||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2011 | Eastern Conference: 2nd Overall: 7th Playoffs: Runners-Up |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club, based in Houston, Texas, that plays in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2005 as Houston 1836, the team name was renamed to Houston Dynamo following protests from Hispanic fans because 1836 refers to the war for Texas independence. Since its inception the club has played its home games at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus but will be moving to the BBVA Compass Stadium for the 2012 Major League Soccer season starting on May 12, 2012.
In 2008, under the management of Dominic Kinnear, the Houston Dynamo was the first Major League Soccer club to secure a point on Mexican soil in the CONCACAF Champions League era. The Houston Dynamo won the MLS Cup (2006 & 2007) in their first two years following player and coaching staff relocation of the San Jose Earthquakes; the Earthquakes were put on hiatus until 2008.
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.[1] The team's head coach is former US international Dominic Kinnear.
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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 officially a new team, similar to the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League (NFL).
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.
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, it raised a furor among some locals of Hispanic descent, a major target audience, who related 1836 with the war for Texas independence.
Due to protests from Hispanic fans, MLS opted to choose another nickname, "Dynamo". It refers to Houston's energy-based industrial economy, as well as a previous Houston soccer team, Houston Dynamos who played in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance and United Soccer League. 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." However, the name "Dynamo" also has precedent in the soccer world, specifically in the former Soviet Union and its allies (FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Dynamo Minsk, Dinamo Bucureşti, FC Dynamo Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb, KS Dinamo Tirana and Dynamo Dresden among others) where the Dynamo Sports Club and its equivalents like the SV Dynamo were prominent Soviet institutions and notoriously held associations with the secret police forces, like the Soviet KGB and the East German Stasi.[2] The team colors are orange, white, and "Space City" blue or "Luv Ya Blue" (light blue), meant as a symbol of yet another team in Houston's sports history - the Houston Oilers of the NFL.
With the controversy over the Dynamo's original name being picked by online surveys, the MLS has not since used online surveys to name expansions clubs.
The Dynamo kicked off their 2006 season early competing in the Carolina Challenge Cup, finishing 2-1-0; thus, winning it. The Dynamo played their league 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 semifinal playoffs, they beat 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.
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 New York Red Bulls, 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.
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,[3] 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.
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.[4] 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.[5]
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).[6] De La Hoya has been seen wearing Dynamo colors on his boxing uniform with a small Houston Dynamo logo on his right leg in a fight against boxer Steve Forbes. He has also pledged to help find Dynamo a soccer-specific stadium, though he has been too busy with training to participate significantly in Dynamo decision-making. He has said he would become more involved once he retires in 2009.[7]
The Dynamo started early competing in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship debuted on February 20, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Houston qualified to participate in the tournament via their win as MLS Cup Champions. The Houston Dynamo won their first match against Sydney FC, before finishing second place after their 6-1 loss to Gamba Osaka in the final match. The club also competed in the Texas Pro Soccer Festival presented by Touch-Tel featuring four Major League Soccer teams (Houston, DC United, Toronto, and Chivas USA) during an electrifying week of double-header exhibition games, events, and daily practices. The Houston Dynamo were declared winners of the tournament after a tiebreaker in goal difference was needed between them and D.C. United. Shortly following the Texas Pro Soccer Festival, the Dynamo was back on the pitch competing in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (qualifying via 2007 MLS Cup Champions). The Dynamo played Municipal in the Quarterfinals winning 3-1 on aggregate (0-0, 3-1) at Robertson Stadium. The club would lose to Deportivo Saprissa on 3-0 aggregate (0-0, 0-3) at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.
The Houston Dynamo opened its home opener with a high scoring 3-3 draw with Texas Derby rival, FC Dallas, after falling behind twice (1-2 & 2-3) and getting a game-tying goal from Geoff Cameron in the 93rd minute. The Dynamo went 0-2-4 before getting their first league win of the season in a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. The Dynamo went on a roller coaster ride throughout the season before going on a 5-0-4 run to finish the season 13-5-12, claiming 1st in the Western Conference and 2nd overall (behind the Columbus Crew). The Western Conference Semifinals was played against the New York Red Bulls with the first leg finishing in a 1-1 draw at Giants Stadium and the second leg moving to Robertson Stadium where the Red Bulls stunned the Dynamo in a 0-3 defeat in front of more than 30,000 fans. The Red Bulls would go to MLS Cup 2008 where they would lose to Columbus.
The Dynamo started the new year with a quick exit from the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League with a 1-4 aggregate loss (1-1, 0-3) to Atlante in the quarterfinals, with the second leg at Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo.
In the regular season, Houston again evolved into one of the league's premier teams, going on an 11-game unbeaten streak (8-0-3) early in the season before losing to Western Conference rival the Los Angeles Galaxy in June. The Dynamo were inconsistent the rest of the season while dealing with international competition but still finished the season tied for first in the Western Conference with a 13-8-9 record. However, despite their better goal differential, they finished second in the Western Conference, because they lost the regular season series to the Galaxy. In the playoffs, Houston beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on aggregate in extra time before losing 0-2 in extra time to the Galaxy in the Western Conference final. The game was interrupted several times due to rolling blackouts in Los Angeles, the first of which occurred in the 18th minute. Andrew Hainault had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, but his 78th minute header was disallowed for an off-the-ball foul by Luis Ángel Landín.
The Dynamo reached the semifinals of the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before losing to the expansion Seattle Sounders FC 1-2 in extra time after former Dynamo player Nate Jaqua scored the game-tying goal in the 89th minute.
During the 2009-10 offseason, the Dynamo saw the departures of two key players, Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers).
The Houston Dynamo competed in the 2010 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Florida. The club would lose to the New York Red Bulls in the Semifinals (0-0, 5-6 in PKs), but would claim third place after defeating Texas Derby rival, FC Dallas, by a score of 2-1.
The 2010 season was kicked off with a 1-1 draw against Texas Derby rivals, FC Dallas, at Pizza Hut Park. The home opener hampered the season as Brian Ching was out for 4-6 weeks because of a left hamstring strain suffered during the first half against Real Salt Lake. The Dynamo went on to win the game, 2-1, on a pair of penalty goals by Brad Davis. Geoff Cameron was the next player to be lost during the season after rupturing his PCL during a game against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park; the Fire would win the game, 2-0. Cameron surprised everyone and eturned in August, and scored a 70th minute header from a free kick by Brad Davis against DC United in the Dynamo's 3-1 win on September 25 in RFK Stadium. The majority of the season saw the Dynamo win, lose, and tie almost in that order (while going winless during the months of June and July) with the club losing out on the playoffs by Week 17, going only 4-7-2 since then. The Dynamo would finish the season going 9-15-6 (7th in the West, 12th overall) and would miss the playoffs for the first time since moving to Houston during the 2005-06 offseason. The Dynamo, however, finished strong with the club's only winning streak all season coming at the very end of the season with wins against playoff bound teams at San Jose (1-0) on October 16 and at home against Seattle (2-1) on October 23 with rookie goalkeeper Tyler Deric in goal.
During the 2010 season, the Dynamo continued their season with the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The club would defeat Miami FC, 1-0, on June 29 before losing to Chivas USA, 1-3 in the Quarterfinals on July 6 (both games at Robertson Stadium). The Dynamo also competed in the 2010 North American SuperLiga, winning the group before exiting quickly after a 0-1 loss to Morelia on August 5 at Robertson Stadium.
The colors of the Dynamo crest are orange, black and white, with Space City blue added as an accent and border color. 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 Space City blue.
With the 2006 MLS Cup win, a sanctioned star was added above the shield in 2008, after wearing the scudetto in 2007. Since they won the MLS Cup again in 2007. they wore the scudetto for the second consecutive year in 2008. Consequently, a sanctioned star was added to the logo in 2009 for their win at MLS Cup 2007.
Dynamo plays its home matches at 32,000-seat 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 plans to construct a permanent soccer-specific stadium.
On December 2, 2010, Harris County and the Houston Sports Authority reached an agreement for the 20,000–22,000-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 venue, now known as BBVA Compass Stadium is scheduled to open in April 2012.
On February 5, 2011, Houston Dynamo players, accompanied by Dynamo owner Philip Anschutz and Equity Partners Oscar De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Harris County Judge Ed Emmitt, Houston Dynamo President Chris Canetti, amongst others, participated in the groundbreaking of the Dynamo's new stadium in front of a few thousand fans. Construction began later that month.
According the information contained on the website of the Houston Dynamo as of August, 2011, the new Dynamo stadium will be a state-of-the-art, open-air stadium designed to host Dynamo matches as well as additional sporting and concert events. When it opens in 2012, the 22,000-seat stadium will be the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer located in a city's downtown district.[8]
Spectators will be able to experience unobstructed views from both the lower and upper seating bowls, which are supported by a single concourse.[8] The concourse provides full access around the stadium with easy access to concession and toilet facilities.[8] The fan experience will be enhanced by modern sound and video elements throughout the stadium.[8] Fully integrated broadcast facilities will allow viewers and listeners to feel part of the atmosphere.[8]
Aside from Major League Soccer and international soccer matches, the new Dynamo stadium will also host Texas Southern University football, concerts, boxing matches, and much more.[8] With its downtown location, the new stadium will be a part of a true Stadium District, which already features Minute Maid Park and Toyota Center, as well as the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green, and The House of Blues.[8]
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 four officially recognized Supporter groups, El Batallón, Brickwall Firm, La Bateria and Texian Army.[9]
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.[10] 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[11] helping to promote the Dynamo in Houston.[12] Notably the Dynamo Girls were featured in an episode of the MTV reality series Made.
Houston'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.
| 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 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | FC Dallas‡ |
| 2009 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | Houston Dynamo |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | FC Dallas |
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | Houston Dynamo |
| Total | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 19 | +8 | Houston Dynamo (4), FC Dallas (2) |
Note ‡: FC Dallas won on away goals rule, 4-2
The team's main international rival is Pachuca. The Houston Dynamo and Pachuca have faced each other in the North American SuperLiga as well as the CONCACAF Champions League since 2007 and have a combined record of 3-3-1.
| Season | Played | Dynamo Win | Draw | Pachuca Win | Dynamo Goals | Pachuca Goals | +/- | SuperLiga Rivalry Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | C.F. Pachuca‡ |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | Houston Dynamo |
| 2009‡‡ | N/A | |||||||
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | Houston Dynamo |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | Houston Dynamo (2), Pachuca (0), Tie (1) |
Note ‡: Pachuca won on penalty kicks, 4-3.
Note ‡‡: Houston Dynamo and Pachuca were already qualified for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League; therefore, both teams could not qualify for North American SuperLiga 2009.
| Season | Played | Dynamo Win | Draw | Pachuca Win | Dynamo Goals | Pachuca Goals | +/- | CONCACAF Rivalry Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | Pachuca |
| 2008† | N/A | |||||||
| 2008-09‡ | N/A | |||||||
| 2009-10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | Pachuca |
| 2010-11‡‡ | N/A | |||||||
| Total | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | Houston Dynamo (0), Pachuca (2) |
Note †: Although both teams were in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions League, neither met each other in the tournament.
Note ‡: Pachuca did not qualify.
Note ‡‡: Neither team qualified
On August 24, 2007, the Houston Dynamo reached a four-year sponsorship deal with Houston based retail electricity provider, Amigo Energy, worth US$7.5M. Amigo Energy became the official jersey sponsor. The Dynamo were the fifth league team to sign jersey sponsors, after Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC[13] with Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire each adding jersey sponsors for the 2008 season
The Amigo Energy logo appeared 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.
On December 7, 2010, the team announced Greenstar Recycling as their new corporate jersey sponsor. The deal is with $12.7 million over three-years, with two additional option years, making it the largest sponsor in team history. The Greenstar logo will be featured on Dynamo game jerseys and all team apparel. Greenstar will also manage all recycling and waste management services for the team's new downtown stadium.[14]
Local English coverage is carried by KHOU-DT Channel 11.2, when not carried by the national MLS broadcast partners such as ESPN and the Fox Soccer Channel (FSC).[15] Select games will also be simulcast on Fox Sports Houston.[16] Glenn Davis calls the play-by-play with James Clarkson calling the color commentary on home games. Spanish coverage is on KHLM-LP "TV Informa", Channel 43, with Ernesto Del Valle calling play-by-play and Gustavo Rangel providing color.
English radio broadcasts are carried by KBME SportsTalk 790 AM, with Jonathan Yardley calling play-by-play. Spanish radio broadcasts are carried by KEYH 850 AM La Ranchera, with Daniel Mejia calling play-by-play and Alex Parra providing color.
Dynamo All-Access is a local Houston radio broadcast on KBME (AM), which is hosted by Glenn Davis. It regularly features head coach Dominic Kinnear and the team's players.
As of August 5, 2011.[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
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Senior club staff
Coaching staff
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs | US Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions' League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2nd, West | Champions | Semi-Finals | Could not qualify |
| 2007 | 2nd, West | Champions | Round of 16 | Champions Cup-Semifinals |
| 2008 | 1st, West | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Champions Cup-Semifinals Champions League-Quarterfinals |
| 2009 | 2nd, West | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Group Stage |
| 2010 | 7th, West | Did not qualify | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 2nd, East | Final | Did not qualify† | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | Qualified (2012–13) |
Note †: Eliminated in the Qualification Semifinals.
The Dynamo have had a recent run of competition against international clubs for the two years following their inaugural season. By virtue of their MLS Cup victories, the Dynamo have entered prestigious competitions like the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the North American SuperLiga. During the 2008 season, the Dynamo participated in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship as well as the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League.
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MLS regular season only, through 2011 season
The Dynamo's first year regular season attendance was excellent, placing third only behind the two Los Angeles teams. Playoff attendance, however, was in-line with regular season attendance, with neither game selling out (just under 31,000 at Robertson Stadium).
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.
In 2008, regular season attendance rebounded a bit from the lull in 2007. The attendance for the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinal was nearly identical to the previous year, just under a sellout crowd.
| Year | Regular Season | Playoffs |
| 2006 | 18,935 | 20,274 |
| 2007 | 15,883 | 30,530 |
| 2008 | 16,939 | 30,053 |
| 2009 | 17,047 | 27,465 |
| 2010 | 17,310 | Did Not Qualify |
| 2011 | 17,694 | 24,749 |
| Attendance | Date | Match | Notes |
| 30,972 | 11/10/07 | HOU vs. KC | 2007 Western Conference Final |
| 30,588 | 10/7/07 | HOU vs. LA | |
| 30,361 | 10/18/08 | HOU vs. LA | |
| 30,088 | 11/2/07 | HOU vs. DAL | 2007 Western Conference Semi-Final, Second Leg |
| 30,053 | 11/9/08 | HOU vs. NY | 2008 Western Conference Semi-Final, Second Leg |
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