Houston Blogs: Houston Sports Blog

Dynamo name Onstad, Mullan team co-MVPs

Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad and midfielder Brian Mullan have been named co-recipients of the Honda Most Valuable Player Award for the 2007 season. Onstad and Mullan's awards were announced on houstondynamo.com, three days before the Dynamo opens its participation in the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs against FC Dallas.

Other awards announced include Joseph Ngwenya as the winner of the 2007 Budweiser Golden Boot Award, Eddie Robinson as the club's Defender of the Year, and Craig Waibel as recipient of the United States Soccer Foundation Dynamo Humanitarian Award.

Onstad set an MLS single-season record with his 0.82 goals-against average. Onstad also posted 11 shutouts and 13 wins, and was a leading force behind the Dynamo defensive streak of 727 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. That consecutive streak, in which Onstad teamed with Zach Wells, is the longest streak in modern-day professional team sports in North America.

Mullan played in 28 games, with one goal (vs. Chivas USA June 21) and three assists. The midfielder was instrumental in setting up the Dynamo offensive attack, and is renowned throughout MLS for his steady play and leadership. On July 15 against Toronto FC, Mullan suffered a broken cheekbone and continued play throughout the contest, missing only one subsequent game due to the injury. Mullan is in his seventh MLS season.

Ngwenya won the Budweiser Golden Boot Award for his seven goals and four assists. Ngwenya, Brian Ching and Nate Jaqua each tallied seven times this season; the award went to Ngwenya in an assist tiebreaker (Ngwenya 4, Ching 2, Jaqua 2). Ngwenya was acquired from Columbus in May and went on a streak of three consecutive games with goals (June 3-10 vs. FC Dallas, Colorado and Columbus). Ngwenya's goal against Chicago on July 12 is regarded by many around the league as the potential Goal of the Year.

Robinson repeats as winner of the Dynamo Defender of the Year. Robinson played in 25 games, scoring twice with two assists. Robinson was named to the MLS All-Star team, and in his seventh year in MLS continued his reputation as one of the most intimidating and physical players in the game.

Waibel lends his name to many charitable efforts around the Houston area and in his native Spokane, Wash. Waibel has been feted throughout his eight-year MLS career for his continued community efforts.

The Dynamo opens the MLS Cup Playoffs Saturday against FC Dallas in game one of the Western Conference semifinal (Ch. 55, DirectKick, Ch. 43 TV Informa, 850 AM and 101.7 FM). The return match in the two-game, aggregate-goal series is Nov. 2 at Robertson Stadium.

Dynamo to hand out awards Wednesday

The Houston Dynamo will announce its 2007 Team Awards winners Wednesday. The event will be broadcast on HoustonDynamo.com at 6:30pm. Fans are encouraged to watch as Dynamo radio play-by-play and Director of Public Relations Steve Mark, Dynamo TV play-by-play Charlie Pallilo, and Dynamo Director of Communications Lester Gretsch announce the individual awards winners for this season. The Men in Orange will open their first-round playoff series this Saturday against Dallas.

Dynamo to open MLS playoffs at FC Dallas

The Houston Dynamo will open the MLS playoffs on the road against FC Dallas on Saturday at 7:00pm.  The first game of the Western Conference Semifinal will be played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, with the second game of the aggregate-goal series to be played at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium on Nov. 2, at 7:30pm. Game 1 of the series was set immediately after the conclusion of MLS regular season play Saturday.

The Dynamo finished in second place in the Western Conference after a 0-0 draw against Chivas USA on Saturday night in Carson, Calif. The Dynamo finished the regular season 15-8-7 (52 points), one point behind Chivas. FC Dallas finished in third place in the conference, 13-12-5 (44 points).

The Dynamo won the 2007 season series against FC Dallas 3-0-1, winning 2-1 in Houston on June 3, playing to a 0-0 draw on June 30 in Frisco, then winning 1-0 on Aug. 19 in Houston before concluding the series with a 3-0 win Sept. 30 at Pizza Hut Park.

The upcoming playoff appearance in Frisco is a return to the venue where the Dynamo won the MLS Cup Championship against New England last November.

Saturday night's opener will be televised on HDNet and broadcast on 850 AM and 101.7 FM.

Dynamo nominated for award by Hispanic publication

The Houston Dynamo on Thursday have been nominated for El Premio de la Gente's "Most Popular Soccer Team of the Year" award.  El Premio de la Gente is the Hispanic People's Choice Awards, which has recognized top artists since 1999.

Starting this year, the most talented and popular sports athletes and teams in Mexico and the United States are gaining attention.

"As an organization, we are very proud to have been nominated to receive this award," said Dynamo president and general manager Oliver Luck. "Our fans and the City of Houston in general have given us tremendous support during our two years of existence. We hope that trend continues as we compete for El Premio de la Gente."

Besides the Dynamo, other teams nominated to receive this award are the Los Angeles Galaxy, also of Major League Soccer, and Mexico's Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Club América, and Club de Fútbol Pachuca.

Nominations are made by the specialized sports media, and fans across the U.S. are solely responsible for selecting the winner in each of the categories for which the award is offered.

Dynamo’s First-Round Home Playoff Date

The Dynamo sent this to us today:

HOUSTON, TX (Friday, October 12, 2007) – The Houston Dynamo have secured home-field advantage in the first round of the 2007 MLS Cup playoffs after last night’s scoreless draw between FC Dallas and Chivas USA.

Home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs means that the Men in Orange will play their first home playoff match at Robertson Stadium on Friday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. CT. This will be the second game of a two-game aggregate goal series.

Although the first-round home date is set, the opponent remains unknown. The Dynamo’s opponent will be determined by the final regular-season standings. With two weeks to play in the MLS schedule, only two playoff positions remain in question.

Currently, Houston is fighting Chivas USA for first-place in the Western Conference, which ensures home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Dynamo faces a critical two-game stretch over their remaining fixtures with games at Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA.

The playoff picture looks like this for the Dynamo:

§  Chivas can clinch first-place with a win over the Rapids on Sunday or with a Dynamo loss or tie at Real Salt Lake on Monday. 

§  A Chivas loss to Colorado keeps the Dynamo in contention for first-place.

§  Should Chivas draw with Colorado, the Dynamo would have to win its final two matches (RSL and Chivas) to claim first-place in the west.

§  If Chivas loses to Colorado on Sunday, then the Dynamo can win the west by going 1-0-1 over its final two matches.

§  The Dynamo have already won their three-game regular season series with Chivas (2-0-0 record, 5-0 goal differential), so if the two teams finish even in points, the Dynamo will win the Conference based on head-to-head results.

Dynamo’s Remaining Schedule:

Monday, October 15 @ Real Salt Lake, 8:00 p.m. CT - CH 55, CH 43, 850 AM, 101.7 FM

Saturday, October 20 @ Chivas USA, 9:30 p.m. CT – Fox Soccer Channel, 790 AM, 850 AM, 101.7 FM

Houston Dynamo playoff tickets are already on sale. A special playoff four-pack, which consists of four tickets and a parking pass, is also on sale for $59.95. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, as the team expects this game to sell out quickly. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call the Houston Dynamo offices at 713-276-7500, or log on to www.houstondynamo.com. 

PICS: The Houston Dynamo vs Los Angeles Galaxy

Click here for the lowdown on the game.

I went out and took photos of the game for abc13.com.  Click here to see all of them.

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MLS hands Clark 9-game suspension for kicking opponent

Houston Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark was suspended nine games by the MLS -- the longest in league history -- for violently kicking FC Dallas' Carlos Ruiz on Sunday.    With Houston winning 3-0, Clark kicked Ruiz in the right shoulder while he was on the ground, causing a brief skirmish between the teams. Clark was ejected.

   "I have decided that it is necessary to take firm action to reflect the fact that Ricardo Clark's violent kick to Carlos Ruiz in last weekend's game against FC Dallas, while out of character, is unacceptable behavior from an MLS player," said league commissioner Dan Garber.

"In taking this action, Major League Soccer is sending a signal that it will not accept reckless and dangerous behavior on its fields. If there is a repeat of this kind of behavior by any MLS player, even firmer sanctions can be expected in the future."

   Garber also fined Clark $10,000. The suspension surpassed the previous-long of six games that Dario Sala, Thomas Ravelli, and Andy Herron received.

   "I hope and believe that Ricardo Clark will reflect on and learn from his mistake and become a better professional as a result."

   Clark's suspension includes the automatic one-game that a player gets for a red card offense. He will serve the nine-game suspension throughout the remainder of the regular season, MLS Cup playoffs and into the start of the 2008 season.

   (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Tips for the Houston Dyanamo vs LA Galaxy game

The Houston Dynamo sent us this information about Sunday's LA Galaxy game:

This Sunday's Houston Dynamo game against the Los Angeles Galaxy is sold out, a first-time experience for the team since its move to Houston. As a result, the Dynamo front office is encouraging fans to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion, parking problems, and other delays entering the stadium.

The crowd expected at Sunday's contest will be one of the largest in Robertson Stadium history. Fans arriving between 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. are very likely to experience major delays.

Fans are advised to arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. for the best chance to be comfortably seated in time for the 2:00 p.m. kickoff.

In an effort to ease congestion, the Dynamo is instituting the following plans:

• Parking lots will open at 10:00 a.m.
• Extra parking lots, highlighted in blue and red in the attached map, will be opened
• Stadium Gates will open two hours before kickoff at 12:00 p.m.
• Extra stadium gates will be opened on the east side, between Methodist Hospital Gate 14 and Infinity Insurance Gate 8

The Amigo Energy SoccerFest will open at 11:30 a.m. This pre-game tradition offers interactive elements, live music, food, and prizes.

In addition, once gates open at 12:00 p.m., the first 9,500 fans to enter will receive a limited edition Houston Dynamo/Amigo Energy hat.

The Dynamo and the Galaxy will take the field at 1:20 p.m. for pre-game warm-ups. Fans are invited.