Houston Dynamo Press Release:
HOUSTON (Friday, March 6, 2015) – The Houston Dynamo open their tenth season on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Columbus Crew SC in the 2015 season opener at BBVA Compass Stadium in a match presented by Visa. Limited tickets are available at www.HoustonDynamo.com, by calling 713-276-GOAL, or by visiting the BBVA Compass Stadium box office (2200 Texas St., Houston) from 12:00 p.m. through kickoff tomorrow.
The first 6,000 fans will receive a poster to commemorate the club’s 10th season, courtesy of Visa. Following the game, Kroger will present its first of five postgame fireworks shows scheduled for BBVA Compass Stadium this season.
The game will be broadcast live on ROOT Sports Southwest (Alternate Channel; 7:00 p.m. pregame show) and can be heard on Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM and 850 AM (Spanish).
Saturday marks the debut of Owen Coyle after he was appointed as the second head coach in Dynamo history on Dec. 9. The former English Premier League manager with Burnley and Bolton Wanderers follows Dominic Kinnear after he led the Dynamo for nine seasons.
The Dynamo return the core of last season’s team, including forward Giles Barnes, who collected Dynamo MVP, Players’ Player of the Year, Ironman of the Year and Golden Boot honors in 2014. Additionally, Honduras international midfielder Luis Garrido and four-time World Cup veteran DaMarcus Beasley will be with the club from the start of the season after joining last July.
The 2015 Dynamo roster also features 11 new players, including defender Raul Rodriguez, who spent the last four and a half seasons with Espanyol in Spain’s Liga BBVA, and midfielder Leonel Miranda, 21, who arrives from Argentinean power CA Independiente. Mexico national team striker Erick “Cubo” Torres, who scored 22 goals in 44 games with Chivas USA, will join Houston at the end of his current loan back to Chivas Guadalajara.
Columbus experienced significant change in 2014, with a new head coach, Gregg Berhalter, and a midseason rebranding, with a new logo and slight name change to “Columbus Crew SC”. Berhalter enjoyed breakout seasons from several young players who return in 2015, including Ethan Finlay (11 goals, 7 assists), Justin Meram (8 goals, 4 assists), midfielders Wil Trapp (28 starts) and Tony Tchani (33 starts), defender Waylon Francis (6 assists in 24 games) and goalkeeper Steve Clark (34 starts).
In 2015, Berhalter will count on former Dynamo forward Kei Kamara, who returns to MLS with Crew SC after two seasons with Middlesbrough in the English Championship. Columbus’ primary playmaker is Argentine midfielder Federico Higuain, 30, who has 27 goals and 23 assists in 71 appearances with Crew SC since arriving in Columbus in 2012.
Following Saturday’s opener, the Dynamo remain in Houston to host MLS expansion club Orlando City SC and Brazilian star Kaká on Friday, March 13 at BBVA Compass Stadium. For tickets for the Dynamo’s tenth season, including full-season plans starting at $380 and partial-season plans starting at $99, visit www.HoustonDynamo.com or call 713-276-GOAL.
ABOUT THE HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships and four conference championships in its first nine seasons and qualified to represent the United States in international competition six times. The team trains in the Houston Methodist Champions’ Field at Houston Sports Park (HSP), the premier training facility in Southeast Texas, and plays at BBVA Compass Stadium in downtown Houston. For more information, log on to www.HoustonDynamo.com or call (713) 276-7500.
