The Houston Dynamo finished the weekend with a confident 4-0 win over recent Mexican-league champions Santos Laguna, but it was the theme of the event which really had people talking.
A day before the game, both teams held a community activity at a small, outdoor street soccer facility adjacent to BBVA Compass Stadium in an effort to benefit kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston.
It was a success.
It’s not very often that you find an MLS team and a Liga MX team working harmoniously – and all before one of the biggest games of the year between Mexico and the United States scheduled a day later – which, in a way, made this all the more interesting.
Players from both teams worked in small groups with kids from BBBS and from the looks of it, added some younger spectators who came to see their favorite players in the community. Dynamo defenders and big personalities Kofi Sarkodie and Raul Rodriguez commanded the groups while Santos players Jose Javier Abella (Mexico U22), Julio Gonzalez (2011 U20 World Cup with Mexico) and 2015 Gold Cup winner Javier “Chuletita” Orozco worked with the kids on touches, dribbling, and offered words of encouragement.
When the event concluded, players joined together and signed autographs for the kids and talked amongst themselves, sharing experiences and expectations of what was to come of the game between Mexico and the USA.
Santos Laguna, who spearheaded the theme of the event, worked closely for weeks with the Dynamo to plan and organize and make sure nothing was left unattended to. Its program in Mexico, “Guerreros de Corazon,” has been in place for several years and is the cornerstone of all community service work it provides throughout the country.
“This is the third time we’ve done something like this in the USA, and hopefully we can unite with more teams or even other leagues stateside in the future.,” said a club spokesperson at the event.
Santos, which has official social media accounts and a web page in English, joined Club Tijuana as the only two teams in the Mexican league to offer such channels of communication for fans outside of Mexico and who speak different languages.
The Dynamo are also heavily involved in charity work, so much that this year’s Dynamo Charities Cup marked the seventh year the club has put on such an event, and with the win, extended its record to 4-0-3, which includes past games against Aston Villa, Valencia, and Stoke City among others.
The victory for the Dynamo conveniently came a week before it holds its final home game of the 2015 MLS season when it welcomes Seattle Sounders on October 18. With a 4-0 shutout against the Mexican champions and a little more good PR on its side, it might just be the confidence boost needed to go out on a high note at home.
Photo credit: Santos Laguna and Houston Dynamo
