Houston Dynamo look to regain championship pedigree in 2016

The Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes walk out to the field before the start of an MLS match on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Victor Araiza/Prost Amerika

When the Houston Dynamo face the New England Revolution in Sunday’s season opener at BBVA Compass Stadium, it will be a rematch of the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup finals that saw Houston lift back-to-back trophies. This time, with something different at stake: the first three points on a long road back to the playoffs.

On Sunday, the Dynamo begins its second decade and with new faces on the field, a new team captain, an experienced manager looking to prove his brand of soccer on American soil and a restructured ownership group, the Dynamo are all-in on restoring their winning tradition and getting back to being a contender.

“There’s a great buzz around the club right now,” said Dynamo forward and new team captain Giles Barnes on the first day of preseason. “As a team we feel we can really accomplish something, especially with the new backing [of the ownership group]. We’re exited for this season and hopefully we’re gonna bring back the championship.”

A slew of offseason transactions are fueling that buzz. A total of 12 players saw their exit from the Dynamo this offseason and 11 new names were added to the roster. The biggest offseason departure: former team captain Brad Davis, leaving Ricardo Clark as the last player from the championship era on the active roster. The Dynamo also decided to re-sign core guys including Barnes and Dynamo forward Will Bruin.

“I want to be a part of something that I think can be really good with this new way the team’s going,” said Houston Dynamo forward Will Bruin in regards to signing a new contract with the team last December. “If I didn’t think we could get to MLS Cups, make great runs, then it would have been a little different.”

The team even has a new majority owner after Gabriel Brenner bought out AEG’s stake in the team last December. The ownership change, more importantly the removal of AEG (who owns the Los Angeles Galaxy), was a move fans have asked for years to avoid conflict of interest and playing “second fiddle” to the five time MLS Cup champs. Brenner has publicly stated his minimum expectation for this season is making the playoffs.

He’s not the only owner looking to see this team bounce back. Minority Owner Oscar De La Hoya spoke with the Houston media on the first day of preseason and expressed his excitement about the team’s new direction and “hopefully bringing back that title to Houston.”

Sunday will also mark the start of Owen Coyle’s second year at the helm of the two time MLS Cup Champions in what many hope will be a marquee year for the former Premier League manager. After inheriting Dominic Kinnear’s roster in his first year and going through two transfer windows to acquire talent, there’s no doubt that this is Coyle’s team now.

“I think we now got pieces that I like in terms of how we want to go forward,” said Dynamo Head Coach Owen Coyle in an interview with Glenn Davis on the February 26^th edition of the Soccer Matters radio show. “We know we have a team that can go, and I certainly believe, we can stand toe to toe with the best teams in MLS…with the chance to win the ultimate prize.”

#PaintItBlack https://t.co/kBxxREbrQU pic.twitter.com/cxL7qApcYY

— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) February 17, 2016

It’s almost fitting that the Houston Dynamo begins this new era in the franchise’s short history wearing a color other than orange (the team will wear its all-black secondary kit during Sunday’s home opener). As fans fill up the orange-clad seats at the downtown soccer-only stadium and players step onto the field Sunday, the story of the 2016 Houston Dynamo begins and will be written over the next couple of months.

Where to watch/listen Dynamo games in Houston:

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