MLS Preview: Houston Dynamo

In partnership with

Hooligan Soccer

·6 February 2025

MLS Preview: Houston Dynamo

Club History

Houston Dynamo was founded under, shall we say, unusual circumstances. The product of backroom wheeling and dealing in late 2005, MLS executives made a special announcement that Houston would be the next location for an expansion franchise in November 2005. In that same meeting, they dropped news that the existing San Jose Earthquakes were looking to move out of the Bay Area. No surprise where this was leading. Just before Christmas, the entire Earthquakes organization was informed that they would relocate to Houston for the 2006 season and rebrand. San Jose would retain their colors, market and competition history.

Within such a maelstrom did the Dynamo unfold.

OneFootball Videos

And they did take the MLS by storm, excuse the pun, winning consecutive MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007 over the New England Revolution. They followed up with consecutive MLS Cup finals appearances in 2011 and 2012, though they lost both. The club’s fortunes dipped between 2013 and 2022, with only two postseason qualifications, before their recent resurgence.

In 2023 they won the U.S. Open Cup over Inter Miami 2-1. Both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were injured and did not play. They also reached the semifinals of the MLS Cup, falling to LAFC. most pundits agreed that the Dynamo were back to their winning ways.

Ownership

The club was originally owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), one of the original financial investors in the MLS league, through 2015. A handful of other minority shareholders including boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya have also had pieces of the organization. Since 2021 mystery men Ted Segal and Lyle Ayes are the majority owners.

Notable Players

Brian Ching (United States) – Forward Scored four goals in the Dynamo’s debut game. Played eight years with the club, with 56 goals (still the club record) and 22 assists in 169 matches.
Stuart Holden (United States) – Midfielder The current FOX Sports personality spent four seasons with the Dynamo before transferring to Bolton.
Brad Davis (United States) – Midfielder Played 10 years with Dynamo, racking up 41 goals and 104 assists in 271 appearances. His assists and appearance totals are a club record. Four-time team MVP.
Pat Onstad (Canada) – Goalkeeper Holds the Dynamo records for clean sheets (37), saves (384) and wins (57). Also the current General Manager.

Other Facts

The club’s original name was Houston 1836, a reference to the city’s founding date and the start of the Texas Revolution, and its crest featured a silhouette of Sam Houston. Changed to Dynamo after protests from the Mexican community.
The Dynamo moniker pays homage to the city’s leading role in the energy industry.
Compete in the annual Texas Derby against FC Dallas. The winner gains possession of El Capitan, a replica Civil War cannon
They have zero national team players on their roster (as of this article’s publish date).

2024 Season Recap

15W – 9D – 10L. 5th in the Western Conference; 8th overall Coming off the 2023 US Open Cup win, and with many of those players still in place, expectations were high for the season. While they did qualify for the Cup, they were knocked out by the Seattle Sounders in the first round.
Designated Player Héctor Herrera was given a red card in the reverse fixture for spitting at the referee. The club declined his contract extension in the postseason.

Who to Watch in 2025

Eleven players from their roster were released, one was transferred and two were loaned out during the offseason (as of publication). This means the squad is going through some serious shakeup. Without a ton of GAM money at their disposal, this is probably going to become a rebuilding year, and coach Ben Olsen will have to make the best of what he has.

Sebastián Ferreira (Paraguay) – Forward A total bust as a Designated Player, only playing 22 matches in 2024. His contract was mutually terminated early this year.
Brooklyn Raines (United States)- Midfielder The youngest player ever to hit the pitch for the Dynamo at just over 17 years is Liberian-born with tremendous potential. Look for him to maybe double last season’s 15 appearances.
Ibrahim Aliyu (Nigeria) – Forward A 23-year old striker, Aliyu put in a workman’s effort in 2024, playing over 3,300 minutes in 44 games. With only 11 contributions (6 goals, 5 assists) Houston will want to see those numbers increase.
Ezequiel Ponce (Argentina) – Forward A mid-year transfer from AEK Athens, this 27-year old is currently sitting in a Designated Player spot. Had 5 goals in 15 matches last year.

First Match

Host FC Dallas on February 22 in the first leg of the Texas Derby.

MLS Preview: Charlotte FC Leading up to the Feb. 22 start of the MLS season, Hooligan staff have prepared some previews of your favorite club. February 5, 2025
MLS Preview: FC Dallas Leading up to the Feb. 22 start of the MLS season, Hooligan staff have prepared some previews of your favorite club. February 4, 2025
MLS Preview: CF Montréal Leading up to the Feb. 22 start of the MLS season, Hooligan staff have prepared some previews of your favorite club. February 4, 2025