New Season on the Horizon

Dynamo start the pre-season with a 6-0 blowout of HBU today at Carl Lewis. Details on the Soccer y Futbol blog.

Pay attention to the next to last paragraph ... JdeJO reports that the Dynamo will bring in 3 midfielders this week including one with a brief stint in the EPL.

Also, Stuie was not on the bench again today for Bolton. I have not been able to find anything regarding the thigh strain still being an issue.

Rico is out for up to 4 weeks for Eintracht Frankfurt. He has yet to make an appearance for the Bundesliga club.

Holden Leaves USMNT Camp

Stuart Holden has left USMNT camp and returned to Houston due to an injury. More information as I get it.

Also, just wanted to apologize for the downtime between posts. Alot has happened over the last week and I promise to get to it all shortly (Felix, 09 schedule, etc.).

Bobby is BACK!!!!!; Goodbye Magnum PI

Just got word that Bobby Boswell will be wearing orange for the good guys again! The Dynamo announced today that the Dynamo Defender of the Year, Iron Man of the Year and Fans Player of the Year signed a multi-year deal to return to The Rob. This is great news for the team and the fans.

At the same time, the team announced that they have traded Patrick Ianni to Seattle for a conditional pick in next years SuperDraft. The pick will be a third rounder unless Ianni plays 20 or more league and playoff games. If he does, the pick is upgraded to a second round slot. Since PI went to non-GA status during the off-season, he became a high-cost, low-production liability for both the team and the front office. It was obvious to most that if Boswell did re-up, Magnum was most likely a goner.

So what does this mean to the lineup in 09? I would imagine that Richard Mulrooney lost his starting right back position before he even got comfortable. I see James starting at right back with Roon backing up both James and Rico. It looks like Rico could potentially miss quite a few games because of USMNT duty (WCQ, Gold Cup & Confed Cup), so depth will be key again this year. Now let's go get El Chaco and we will be ready to roll!

Dynamo Sign Tally Hall

The Chronicle is reporting that the Dynamo have signed Tally Hall, a San Diego State product that has spent the last few years in Denmark with Esbjerg. Hall was original drafted by the Gals in 2007 and was a member of the U-23 squad that made a trip to Japan with Bob Bradley in February of that same year.

While at San Diego State, Hall was a Semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy and a 2-time All-American.

Here is the link to the Chronicle's story: Tally Hall

2009 Pre-Season Schedule Released

This was posted on MyDynamo.net earlier:

With the start of training camp just two weeks away, we are excited to bring you the Dynamo's preseason schedule! As details become finalized, we will post each game in the events section and, once it is up, on HoustonDynamo.com's 2009 schedule page. The early games against FC Dallas remain tentative, and we do not know if spectators will be permitted, but we will keep you posted. Here is a rough itinerary for the Dynamo in February and March:

02/02 - First day of practice

02/06 - @ FC Dallas (Frisco TX)

02/09 - vs. FC Dallas

02/12 - @ LA Galaxy (Carson CA)

02/15 - @ SJ Earthquakes (3 p.m. CT; Central Coast Showcase, San Luis
Obispo CA)

02/18 - Hammarby (Carson CA)

02/24 - vs. Atlante (9 p.m. CT; CCL quarterfinals, Robertson Stadium)

02/28 - vs. Montreal Impact

03/03 - @ Atlante (9 p.m. CT; CCL quarterfinals, Cancun MEX)

03/07 - @ Austin Aztex (7:30 p.m. CT, Austin TX)

03/11 - vs. SMU

03/14 - vs. TBA

03/16 - Dynamo Charities Countdown to Kickoff luncheon

03/17-19 - possible dates for CCL semifinal first leg if Houston qualifies

03/21 - vs. Columbus Crew (7 p.m. CT, MLS First Kick 2009, Robertson Stadium)

Daniel Cruz to Dynamo with 41st overall pick; Hermann Award winner in 4th Round

Great move by the Dynamo to snag this GA midfielder in the 3rd round. Here is the college bio on Cruz. A little short at 5'8"-5'9" but it seems that the U-20 USMNT player has a high ceiling. The youngest Generation Adidas player available, the Glendale AZ native just turned 19 on January 3rd, so the Orange are getting someone that they can bring along slowly either at ACM or forward. Great story about Danny's unusual soccer career here.

EDIT: The Dynamo surprised a few people with their 4th round pick - Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy. Yes, the same Marcus Tracy that looked horrible in the NCAA Championship game. And the same Marcus Tracy that looked like another player with two first names in the Semi-Final game (OK - maybe not him ...). And yes, the same Tracy that has been linked to Danish side Aalborg. If he leaves, the Dynamo wasted a 4th round pick. If he stays, this could be highway robbery.

Stadium Update

The Chronicle has all the info. Sounds like we are almost there.