Although Ben Franklin had probably been considering industrious colonial farmers when he recommended going to bed early only to wake up before the rooster crowed would make one "healthy, wealthy, and wise," his words still resonate today and appear an apt suggestion to the modern professional athlete. Far too often we hear of players in various sporting disciplines caught in the wrong place at the wrong time with headline stories that invariably begin, "Last night, outside a local night club..." Houston Dynamo now have that type of issue to sort out now with the matter of Tyler Deric and Warren Creavalle having recently been arrested and charged following an incident at the Roosevelt Lounge. While the story continues to unfold, layered with an element of possible racism on the part of a business known to have practiced such policies before, what likely concerns Dominic Kinnear and Dynamo's front office is why these players placed themselves in such a situation when issues of health, wealth, and wisdom should be utmost on their minds.

Continue reading this post »

Having now had time to digest the news Kris Boyd rejected an offer from Houston Dynamo that Dom Kinnear and the front office worked on diligently only to later accept a reportedly hastily-assembled one from Portland Timbers, it's time to flesh out possible reasons why. Granted, there's still a bit of acid reflux felt by some fans of the Naranja, but at least getting a first round draft pick out of Portland soothes the situation like Pepto Bismol.

In his recent interview with Glenn Davis, all Kinnear would say is that the former Rangers forward turned down the Orange for "personal reasons." Whether those personal reasons came down to Boyd having a closer relationship with Timbers manager John Spencer, not wanting to play in the heat of a Texas summer, gridlock traffic, cowboy boots, a bad burrito experience, or whatever might make the city of Houston a hard sell to overseas players, we likely will not for certain know. Instead, then, let's examine what we do know about the team that a potential designated player like Boyd found unappealing.

Continue reading this post »

Follow the yellow brick road, and there might be a powerful wizard at the end able to grant you whatever your heart desires. Or, as so often we find, after having stumbled through the many potholes on that road you come to the end of it only to be met by an eccentric myth of a person capable only of offering up false promises and trinkets. In the business of player transfers, these promises typically come down to playing time and money--quite often with a heavy emphasis on the money aspect--which is why a number of notable overseas players offered contracts with Major League Soccer clubs have gone elsewhere.

Granted, were any of us afforded the chance to be in a similar situation, a contract promising the grander payday would likely be taken over the one on offer in the US or Canada, even if it meant having to consult an idiot's guide to the Chinese language. Still though, while Kris Boyd decides whether to join Houston Dynamo or keep traveling down that road in search of greater riches, he might wish to consider some cautionary tales of fellow Scotsmen who, when offered up a deal by Houston, chose to pass only to find a possible U turn at journey's end.

Continue reading this post »

Recite the last name of some of association football's legendary players and their achievements immediately spring to mind. Just mentioning Pelé, Maradona, Eusebio, Puskas, or other luminaries should arouse images--most likely fuzzy and pixelated ones from YouTube--of what made them great and become instantly vivid, incredibly tangible. There are others, however, whose names might be just as influential in the progression of the sport internationally and domestically but their principal accomplishments were made off the field. While this might make them less tangible when being measured against those who have become quick answers to sports bar quizzes owing to their status in the game's lore, their contributions could be considered just as notable.

Internationally, Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman forever made his name the reference when discussing contemporary player transactions in Europe and brought about grander implications for foreign labor across European borders following the 1995 European Court of Justice ruling on his behalf. Domestically, David Beckham lent his name to the rule that allows Major League Soccer clubs to recruit higher priced players whilst keeping them within the league's salary cap structure. Granted, there is more attached to Beckham than the Designated Player Rule (beyond his attachment to a possible cyborg via marriage), but for the game's evolution here this could be his more lasting legacy. Going forward, MLS might need to readdress the parameters within which clubs are allowed to lay claim to and sign Homegrown Players, for reasons that pertain not only to the viability of future SuperDrafts but also to the relationships top division clubs like Houston have with the semi-pro and amateur league teams. Might we be soon referencing the importance of a Richards Rule, and how might that impact Dynamo?

Continue reading this post »

Similar to any pledge nearing his way toward an initiation, there were some, ah, "tasks," to complete before being allowed to smudge up the margins of this blog. Rather than having been taped to a goalpost wearing my girlfriend's undergarments or made to drop a brick tied to a part of my anatomy from an upper floor ledge, though, the project was a bit more nefarious. Instead, I took a peek at last season's work on the field from one of Dynamo's newest players, midfielder Nathan Sturgis. While on the surface this might not seem an entirely difficult endeavor, bear in mind this did require a bit of sacrifice, as it entailed watching far too many minutes of Toronto FC's 2011 campaign than would otherwise be allowed under UN conventions on the treatment of captured enemy combatants.

To fit within the margins and avoid being considered hazing, some matches were allowed to be skipped, so there is that.

So, what has Houston gained with acquiring Sturgis for a conditional pick in the 2014 SuperDraft? To answer that, perhaps another question should be asked. Are you familiar with how pottery begins, as that wet lump of clay yet to be molded and shaped? It might be entirely unfair to suggest Sturgis is such a thing based on his performance in 2011 for many reasons, but it could be fair to say Dom Kinnear and his staff have a little work to do with a player who has never quite put down solid roots either with a club or with a defined position. Still, there were flashes of talent the 24 yr showed in some of his minutes that might portend a more positive contribution during his time with Houston than he had with Toronto FC.

Continue reading this post »

Kermit the Frog didn't give us the entire truth. While it might not be easy being green it seems even a touch more difficult being Forever Orange. Houston might be one of the more unlovable clubs in the league stretching back to 2006 with their origins birthed to the detriment of the city of San Jose and its an original MLS franchise. Sore feelings still remain throughout the league, with general derision directed toward the boys from Space City. With the reborn Quakes sporting kits with a preference toward black shirts, they could be seen as being in a perpetual state of mourning since, a tangible reminder to all MLS fans as to how Houston earned their place in the league and what constitutes the ugly turn of the word "franchise."

Sources for heaping scorn upon Houston have also emanated from within, what with the club first seeking to be re-branded as Houston 1836 upon trekking east now six years ago, immediately presenting the opportunity for Anschutz Entertainment Group to alienate a sizable contingent of their new supporter base. A more contemporary moniker and two MLS Cups later, Dynamo have ensured the rest of the league's fans can still find no cause to embrace them, even when this past season's MLS Cup against Los Angeles presented MLS with that time-honored tradition of rooting for David against David Beckham's Goliath in an American sports final.

Even then, the red-headed stepchild of AEG's soccer operations lost out to the importance of seeing a club with Designated Players win something (especially one that was Robbie's Keane's boyhood club), and now with the off-season snafu of Impact de Montréal calling Brian Ching's bluff in the Expansion Draft, Dynamo have provided the rest of the league with another hearty guffaw at their missteps. The Ching matter, as well as some other issues Houston must consider entering 2012, illustrate just how tough it is being orange.

Continue reading this post »