It’s a season of change for the Houston Dynamo. There are new faces taking charge in the front office for ownership, new faces in the lineup, and the loss of a face that has been 
the face of the franchise since its inception. The word “change” tends to horrify people, but as the team and those around it tell us, all of this dynamic change could put the Dynamo in a position to achieve their ultimate goal: an MLS championship.
With preseason training starting yesterday, everyone got their first look at the new-look Houston Dynamo team and organization. It would’ve been hard for the new ownership to have given a bad first impression, seeing as it’s an ownership that fans and players can actually see and communicate with. Having a corporation characterized as distant run the franchise can cause problems within an organization, so having new majority owner Gabriel Brener and minority owner Oscar De La Hoya be physically and emotionally available and open to the team and the fans is a huge step in the right direction.
“I believe the way we are going to impact this is by being here, by showing the players that we are owners that really support the team,” De La Hoya said. “Like you can see today, Gabriel [Brener] and I are here and we’re supporting 100 percent. We’re going to try to make it to every single game and show the players that we really care, and show Houston that we really care about this team.”
De La Hoya’s majority partner shares his sentiment.
“It gives me a great deal of satisfaction,” Brener said. “We are involved in a number of different business industries, but none of them gives me as much pleasure as our soccer team, which is doing nothing but good for the community. We work with kids; it’s just a feel-good all around….There won’t be a corporation running the team but a person, which will resonate with the fans.”
When asked about the difference and impact the new ownership will have on the team, Dynamo Forward Giles Barnes wasn’t shy about his approval of the transition.
“I think it’ll do a lot,” Barnes said. “As I said, I’m gonna keep echoing, I’ve got a good relationship with Gabriel [Brener], and Oscar [De La Hoya], and obviously with their takeover, and the new guys coming in as well. It’s going to be fantastic. They’ve come in today and showed that they really are a part of this group, and that’s such a big lift to see them matching our ambitions as well, and the belief that they put in behind us to go and lift the championship at the end of the year.”
“I think it means a lot,” ESPN and Soccer Matters broadcaster Glenn Davis said of the new ownership. “I think it means a lot for players. I think it means a lot for staff. I think it means a lot for fans. The Dynamo, in a way, has always sort of had this corporate connection with AEG, which many of the fans felt was out of sight, out of mind. And now to see a real name with real interest in the club…all benefit from more involvement and more presence of an owner.”
Of course, the face of the organization has changed in terms of the squad as well, with the departure of original Houston Dynamo member and captain, Brad Davis. The Dynamo have never stepped foot on the pitch without Davis as a part of the team, and they know he’s going to be tough to replace.
“Brad [Davis]’s a good player,” Barnes said. “He’s been a great servant to Houston, and he’s had a great career as well, so you can’t knock that. It’s one of those things that happens in football. He’s gone to be closer to his family, and no one can take that away from him. He’s a family guy, a great person, so you’re never gonna begrudge anyone. So we have to take it upon ourselves to step up as leaders.”
“It’s never easy to lose a player of that caliber,” Davis said. “Multiple all-star, one of the top assist men in league history, so good on and off the field here for the Houston Dynamo, part of the championship teams…but in recent times, really the focal point and face of the team. It’s never easy to lose a player like that, but I think what people have to consider is that in a league with such a strict salary cap, you have to consider sometimes moving on players that carry and command a big salary based on the way you’re moving your team forward…But what an outstanding career Brad [Davis] had on the field and off here.”
So how do they reconcile with the loss of Brad Davis and gear the team in a new direction? By bringing in Cristian Maidona and Andrew Wenger, and boy is this team excited about these new additions, and you should be, too.
“You have the excitement now of having a natural number 10, a real playmaker that’s going to be in the middle of the field,” Davis said. “Excellent passer of the ball, Maidona. He’s going to be your out-and-out number 10…and with Andrew Wenger running the flank…he’s going to have a lot of targets. So that’s hopefully how that’s going to work out, and the Dynamo will be able to create more chances, and be a more dangerous team in the final third of the field.”
“Athleticism, quality, everything you need as a professional footballer, Cristian [Maidona]’s got a great left foot, good engine, good vision, and a top guy.” Barnes said. “And exactly the same about Andrew [Wenger]. He brings that raw pace, power, he’s 6’1”, and he can do everything. So it’s about putting in that consistency. And both of them are coming in hungry as well, and that’s a good thing. When we bring new players into the locker room, it’s about how they fit in, and it feels like they’ve been here for a long, long time, so it’s always a good transition.”
This Dynamo team may have a new look to it, but they truly believe that this is the team that can bring them back to the championship glory.
“We’ve proven that we can beat the so-called top teams in the league,” Barnes said. “The LAs, we’ve beat them. The Portlands, we’ve beat them, who went on to win the Cup. So we don’t fear anybody, and we consider ourselves a top team in this league. And we’ve made acquisitions in the offseason…so we’re really excited, and we’re looking forward to what lies ahead.”
-HST Correspondent Justin Thomas
