Orange was everywhere.
Famous Houston sports faces stood out inside a packed, sold-out stadium as Minute Maid Park hovered in the distance.
And three raised flags whipped in the wind in perfect weather on the final day of February: America, Texas, Dynamo.
The only thing missing on a buzzing Saturday afternoon at BBVA Stadium in the 2020 season opener for Houston’s Major League Soccer club? An on-field victory.
But the Dynamo won the day in the stands and echoing concourses. And Tab Ramos’ new squad should have claimed a tight match that ended in a 1-1 draw, outshooting the LA Galaxy, dominating possession, and controlling the second half.
It was the start that the recharged, new-look Dynamo needed.
And while the one-day presence of Chicharito definitely didn’t hurt local attendance, the Dynamo’s stadium clearly belonged to the home team — orange and black jerseys, shirts and hats were impossible to miss.
“There’s no doubt he’s a huge draw,” said John Walker, president of business operations. “But the folks in the stands are wearing Dynamo gear. That’s good news for us. That means they’re here. We’re giving them some exciting stuff to watch and treating them well while they’re here.”
Walker’s eyes remained locked on the field in the final minutes.
The stands remained packed, as near-misses kept creating a chorus of ooooohs among the pounding drums and music that never stopped.
“Every club in every sport needs a winning team to help amplify what it’s trying to do from a business perspective, and ours is no different,” Walker said. “Everybody here is having a really good time. Hopefully they’ll tell friends. We’ll be aggressive at going back at people who are at this match and saying, ‘Come on back. Come back a second and third time. Bring a friend.’ There are plenty of people in town to support this club.”
Having James Harden, the face of the Rockets and the NBA’s leading scorer, post a video to his 6.7 million Twitter followers of The Beard opening a box containing a Dynamo jersey with his name on the back can only help.
DeAndre Hopkins, Texans superstar and All-Pro wide receiver, was shown on an oversized screen inside the stadium while the Dynamo were sprinting on the field.
The Dynamo’s season ticket sales are up, Walker said.
I wrote a column last August: Dynamo know they should be bigger in Houston.
As MLS keeps expanding in its 25th season — Miami and Nashville in 2020, nearby Austin set for 2021 — and EaDo keeps growing, there’s no reason the significantly hipper side of U.S. 59 shouldn’t be consistently drenched in Dynamo orange.
“There seems to be a little bit more of a buzz in the marketplace,” Walker said. “Everybody at the club, we appreciate soccer fans all over Houston for coming out and supporting professional soccer here.”
The Dynamo are trying to reconnect with American’s fourth-largest city, then build upward.
Major League Soccer is thinking and dreaming big, big, big.
Los Angeles FC lead owner Larry Berg recently predicted that MLS will surpass Major League Baseball in popularity by the next decade.
I’ll believe that when I see it.
But baseball definitely has modern issues. (Just ask the Astros.) And if you’ve ever watched an MLS match in Seattle, Portland or Atlanta in person, you know the new reality. And that MLB can feel like a slow, boring, outdated sport compared to the local, proud buzz that MLS can create.
“We definitely have the demographics in our favor, both in terms of youth and diversity,” said Berg, according to the Associated Press. “I think we’ll pass baseball and hockey and be the No. 3 sport in the U.S. behind football and basketball.”
The immediate key for the Dynamo is maintaining Saturday’s momentum. Then keeping it going once the Astros start playing real ball, the University of Houston revels in March Madness, the Rockets are in the playoffs, and the Texans are being the Texans.
Intricate OTA breakdowns, sadly, still outpower MLS in our city right now.
But stadium lines were long on the first day, and “I Need Tickets” cardboard signs were held up on downtown street corners.
Families walked, talked, watched and cheered together. When the Dynamo missed another up-close shot for a potential 2-1 lead, two boys leaped forward and screamed.
“Go Dynamo! Let’s go Dynamo,” one shouted.
Jose Martinez wore a dark-blue Astros jersey with Jose Altuve’s name on the back.
While Houston’s professional baseball team remained in the national crosshairs, the city stood up for its MLS club.
“I’m Houston strong. We’ve got to keep it going,” said Martinez, a 30-year-old Houstonian. “Since we got the team, I’ve always been committed to them.”
There were Cougars sweatshirts, Astros hats and 713 shirts.
Chicharito jerseys were sold at a makeshift stand across the street. Someone wore a No. 23 Lakers shirt.
But the day belonged to the Dynamo on a day when all the soccer orange was impossible to miss.
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