Five years after his death, Leo Ponce's Dynamo and Dash legacy lives on

Five years ago, the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash community lost one of its most beloved and committed supporters when Leo Ponce passed away due to complications with Leukemia.

Anyone that got the chance to cross paths with him met an incredible young man that was perhaps the most devoted brand ambassador the club has had. A die-hard Houston sports fan, Ponce was one of the most recognizable faces at Robertson Stadium and later at BBVA Compass Stadium.

"Mom, we have to support our [Houston] teams whether they win or don't win," his mother Zenaida recalled her son telling her once, she told The Striker Texas.

Leo was the only son of Zenaida and Leopoldo Sr., parents of Mexican descent. His father was born in the state of Hidalgo and was the reason the Ponces supported Liga MX side Pachuca, a classic Dynamo rival.

The rivalry between the Dynamo and Pachuca became a celebration in his household. Leo also took up for the U.S. Men's National Team, over his parents' Mexico, but going to Dynamo matches together created a lifetime bond for the family.

According to those closest to him, it bothered Leo that the hometown club didn't have more local support. He made it his mission to make the team more relevant in its own city.

"The Dynamo for him was everything," his mother added. "Wherever the Dynamo went, he always wanted to be there. When he traveled, I always liked to prepare his clothes. Later he told me, 'no, I don't want you to prepare my clothes, you just take care of the Dynamo flag.'"

Leo carried that flag to every big event he went to and it gave Dynamo fans a link close to home when they saw it on their TV sets miles away from the U.S. Men's National Team match against Ghana in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He chronicled his journey for his Dynamo blog, "Orange in the Oven." 

When Leo was buried, his mother placed the flag inside the casket so that her son would have his Dynamo flag always.

"His passion was always there," said Leo's best friend Omar de la Garza. "I mean, he went to the World Cup in Brazil, by himself, just to support the USA. And even though he was there, he always traveled with with a Dynamo flag. So there's a bunch of good pictures of him. And in some of the stadiums in Brazil, with the Dynamo flag, always making sure to always represent. He was club before country."

"Then, of course, the Dash came along," continued de la Garza. "He was one of the first ones that wanted to support the women and kind of grow the sport as well. He was working with keeper notes for a while covering them and covering the Dynamo. At the same time, he was also running his family's business - managing the bus company - but he would always find time. He would always find time to be at the practices, working from his cell phone, taking interviews, doing everything he could just to keep up with with both teams, because he definitely cared a lot about both teams."

De la Garza and Ponce are both big wrestling fans and attended multiple WrestleMania events together. Ponce, who was also at several wrestling events and autograph shows, made a custom Houston Dynamo championship belt that he wanted to award to the club's yearly MVP.

Leo's mother doesn't know how he kept it all together. She recalls times when he would come home and prepare up to 70 invoices. She also remembers her son's promise to finish his undergraduate degree in three years and, despite her warning not to issue out promises, Leo kept his word and graduated in 2011.

Mrs. Ponce also has a promise on her behalf to keep — one her son asked her throughout his life up until the day before his passing.

"He would always tell me, 'Mom, if something happens to me, you have to support [the Houston Dash] and never stop going to the Dynamo. You know. You always have to be there because I will always be in the stadium.''

Last year, Mrs. Ponce drove to the Dash's 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup drive-thru celebration at BBVA Stadium. Going by herself, she took her son's poster so that he could also be present in the trophy celebration.

When Leo passed, every corner of the Dynamo community had nothing but nice things to say and fond memories.

"He loved his club, he loved his Dynamo," said then-head coach Owen Coyle. "He was the only man that was in Arizona for our preseason trip, I shared some time with him. We chatted through the team and everything else. I know how much he loves this club and we're really saddened of his loss."

The organization dedicated "Leo's Row" in section 133, where Ponce was always present for games at BBVA Stadium, as a "tribute to Leo and his tireless work to introduce new fans to the Dynamo and to soccer, the club will reserve the seats in Leo’s Row for first-time fans at every game, so that his spirit and his passion will live on."

Dynamo players and former Dynamo Brad Davis, playing for Sporting Kansas City, all wore "LP" patches on during warm ups before the May 7, 2016 match. Giles Barnes wore the captain's armband, that also had Leo's initials, and pointed to him as part of his goal celebration in the 2-0 victory.

Houston soccer broadcaster Matt Pedersen, previously the communications cordinator for the club, published the following testimony after his passing:

Kyle Nowotny, the co-host of the "Orange in the Oven" podcast with Ponce, said, "Leo wanted to do it because he loved the city, and he loved the team. And it gave him another chance to talk football. He just loved talking about the sport."

"You will be hard pressed to find anyone that cared as much as he did," added Nowotny.  "Not just like 'Oh, I want the Dynamo do good' We all do, even though we accept the reality the situation. But he just wanted everyone to do good. He wanted everyone to have fun. Nothing got him more annoyed than seeing people not having fun."

"He was just a person that and you could always reach out to for advice on anything, because he was so smart that he would always have an answer," said de la Garza. "I would also say that he would never complain about anything in his life. He obviously dealt with a lot of health issues, but you can never get that from the tone of his voice. You can see it in his body and everything but he would never be the one to complain that he was feeling ill that day. He was always positive. He always looked at the best in people. 

"He was also very generous and giving. You know, they say a lot that someone would give the shirt off his back, he would literally do that if he could. And he was always trying to help others before he can help himself. Before he passed, he was going to school to get his his degree to become a lawyer and help people with immigration issues. And his goal was always to help anyone he could, no matter the financial status. He wanted to be that person to be there for someone, even if there was no form of payment. He just wanted to help people out."

Gone too soon at the age of 25, Ponce was everything from a diehard supporter in the stands, a season ticket holder to this day, a reporter, podcaster and a brand ambassador off the field.

He is remembered by the club at every match as part of the pregame rituals as the Leo Ponce Orange cannon that is fired off by an honored guest prior to kickoff. The club will honor Ponce tonight during their 2021 MLS home opener and Ponce's mother will be in attendance.