The reported sale of the Houston Dynamo and Dash has caused plenty of buzz among its supporters, particularly those following the men's team, and has raised questions about what the future of both franchises will be in the short and long term.
Houston Dynamo FC, renamed and rebranded last fall, has failed to make the MLS Cup Playoffs in six of their last seven seasons. They've been among the league's lowest-spending clubs in that span.
The Houston Dash have earned modest success with the NWSL Challenge Cup but have failed to make the playoffs in every season they have participated in. The recent additions of talented players has seen the club look more ambitious and a potential contender in 2021.
The Striker Texas reached out to supporters for their thoughts on the potential ownership change and here are some of the answers we received:
Rene Kozarsky, season ticket holder since 2005
I have been a Dynamo season ticket holder since December 2005 (signed up on the steps of City Hall when Wade Barrett and Patty Onstad gave Mayor White those boots). I have been at every Cup we have ever won (Dallas and D.C. for MLS Cup and Houston for USOC). The last I checked, I was fifth on the STH priority list but may have gone up with so many STHs gone.
But then again, none of that matters to the new regime. They only care about single game ticket sales. As for my thoughts about the new owner — part of me wants to be optimistic, but the other half says if Brenner still holds on to a big minority chunk, nothing will change. AEG gave us the go ahead to “go big” in the Beckham era and that was shot down by the cheap wad minority owners. So I don’t anticipate anything changing as long as Brenner and company are still squatting within the organization. My biggest fear is that we are exchanging one real estate rich guy for another, neither of whom are local. Look at the success KC had when they got local ownership. Look at Seattle and Atlanta. Out of state/out of country owners are not going to help the organization. This is just a way of saving money by essentially losing it (by tanking the team they can write off those losses to offset the capital gains from the real estate ventures). There is no passion for the city or the sport. We’re just a gloried mutual fund in their portfolio. They are out of touch with the local fan because they are not Houstonians.
Houston has the potential to be a soccer city, but it’s quickly disappearing. Look at NYC with the Metro Red Bulls. I was there in 1996. 70K at Giants Stadium. We used to get 30K for midweek games in year one. Then the knowledgeable soccer fan realized the team and organization sucked and was being run into the ground. They left. MLS has been trying to get them back ever since, hence the reason we have NYC FC. Houston is going down that road. We captured a portion of the city in the first 5-6 years but we’ve run off the knowledgeable soccer fan and most of the loyal, diehard STHs. Red Bull has never got those fans back and a lot went to NYC FC. That is what will happen here, except MLS is not going to put another team here. I fear those fans that have left are gone. They have checked out permanently.
Nigel Brooks, fan since 2006
I first started going to Houston Dynamo games when the team came here from San Jose in 2006. For the 2006 and 2007 seasons, I purchased individual game tickets for myself, my wife and other family members. In 2008, I became a season ticket holder and remained a season ticket holder continuously until the 2020 season. I would conservatively estimate that I have spent around $30,000 supporting the Dynamo at both home and away games.
Beginning in 2008, at the request of Dynamo President Oliver Luck, I began going to Houston City Council, Harris County Commissioners Court, and later Houston Harris County Sports Authority meetings to address those bodies and encourage a public private partnership to build a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Houston.
Oliver Luck said this about those of us who took time to address the various governmental bodies about the need for a soccer-specific stadium:
"I will say this. There were a lot of Dynamo supporters from all across various areas and ethnicities that got together to watch games that were really, really supportive of the stadium effort. I have fond memories of those guys coming down to city council meetings, county commission meetings, you name it. That was pretty cool because a lot of politicians really do respond when people show up."
As a photography enthusiast, the Dynamo recognized the value of my photographic work by credentialing me from 2008 on, and many of the photographs that I provided were used by the organization. I provided these photographs gratis because of my affection for the Dynamo and wanting to promote the sport. I feel honored that two of the photographs I took at the 2011 and 2012 conference finals are still displayed on the wall of the stadium outside the press box.
I also fully involved myself in photographing and participating in Dynamo Charities projects such as The House That Ching Built, Bald Is Beautiful, and other endeavors.
In 2011, the organization honored me at the 2011 Dynamo Awards as “Fan of The Year," something that I treasure and will be forever grateful. It is noteworthy that four of the eight or nine Houston Dynamo Fans of The Year decided to either not renew their season tickets for the 2020 season or, in one case, drastically reduce investment by downgrading from club level to supporters’ section.
Since 2013, the team has been on a downward spiral and has lost considerable support in attendance going from what I understand was around 13,000 – 14,000 season ticket subscriptions to less than 7,000 in 2019. The loss of supporters attending games has been dramatic and very noticeable to those of us who were there from day one.
While the organization has endeavored to make improvements in the stadium through comfort items such as large overhead fans, misters, special concessions and reduced-priced seating, it doesn’t appear that any of those measures have affected the overall attendance on a permanent basis.
My personal belief as to why people have dropped their season tickets and no longer attend games is that it is directly related to the performance of the team. Since 2013, the team has made the playoffs only twice, and has not advanced beyond the conference semi-finals. While the team did win the U.S. Open Cup in 2018, it is noteworthy that it failed to make the playoffs that year.
I would submit that the lack of performance of the team is directly related to the investment by ownership in both salaries and transfer fees for the team. According to the latest figures published by the MLS Players Union, the spending on salaries by all teams for 2019 ranges from $8.5 million to $24.2 million, with the Dynamo being fourth from the bottom at $8.7 million. These figures include league-funded TAM or other mechanisms, but do not include transfer fees.
MLS now has 27 teams and the Dynamo continue to be a low spender on player acquisitions and salaries. It is my belief that its future as a competitive team will continue to [be] at the bottom of the league when it comes to performance. Continual failure will result in even more of the Dynamo loyalists abandoning the team and not renewing their season tickets.
While the sale of the majority ownership in the team has the potential to turn things around, I fear that if the current ownership maintains a minority stake in the team, they will have veto power over any decisions to increase investment in acquiring players. This happened previously when AEG held the majority and told the team to “Go Big” when it came to acquiring a designated player. The minority apparently decided to “Hold It Down” rather than “Go Big." That attitude continued from 2009 until today and is evidenced by the fact that the Dynamo remain at or near the bottom of the league in terms of spending. I would opine that the Dynamo need to be around $12 million or $13 million in terms of ownership investment to bring it on a par with the rest of the league.
I will be pleasantly surprised if spending is significantly increased, but I fear those heyday years of 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2012 are gone forever.
Tony Quinones, fan since 2010
A long-time casual fan, I've been going to Dynamo games since 2010, became a life long fan in 2018 after watching the Dynamo win the Open Cup and enjoying CCL. Current member of The Surge supporters group.
I'm neutral on the new owner. Since Brener is still involved with the organization, it leads me to believe Matt Jordan will stay and prolong the shortsighted deals we've made. So unless Segal is interested in investing actual money into the team, paying attention to Tab's picks, developing youth, and getting a DP or two, I'm not interested nor will I invest more of my time.
Segal is welcome to Houston, but if he's going to tow the same line as Brener, I don't expect him to be well-liked.
Dorian Domingez, fan since 2010
Growing up in Houston, where I was born and raised, I was taught to love soccer at an early age while watching Liga MX games and Mexico in Gold Cup and World Cup competitions.
It wasn't until I decided to branch out to the traditional sports in North America like the NFL and MLB that I discovered Major League Soccer and the Houston Dynamo. Since then, I've grown to love all my hometown sports teams, and the Dynamo was no different to me.
Seeing the Dynamo fall from grace since witnessing back-to-back MLS Cup losses in 2011 and 2012 was really disheartening, to say the least. During a time when Houston was experiencing success and growth amongst their other sports teams, the Dynamo seemingly sunk lower and lower. Sure, there was a playoff run right off the heels of the Astros' World Series championship and a U.S. Open Cup the next year. Those are amazing moments I'll remember forever. Sadly, it didn't amount to anything as the team couldn't capitalize on the surprise success it gained.
When I heard the news that the Dynamo were being sold, I'll admit I was excited. I was excited because I believed we were finally going to have a new future for the club. Noticing the issues coming from the club and witnessing Gabriel Brener watching by as the team he claimed to be passionate about was left to rot, any change was heavily welcomed.
Still, there is a sliver of skepticism that maybe things won't change since Brener is going back to being a minority owner, and we have no info on the new potential owner.
[But] I can say I felt something [that] I haven't felt in years for this club: optimism.
I don't know why, but I think that with a new head honcho on the helm, we could be seeing a new era for the Houston Dynamo (not just with the recent rebrand, either). Maybe it's the thought of seeing this club heavily promoted in the city like it used to be, or maybe it's the thought of seeing actual quality soccer players brought in to Houston and not just bargain bin fodder which has plagued the Dynamo during Brener's watch. Could it all happen? I don't know. But for the time being, I'm feeling more optimistic than ever before that this is a new dawn for the Houston Dynamo.
Richard Spencer, fan since 2012
I've been a fan since 2012 when a co-worker invited me to a match, had season tickets for 2014-15 and then gave them up due to a couple different reasons. In regards to the new owner, I think it's too soon to know. I was excited when Brener bought the team and look how that turned out... My main concern is the fact that Segal doesn't appear to have any ties to the city, which makes me skeptical that he'll be any more committed to success than Brenner. My worry is that he'll just hold on to the team for a few years with minimal investments and capitalize on the growth of MLS to sell it for a profit.
But who knows, every billionaire is different. Maybe this one won't like owning a losing team.
Jose Rubio, fan since 2010
I've been a Dynamo fan starting in 2010 when I moved from Atlanta to Houston. I remember my first Dynamo game in Robertson Stadium in 2010 against C.D Aguila. The atmosphere was amazing. The band playing in the parking lot, fans chanting, and people from all over the city together like a big family. When the game started, the energy transferred from the parking lot to the stands and I loved it. I remember when they made their first goal and everyone was hugging each other to a point that I hug a stranger out of excitement.
That moment changed my life in soccer.
I became in love with the team and fan base. From there I was hooked and continue going to every game possible. Although the team has had good, bad and great seasons, the fans [were] always there chanting like we won the Cup.
When they were building BBVA Stadium, I was excited because it felt like a new beginning for this team. Every week I would drive up to see the progress and I went to the first game opening. It was El Salvador vs. New Zealand. It was beautiful and the way they designed it makes it feel like any seating [is] great seating.
Fast forward to 2017, that last time we went to the playoffs. After being eliminated, I started to notice that fans were frustrated with the team and the front office. I was also upset from watching them win Cups to constantly being eliminated. 2018 came around and, of course, we didn’t qualify, and at that moment, I knew it was downhill from here — everyone knew it, too. I still continue going to home games, but each time I go, I see the fans decrease each time. The front office was trying to get the fans excited about winning the U.S Open Cup but no one was buying it.
2019 was the final straw when we again didn’t qualify [for playoffs]. Fans gave up and no changes were made to the team and organization. The “system” they had on the field was not working. 2019 was the last year I went to a Dynamo game. Even when they are accepting fans back from COVID, I still have not gone and probably won’t this season.
I lost hope for the team.
We were once great to a point [where] we were talked [about] a lot in sports podcasts and channels, but now we are a forgotten team. We start hot but always burn ourselves at the end. The owners doesn’t want to waste money so we have to stick with C to D players and call it a day. They lost touch with the fans.
With this new owner, I hope he understands that this team is broken and needs a lot of work. They hire people to connect with fans but that won’t work. People lost trust and need a reason to come back. No promotional deals or commercials. We want new A-1 players.
Why is it that when Mexico plays, they have to use NRG because the fan base is huge? All we need to do is bring one, just one big name player from Mexico and everything else will fall in place. If we just make it to the playoffs, we will trust again regardless of the results.
If I had an opportunity to talk to the owner, I would say, 'listen to the fans.' We got our hopes and dreams destroyed by the owners and general manager. Half is gone, now we need to put pressure on the GM to create deals. If not, well, time to look for a new GM. I love this team, I love this city and I love the Dynamo.
Editor's Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
