The impossibility of building a stadium in San Jose led the owners of the San Jose Earthquakes, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), to make the decision to relocate the organization to Houston. But there was an important condition: the name, colors, logo, and history of the Earthquakes would remain in the Bay Area. In this article, we'll delve into the details and history of Houston Dynamo, a club with European influences and the rebuilding of an image that aims to shine in the 2023 Leagues Cup.
In January 2006, the team announced its first name: Houston 1836. They stated that it was an attempt to honor the founding year of Houston, following the style of German teams like Hannover 96 and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
At that time, the team's president, Oliver Luck, declared to the New York Times that the number as a name, in the German style, prevailed over other candidates: "Americans, Apollos, Buffaloes, Bulls, Eagles, Generals, Lonestars, Mustangs, Stallions, and two names in Spanish, Gatos and Toros."
As the story of Texas goes, 1836 was also the year of the Battle of the Alamo, the Battle of San Jacinto, and the independence of Texas from Mexico. The significant Latino community in Houston did not feel represented by that date.
Chris Canetti, the current president of Houston, who joined the organization as Chief Operating Officer in May 2006, recalls that Luck took the reaction seriously from the beginning. He pointed out that, although they were "a little embarrassed to have to change the name," they understood the need and wanted to be sensitive to the club's new fans.
The team would not make an official announcement until the ceremony on March 7 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, less than a month before their first official match, where they kickstarted Houston Dynamo, now competing in the knockout stage of Leagues Cup 2023.
But, as Canetti points out, they also promoted the name for its connection to Houston's energy sector. "Houston is the world's energy capital, and Dynamo is a word that represents energy, movement, rhythm, and speed," he explained.
Dynamo joins the trend initiated in 2005 by expansion teams Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA, where new MLS clubs draw inspiration from traditional football names. Dynamo, of course, is one of the favorite names in Eastern Europe, where teams like Dynamo Kyiv, Dynamo Moscow, and Dinamo Zagreb have been iconic.
With the name decided, the next stage would be the aesthetic definition: the color orange. "When we entered the league, there was a lot of red and blue," Canetti explained, adding, "We wanted something that would distinguish us, and we wanted to be in a situation where if you saw an orange jersey in the United States, you would know for sure it was a Dynamo jersey."
Over time, the color became the team's motto: "Forever Orange." Nowadays, that slogan is almost as distinctive for the team's brand as its second and enduring name of a team that will face its first rival in the round of 32 this Wednesday: it will be against Club Pachuca, who make their debut in Leagues Cup after being the best Mexican team of the past season. Will Houston Dynamo be able to leverage its history on the field and advance to the Round of 16?
