High school football may be king in Texas, but the Houston Dynamo are impacting local athletes with their own brand of football. And in at least one instance, the aspirations of a potential Dynamo player trumped even high school football.
Blake Shannon, a junior at Kingwood High School and member of the Dynamo Academy's U-18 team, saw significant playing time on the football field as a sophomore at Kingwood in 2006. He was penciled into the starting lineup as a safety for last season. But Shannon did what used to be unthinkable for an outstanding Texas athlete: He chose soccer over football.
"[My teammates] didn't understand why I was quitting football to play soccer," Shannon said. "They called me a 'sissy' for choosing soccer."
Shannon is anything but a sissy, and the sturdy left-sided player has seen his skills improve since joining the Dynamo Academy.
"Being in the Academy has forced my decision-making to be quicker and more logical, and it has given me the opportunity to compete against the best players in the city," said Shannon. "This forces you to compete every time you step on the field, because you are playing for your position on the team."
Shannon's position has changed some, moving from left midfield to left back, but he has always had a flair for the dramatic. Playing for perennial power Kingwood, he has scored a game-winning overtime goal in the Region III-5A semifinals in each of the last two years. His two-way abilities have impressed the Dynamo Academy staff and have marked him as one of the academy's best long-term prospects.
"[The coaches] have challenged me day in and day out to become a better player," said Shannon. "They have provided me with the knowledge I will need to make the next step to the first team and forced me to use both feet consistently."
Shannon held down the left back spot with plenty of skill as the U-18 team won the prestigious Dallas Cup in March, a victory he hopes is a sign of things to come.
"It was a huge accomplishment for the team and the rest of the academy. This win will just open more doors for the younger kids in the academy," said Shannon, referencing the hope that the Dynamo will be placed alongside world powers in the U-19 Super Group for next year's tournament. "This win also is very promising for next year's team, considering how young the squad was that we brought."
