On Wednesday, Houston Dynamo returned to their old stomping grounds in Northern California to take on the San Jose Earthquakes at PAL Stadium. Even though it was a preseason game where guys are doing their best to get back in shape, and shake off a couple of months' worth of rust, last night's contest was very meaningful for several Dynamo players and many of the fans sitting in the stands, fans who had patiently waited a couple of seasons for soccer to finally return to the Bay Area. With that said, here are a few little snippets of information that will hopefully give you an idea of what this game brought and meant to those in and not in uniform:
• Besides some of the most established members of the Dynamo, several of their newest teammates also have very deep roots in the San Jose area. Erik Ustruck, Nick Hatzke, and Chris Wondolowski just to name a few, played either club soccer or college soccer here. All of them had friends and family members sitting in the stands, watching them take the field. Was that something to feel nervous about?
"No, I wasn't nervous at all," said Ustruck. "If anything, I was exited and anxious to get back on the field and play in front of my family and friends. The fact that I was coming back to the place where everything got started for me did hit home a little bit, but now I'm playing for Houston. I've got a job to do, and that is helping my team win another title."
• Speaking of the Wondolowskis, last night Stephen had the opportunity to match up against one of his former teammates in Santa Cruz: Yuri Morales. In total, at one point there were three players on the field who had either played together or played against each other in Santa Cruz.
• While the Dynamo were battling San Jose on the field, four former Quakes who are now pillars of the Dynamo first team-Wade Barrett, Craig Waibel, Brian Mullan, and Brad Davis-sat on the bench the whole game. Even though it was preseason, how did it feel having to stay put, not being able to play in your first game back to San Jose?
"It was nice to be back, and it was even nicer to be a part of the team that won. However, I never want to sit on bench, since that's not what I'm (on the team) to do. It makes me sick to (be on the bench)," said Mullan.
Speaking of people not playing ... Former Dynamo Ryan Cochrane did not see action last night for his new club. He seems happy to be back here in San Jose, but we still have a problem with seeing him in an Earthquake-blue warm-up suit. He just doesn't look right.
• Enough with the on-the-field stuff. Turning our attention to the stands now, many people in attendance were suffering from a severe case of identity crisis: They just didn't know what team to root for. Many fans were torn between both clubs, wanting to support the team they were accustomed to (meaning the Dynamo), but also felt the need to support their new club, even though many admitted not knowing anything about their new team. In many ways, it turned out to be a partisan crowd for the Men in Orange.
"I heard a fan telling another fan, 'you can't say that about Brian Ching! We grew up cheering for the guy!' It was very interesting to see that fans still feel attached to our guys, even though they now have their own team," said Dynamo team administrator Nick Kowba, who was sitting in the stands.
And that attachment showed best after the final whistle. While most San Jose players had long gone inside their locker room, many Dynamo players stayed back on the field, signing autographs, having their photo taken with fans, and just saying "hi" to what at one point seemed like a plethora of old friends.
Up next for the Dynamo? CAL State Berkeley on Friday, and the Earthquakes again at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco on Saturday. After that, we'll head off for Hawaii and the Pan Pacific Championship very early on Sunday morning. Hopefully the next two games will be as productive for our team as Wednesday night's, in a geographical area that, in a former life, its members used to call their own.
