Last year, Houston Dynamo did a lot of good things on the field -- and most of the time they did them without Stuart Holden.
That might sound like a loaded comment against an up-and-coming player on a very good soccer team. But Holden is a player that is making the most of his opportunities and hopes to become a very successful professional.
Dynamo - the defending MLS champions - do not take Holden for granted. They know their second-year player is one of the reasons why Dynamo is one of the best teams in the league.
Holden, who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland but calls Houston his home, came to Dynamo last May and scored his first professional goal as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution on July 22, 2006.
He saw playing time in 13 games last year -- including three starts -- and scored the second goal in the shootout in Dynamo's MLS Cup win against New England in November. He hit the top right corner beating Matt Reis for what surely was one of the best moments of his career.
This year, with Brad Davis out of the lineup with an injury, Holden has been a big part of Dynamo's current 11-game unbeaten streak.
Maybe things weren't all that bad last year. But not getting a chance to be an everyday part of Dynamo's first season certainly motivated Holden, who might be the team's biggest surprise of the season.
"Last year I saw some minutes and contributed some, but not in the way I would have liked to," Holden said. "Coming into this season, I had a goal in mind that I would like to get more playing time and really contribute and be a part of this team and work my way into the starting lineup. With the more minutes I'm getting, I just want to go out there and impress every time I get a chance."
He has three goals and five assists in 17 games (10 starts) and had a goal and two assists in a 4-0 win against New York on July 5. He added his most recent goal - one that proved to be the game-winner - on July 12 at Chicago.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear is not at all surprised by what his second-year player has been able to accomplish to this season.
"He's a good soccer player," Kinnear said. "What he is doing isn't surprising me or surprising the guys because they know he's very capable. He's confident. He's not afraid to try things to help the team out. He is a very confident and very good player."
Playing behind Holden, Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad has seen Holden make a difference in his short time with the team. The talent, he said, is there, but there is another part of Holden's game that has rubbed off on his teammates.
"He's been very consistent, and he's showing what a lot of enthusiasm when you come out on the field can do to the team, said Onstad. "And he's given us a big lift, too.
"I think we saw glimpses last year of Stuart's ability and what he can bring to the team. I think the biggest thing for him is to be consistent, and he's showing that over the last six to eight weeks."
On Wednesday, when Dynamo play host to Club America at Robertson Stadium in their SuperLiga opening match, Holden will be on the field against some of the best soccer players in the world.
He loves playing in front of people that saw him play as an amateur and he loves playing for Dynamo.
"It's unbelievable," Holden said. "It's unbelievable to see the people that have seen me play as a youth here in Houston and now to be able to come and watch me play as a professional and member of the Dynamo.
"Also, to have my family come and watch me play is nice. To have my friends and all my supporters, to be the hometown guy, I want to push on and be someone who is looked up to here in Houston."
Time will tell if there is a repeat championship title -- or titles -- in the cards for Dynamo. There is still a lot of season left and a lot of season for Holden, who wants only to get better.
