Dynamo president/general manager Oliver Luck is pumped up for SuperLiga.
Really pumped up. And he's letting everybody know it.
He is particularly primed for Tuesday's showdown with famed Mexican power Chivas de Guadalajara, a club which can look back on more than 100 years of history and a Mexican-best 11 league championships.
"I think we can compete toe-to-toe with their history and legacy," Luck said in anticipation of the second SuperLiga tournament, which starts Saturday. "Even though we haven't been around that long in Houston, I'd stack up our two years of history in Houston against their 102."
The Dynamo have won two titles in two seasons since moving to Houston, while Chivas has won two titles in the last 20 years, those coming in 1997 and 2006. Houston also outperformed Chivas in last year's SuperLiga, reaching the semifinals while Chivas was eliminated in the group stage.
"In our first two seasons in Houston, under the leadership of Dominic Kinnear, our team has won two MLS Cups and made the semifinals of three major international competitions," Luck said. "I really don't care how long they've been around. For us, it's just another team coming in to play us."
Luck is particularly proud of the team's unbeaten home record in international competition; Houston is 4-0-3 at home against international teams, although the Dynamo were eliminated in a shootout after tying Pachuca in last year's SuperLiga semifinals.
"We have respect for Chivas, but we're as strong as any team in North America when we play at home," Luck said. "I have complete confidence that our players know the importance of these games and will be well-prepared for both Chivas and Atlante."
The Dynamo will get a chance to put that record to the test against Atlante (Saturday, 9:00 p.m.) and Chivas (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m.) in the next week.
