Wow. That is about all I can say right now. Like many of you who attended the Western Conference Final in a sold-out Robertson Stadium, I am still "coming down" from the adrenalin high that everybody experienced Saturday evening. I am not sure in all my years of being involved with college and professional sports as both a player and an executive that I have ever seen such a raucous, loud and energetic crowd. There is no doubt in my mind that the Dynamo players and coaches feed off the energy that is created inside the stadium.
I forget most of my high school physics but I do remember the First Law of Thermodynamics, which simply states that energy under normal conditions cannot be created or destroyed, simply transformed from one type of energy to another. Was there any question as to where the energy came from that carried our team to the top of the Western Conference? It came from the 30,000 people jammed inside Robertson. The atmosphere was incredible, the passion tangible and the energy unbeatable.
The issue I would like to raise is how did we get to this point in less than two years in Houston? You know the history of the franchise as well as I do, with the key point being that the team moved down to Houston at the beginning of 2006 and had its debutante ball on April 2 of that year when we played our inaugural game in Houston. Now, some 20 months later, I have people telling me that not only have they become soccer fans but also that Dynamo is their favorite team. The passion that is exhibited by our fans, particulalry by the Texian Army and El Batallon in the north end zone, is not artificial nor is it contrived. It is authentic, and it is authentic because it is part and parcel of the worldwide soccer culture.
At the Dynamo, our goal is not just to have the most successful team on and off the field in Major League Soccer. We intend to set the bar higher because of the respect that we have for the game and for the fans in this great city. We want to create a soccer culture in Houston that is on a par with the soccer culture that exists in such great cities as Monterrey, Glasgow, Guadalajara, Dortmund, Manchester, Beunos Aires and Milan. Yes, this may be seen as a lofty goal and to be candid with you it is. However, with the support that we have been blessed with in the region I have no doubt that we can in fact establish a foundation where a healthy, vibrant and passionate soccer culture on par with some of the great cities around the world.
Of course, this soccer culture that I speak of does not begin and end with the Dynamo. We may be the most visible component but in reality we are just a small part of the equation. It is a culture in which parents kick the ball around with their toddlers, or kids grow up playing in youth leagues with a dream of one day playing the sport at a professional level and for their national team. It is a culture in which soccer at the middle and high school level attracts not only the best athletes but also quality coaches. It is a culture in which a fan has an unwavering passion and support for his or her team, regardless of the succes or lack thereof. It is a culture in which 30,000 fans remain in their seats for an hour after the game to honor the team as it accepts a championship trophy and takes an extended victory lap to in turn honor its fans. It is a culture in which tens of thousands of adult men and women play weekend soccer on fields all over the greater Houston region. In short, it is a culture of soccer that is alive and well all across the globe.
What we witnessed Saturday evening was the beginning of a great soccer culture in Houston and over the next decade we will see it grow even stronger. Fuerza Dynamo!
