Much has been said about the Houston Dynamo Supporters Groups and their way of showing their dedication to the team. Some people dislike the fact that every once in a while smoke bombs are lit and certain chants sometimes contain foul language. However, something that is never questioned is our love and dedication for the team. This will be a long off-season. Not because our first home game isn't until May but because not only are we opening up a new stadium. We also have some unfinished business to attend to. Well I wanted a thread that is dedicated to those that have not been exposed to the type of passion this sport brings out in people around the world. Let me start things off with a bang... *See Post #3 for the "bang"*
Awesome video. As I was watching the video, I couldn't help but imagine that as our opening day ceremony in the new Dynamo Stadium. I am a huge fan of supporters groups and love what they bring to the stadium. Without them (especially in America), there would not be much involvement from the fans. With that being said, I know the new stadium supporter sections are sold out. I sincerely hope next year our groups will be reborn and we will hear sounds like we did back in 06/07 (early years). I used to sit in section 103 (behind visitor bench) in the first couple seasons and I could hear the words to every chant. In 08 I moved to section 109 (even closer) and year after year, the chants have been toned down (volume wise) and the groups have not had the same inpact as before. The drums are heard don't get me wrong, but collectively the Dynamo supporter groups dropped out of the elite in MLS. Just to make sure my opinion isn't taken out of context, I think the supporter groups are one of the most important aspects of the futbol environment. With the Dynamo we need El Batallon, Texian Army, and the others. And what you guys do is greatly appreciated by the "real" futbol fans. The ones who do not the smoke bombs, etc are mostly casual fans (and the minority here). Keep that action coming! All I want as an Ordinary Orange Fan is an INCREASE in passion, chants, loudness, and music! I want to feel like I used to at the games (in regards to the chants) where I was so many sections away and could sing along... I'm not too far away in the new stadium. I'll be supporting and singing along in 139 (as long as I can hear ya!!)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIQDbDtmhJI"]LA MEJOR SALIDA de la HISTORIA DEL FUTBOL - YouTube[/ame] Just for the sake of arguement, what do you mean by it?
What does "love and dedication" to the team mean to you and is that same value shared by other supporter group members? Is there a difference on what it means between the Houston SGs? Love and dedication can be interpreted as buying season tickets. It can also be interpreted by showing up when the team arrives. it can be interpreted by always wearing orange. It could be always supporting the team when they win or lose. It could be interpreted by making road trips. It could be interpreted by sacrificing in your daily life to attend Dynamo games. It could be painting a poster, a flag, a banner, an overhead. It could be interpreted by singing "Let's Go Dynamo" in the key moment of the game or singing 90 minutes. It could be interpreted many ways, what does it mean to you?
I figured you meant that but didn't want to make a leap and automatically go on a rant without a reason. I never said other fans didn't have love or dedication to the team. Anybody that attends games, watches the team on television (..and following the team on our crappy signal IS dedication), or just follows the team has some sort of love for the team. I don't want this to turn into one of THOSE threads. As somebody posted a while ago, if you're on BigSoccer, chances are you're already in the top 1% of soccer addicts. Everybody shows their love and dedication for their team in different ways. I'm not going to say a person that lights a flare in Buenos Aires loves their team more than a Dynamo fan that goes to games in 100+ degree weather. Some people don't have the money to attend road games, so not even the number of miles traveled for the team is a measure of that. The only person that can truly measure their dedication or love for their team is the person that feels it. Everybody else is just using their own standards as a measuring stick.
This is the baddest one I've ever seen notice.... that it's better to have all the fans that are going to do it, confined in one area, instead of having the whole stadium doing it There's a few other good ones, but right now I don't remember what teams they were. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwcRgkTjil8"]UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA VS BOCA JUNIORS - SALIDA DE LOS CRUZADOS - YouTube[/ame]
I like to see a few Orange Smoke goes off around the new stadium during our first opening game..that would be priceless for photos shot..
watching that clip has me wondering... just why did the MLSHQ made it mandatory to play their piped anthem before every game? Want the players amped for the game? make them trot onto the field making the kids run to keep up.. watching the William Wallace "for this one chance" from the earlier years was more entertaining then the slow, procedural walk on the rug. that march down the carpet smothers any attempts for an atmosphere before the whistle.
One of my favorite teams in Argentina (Racing & their Hincha, La Guardia Imperial), which was great in person: http://youtu.be/8Fdiu8qtb6U
kinda off topic but I didn't want to start new a thread for this so...this is the article about Thomas Rongen and his exploits with America Samoa if you haven't read it yet, it has quirky sports/feel good movie written all over it.
That was beautiful and a kind of foreshadowing occurred in the story when the goalkeeper had to use Samoa in the Playstation game instead of American Samoa, since in the end it was a game against Samoa that ended their miraculous run.
Not a member of a supporter's group, but definitely a passionate fan for this team inside/out. Just wrote a story about why. http://ordinaryorangefan.blogspot.com
Nice article. I'm really enjoying the blog. On that note.... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9_hX8TT6fk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9_hX8TT6fk&feature=related[/ame]
He has a couple of good interviews on one of Glenn's recent shows, as well as the MLS Extra Time podcast. I have a lot more respect for Rongen after listening to him in those interviews describe his experiences and how they affected him. I believe someone also mentioned that a documentarian filmed much of his adventure, so we may get to see a film at some point. Anyway, sort of back on-topic...I returned recently from a vacation in Barcelona, where I attended two Barca home games, one in the league against Levante, and the other in the CL against BATE Borisov (from Belarus). On TV games from the Camp Nou, you don't usually see a supporters' section similar to what you see in South American and some other European stadiums, so I was expecting a fairly sedate supporters section in the stadium. They had one drum and a few flags for each game. I'm sure they do more for bigger games against more interesting opponents. In any event, their supporters' section still did well in starting simple, short chants that the rest of the stadium then picked up. The BATE Borisov traveling supporters in the CL game were excellent. We were in a subway car with a group of them on the way to the Camp Nou and they were in good form all the way. Inside the stadium, they were loud and active the whole game.
Those train rides to games in Barcelona are epic. Nothing like being surrounded by like-minded folks. I went to a Barcelona game in 07 and an Espanyol game (coincidentally against Levante). During the Espanyol game we didn't pay for transportation. I've always wondered if the bus is free to the stadium or if I was guilty of some kind of crime. It was in the old olympic stadium that was on a hill. I've always wondered....how much do Champions League tickets run? (Obviously it was a group stage game, but still interested.)
Well, I paid out the ass for the tickets. They weren't quite $100 each, but came pretty close once you figured in the exchange rate. I got the ones for the CL game online from the Barca official site before traveling. They were really nice seats, but very expensive. I got the tickets for the Levante game after arriving in Barcelona and they were less than half the price, although the seats weren't as nice. I also attended a CL game in the group phase several years ago, I believe in 2000, in Lisbon. That game was Sporting x Bayer Leverkusen at the old Alvalade Stadium and I don't recall tickets costing very much at all. I got those at the stadium box office, along with tickets to a Sporting game in the domestic league. That trip also included subway rides packed with Sporting supporters. Btw, that Sporting x Leverkusen game featured Frankie Hadjuk starting for Leverkusen, and Jovan Kirovski on the bench for Sporting. Leverkusen also brought Landon Donovan to the stadium, but he sat in up the stands with a couple other guys who I think were also Leverkusen players. I was in the same section and chatted with him for a bit at half time. He was shocked to run into an American there. I also saw Kirovski play in the league for Sporting, I think against União Leiria.
That Landon Donovan story is worth a couple of hours of conversation alone. Between Celt, Rey, Anderson, NewTex, and Nigel we can all have years worth of stories to listen to.
From Central in Argentina. The whole stadium is rocking. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLT1CdyfLj4"]HUEVO Y CORAZON . LOS GUERREROS - YouTube[/ame]
From RSL. Pretty cool (if you like English language chants ). [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1DJ008t9Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Believe RSL - YouTube[/ame]
I loved it! Our team needs one of those type of commercials. It also reminded me of an English chant that made the rounds earlier. Doesn't hurt that he's my favorite American player. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YpsCAUALFw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YpsCAUALFw[/ame]