Just got an email from the Dynamo. Garber made the announcement in Salt Lake City today. I will look for a link.
This is apparently true but very, very strange. I'm trying to imagine why the All-Star game would be here before we get a new stadium. Unless it is going to be some sort of double-header at Reliant.
Cool news and some love from the MLS HQ in NYC. We get the All-Star game as a reward for the fan and supporter turnout for our Dynamo. Then when the new stadium is built we will be awarded the MLS Cup Final. That is if MLS decides to keep the Cup Final at a neutral venue. It would be cool to have an even bigger club than Everton come to Houston. Like a Real Madrid, Roma, Inter, Liverpool or the big daddy we saw in '06 Barca.
or unlucky-but that depends on how you look at 6-0 thrashings. let's keep to the Fulhams, Evertons, and Dundee Utds
Dude, here's betting it's Pachuca or Chivas! This might be a doubleheader with the WCF, which would have to be at Reliant. Congratulations, guys, this is a big coup for you and the state of Texas.
My opponent guess: 5. Liverpool (American owners looking to play in America but didn't this off-season) 4. Real Madrid (Big name looking to build brand in America) 3. Barcelona (Big name looking to build brand in America) 2. Club America (HUGE Texas fanbase. Hasn't played in All-Star game before) 1. AC Milan (Ronaldhino, Onyewu, and likely Beckham. Sounds like a match made in marketing)
Could be the league working with OL to throw a dang bone to the city/county in order for them to go ahead and finally make your new place official.
I don´t get All Star Games in soccer, to me it is just an over hyped friendly game, a cheap copy of American sports, I have not watch a single All Star Game, in my mind, if you want to watch stars from league, you have lots of meaningful games, they are call WC games, Gold Cup games, Copa America game, Eurocup games. Having said that, I will be there next year just to prove a point to soccer haters, I will take people there, specially if it is at Reliant Stadium just to see Reliant full for MLS players.
That's the first thing somebody told me, they texted me while I was at Sam's, saying something like "well, we know what the big news was... are they trying to put pressure on the city/county to get a stadium deal?" I was afraid it was some sort of threat to move, or move the stadium or something. I was scared till she wrote back.
For a few essentials we motor into the big city once in a while. It's always a big day for us country folk. And no, Wharton County has no Sam's but it has two WalMarts and the biggest Buc-ee's in the world. For the record (since people judge you by your posts), I can't stand Sam's and would never go there but I have to go with my handicapped neighbor once in a while to help him. I've never bought anything there.
I really hope it's not Club America. I'm NOT a Mexico hater, but Club America would mean that the majority of the crowd would be hoping for an MLS loss. It's supposed to be an MLS showcase. That would be sorta stupid from a marketing perspective don't ya think? Trying to sell this on TV for other MLS markets it doesn't seem like a very strong MLS image to have 75% of the fans wearing yellow and waving Mexico flags. Of course there will be people who show up in Everton jerseys this year, and the jerseys of whatever opponent they find for us in 2010, but the numbers aren't anything like what they'd be if it were CA.
Plus, the Dynamo are better than Club America so why have them play the MLS All-Star team. Let them qualify for the Champions League and they can play in Houston then. I'd much rather see an FMF All-Star team or Real Madrid, they owe us after that debacle in 2004.
Not to downplay what kind of team Club America is, but they've played in Texas at least three or four times in the past two years. I'd like us to host a team that hasn't been seen in Houston in a while, or at all. Personally, I'd love to see what kind of response we'd get if we faced an EPL or La Liga team. I'm hoping for Liverpool. A girl can dream. You know what...I'd even go for a South American team. Think we could manage that?
As many EPL and La Liga nuthuggers we got in this town, we could easilly get a good crowd for one of those teams. Besides, the Dynamo have already played Club America in Superliga and beat them.
Boca Juniors will play anywhere as long as you pay them their fee (obviously playing against all of their startes is a biffer fee) and they hate to lose, even "friendly" games, but I Don´t know if the casual fan will realize that BJ is one of the big teams around the world, but I´m sure you can make the same point if they get a team from La Liga taking into consideration the EPL love in this country. Talking about La Liga teams, Barcelona is also one of those teams that will play anywhere if you pay their fee, but they like to play 3 or 4 games when going to another continent (obviously for monetary reasons), I don´t know if playing against a team that will also play against 3 more teams from the league (or 1 more team in the US and 2 more in Mexico like last time) will diminidh the All Star Game in the mind of casual fans.
I agree. Due to CCL, Interliga, and various friendlies, I've seen just about every Mexican team worth seeing. If the game was against a team like America or Chivas, I'd go merely out of a weird sense of obligation that I would have...not that I'd actually really want to go. For a EPL or La Liga team to work at Reliant, it would have to be a top team. Sunderland or Racing Santander isn't going to fill up Reliant even 1/2 way. It's just going to come down to whether MLS wants to fork over the money to bring a Real Madrid or a Manchester United.
I think playing Club America in the 2010 All Star Game would be a waste for that very reason. We always see CONCACAF teams here; there's no "wow" factor. Sure, Club America and FMF teams have a large fanbase here, but we could see that same All Star team play in Robertson two or three times that year before the All Star Game anyway. Now IIRC, the last time Houston's seen a European powerhouse play a friendly in Houston was what, 2006? Club America vs. Barcelona. Only once ever since the Dynamo first came to Houston. Bring in a European powerhouse to play in Houston for the first time in what would be four years, and you could be looking at a sold-out Reliant with eye-opening revenue numbers for the city. If the city of Toronto made $40-$50 Million because of the All Star Game as they claim, Houston has the possibility of making mo' money, mo' money, mo' money...