The 2017 Houston Dynamo season was the
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
's 12th season of existence since joining
Major League Soccer for the 2006 season. The club's had misse the
MLS Cup Playoffs
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams quali ...
for three consecutive seasons.
It is the team's first year under the leadership of head coach
Wilmer Cabrera and third season under general manager
Matt Jordan
Matt Jordan (born October 13, 1975 in Aurora, Colorado) is a former soccer goalkeeper.
Youth and college
Jordan graduated from Overland High School in Aurora, and played college soccer at Clemson University from 1994 to 1997, for whom he starte ...
. On the front office end, it is Gabriel Brener's second season as majority owner and Chris Canetti's seventh as the club president.
Month by month review
Preseason
Five days after the end of the 2016 regular season, the Houston Dynamo appointed
Wilmer Cabrera as the fourth head coach in club history.
Cabrera was promoted from the club's lower league affiliate
Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season.
The team served as a ...
where served as the head coach for the 2015 USL season.
Cabrera took over for interim head coach
Wade Barrett
Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a col ...
– the only other reported candidate for the job
– and a team that had missed the
MLS Cup Playoffs
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams quali ...
for the third consecutive season. The Dynamo job is the Colombian tactician's second head coaching responsibility in
Major League Soccer and one that reunites him with
Erick "Cubo" Torres, a former pupil of Cabrera's at the defunct
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...
.
March
The Houston Dynamo opened the season at home with a 2–1 victory over the defending MLS Cup Champion
Seattle Sounders FC, on a night when
Erick Torres and
Romell Quioto
Romell Samir Quioto Robinson (born 9 August 1991), nicknamed El Romántico (The Romantic), is a Honduran professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and captains the Honduras national team.
Club ...
scored their first goals for the club. Torres and Quioto would score in a second consecutive match the following week, coupled with
Alberth Elis
Alberth Josué Elis Martínez (born 12 February 1996), nicknamed La Panterita (The Little Panther), is a Honduran professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Brest, on loan from Ligue 2 club Bordeaux, and the Honduras national t ...
' first goal in a Dynamo shirt, as the team collected 3–1 win over
Columbus Crew SC
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...
.
The 2–0–0 start was the third time the club began the season with two wins and a
Portland Timbers with the same record set up for an early season matchup between top three teams. Torres and Quioto scored in Portland to give the Dynamo a 2–1 lead at halftime, becoming the seventh and eight players in club history to score in three consecutive matches. However, three unanswered goals in the second half by the Timbers would end in the Dynamo's first loss of the season.
Position in the
MLS Western Conference
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference.
As of 2023, the Western Conference contains fourteen teams. The conference has produced eleven Supporters' Shield champions and seve ...
at the end of March
April
The Dynamo began the month of April with a 4–1 win over the
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
, a match where
Erick Torres scored his first hat-trick with the club.
Dylan Remick
Dylan Remick (born May 19, 1991) is a retired American soccer player who played for Seattle Sounders FC and the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. He graduated from Brown University in 2012 and was selected the following year by Seattle in t ...
scored the equalizer in the 14th minute against the Red Bulls, becoming the first non-
forward to score in 2017.
The second weekend in April, the team traveled to the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...
in search of their first point on the road. The Dynamo lost 2–0, dropping to 0–2–0 away, as homegrown
Memo Rodriguez
Memo is short for memorandum, a document or other communication.
Memo or The Memo may also refer to:
People
:"Memo" is a frequent nickname for people named Guillermo.
* Memo Acevedo, Colombian-born Canadian-American jazz drummer, percussionist, ...
made his MLS debut. Goalkeeper
Tyler Deric
John Tyler Deric (born August 30, 1988) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the USL Championship.
Youth and college soccer
Deric was coached by Scot Dymond at Texans SC during his yout ...
would be benched after his performance against the Revs, giving
Joe Willis his first start of the season.
Houston and
Minnesota United FC faced off for the first time ever in
Major League Soccer as the expansion side took a point in Space City. The Dynamo led at the half thanks to
Mauro Manotas
Mauro Andrés Manotas Páez (born 15 July 1995) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Atlas.
Club career
Uniautónoma
Manota was the top scorer at the 2013 Colombian U20 championship with 200 goals, a ...
and Elis before the Loons would score two of their own to draw. Needing to respond after winning only one of their previous four matches, the Dynamo outlasted the visiting
San Jose Earthquakes 2–0 in a nationally televised afternoon game on
UniMás
UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura from its launch on January 14, 2002, to January 6, 2013) is an American Spanish free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network's programming, which i ...
.
The Dynamo traveled to
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...
for their first midweek match of the season that ended in a 2–0 loss at the feet of a
Jozy Altidore
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore ( ; born November 6, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club New England Revolution.
Altidore made his professional debut in 2006, at the age of 16, with ...
brace. The team recorded two wins, two losses and a draw and a goal differential of +1 in the month of April.
Position in the
MLS Western Conference
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference.
As of 2023, the Western Conference contains fourteen teams. The conference has produced eleven Supporters' Shield champions and seve ...
at the end of April
May
The Houston Dynamo would begin another month with a blowout at home, this time collecting the second
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
of the season in a 4–0 win against
Orlando City SC. Manotas scored a brace against Orlando as Elis and Quioto each found the back of the net once more. After missing the game versus Orlando due to concussion protocol, Torres returned to the starting lineup and scored the game-winning goal against
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
.
The road woes would continue, however, as the Dynamo only collected a point as they played three consecutive away matches in the span of 12 days. The Dynamo lost 2–0 at
Philadelphia Union, lost 4–1 at
Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference.
Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...
and played to a scoreless draw at
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...
. Tyler Deric returned to the starting lineup in the
Texas Derby
The Texas derby is a soccer rivalry (derby) between the Houston Dynamo FC and FC Dallas, recognizing the best club in the state for the season until 2021 when Austin FC joined MLS. The two squads play a series of games with the series winner tak ...
match, ending Willis' run of seven straight matches in goal.
The Dynamo would end the month with their fourth match in 15 days, keeping their home record free of losses after a 5–1 win over
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...
. The five goals matched the club record for goals in a game and give the club a +4 goal differential for the month of May.
Position in the
MLS Western Conference
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference.
As of 2023, the Western Conference contains fourteen teams. The conference has produced eleven Supporters' Shield champions and seve ...
at the end of May
June
After managing to pick up their first point on the road a week before, the Dynamo lost yet another game on the road as they fell 1–0 to the Seattle Sounders. This time the damage came from a familiar face, the club's second all-time scorer
Will Bruin
William Christopher Bruin (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. Prior to joining Seattle, he spent 6 seasons playing for the Houston Dynamo. H ...
. The team took a few days off as they did not have a match the following week due to a FIFA international break.
The Dynamo entered the 2017 edition of the U.S. Open Cup in the fourth round against
North Carolina FC
North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system.
The team has played its home games a ...
. Given that this match was on the east coast and the team had a league match on the west coast a few days later, Wilmer Cabrera featured a majority of young players in the 3–2 extra time win over NCFC.
Memo Rodriguez
Memo is short for memorandum, a document or other communication.
Memo or The Memo may also refer to:
People
:"Memo" is a frequent nickname for people named Guillermo.
* Memo Acevedo, Colombian-born Canadian-American jazz drummer, percussionist, ...
scored the game winner, his first with the Dynamo, to help the team advance to the round of 16. Three days later, the team almost picked up their first win on the road before a
Romain Alessandrini goal drew the
LA Galaxy level in the closing moments of the match.
Two rivalry matches would end the month for the Dynamo, the first being another draw with
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...
. In this latest instance, Torres and
Maximiliano Urruti
Maximiliano "Maxi" Nicolás Urruti Mussa (born 22 February 1991) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.
Career
Newell's Old Boys
Urruti started his career in the youth system ...
traded goals to end the match 1–1 in the second
Texas Derby
The Texas derby is a soccer rivalry (derby) between the Houston Dynamo FC and FC Dallas, recognizing the best club in the state for the season until 2021 when Austin FC joined MLS. The two squads play a series of games with the series winner tak ...
match of the season. A reserve-heavy Dynamo would then lose 2–0 to a
Sporting Kansas City side that featured many of their regulars, bowing out of the U.S. Open Cup.
Position in the
MLS Western Conference
The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference.
As of 2023, the Western Conference contains fourteen teams. The conference has produced eleven Supporters' Shield champions and seve ...
at the end of June
July
The Dynamo started the month of July on opposite ends of a 3–1 scoreline. They lost their seventh match on the road at the
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...
, a match in which they went into the half tied at one-a-piece. The team then dismantled a
Piatti-less
Montreal Impact at home, heading into a two-week break in league play due to the
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...
group stage.
August
The Dynamo had an up-and-down August, that was ultimately cut short by Hurricane Harvey. They opened the month with a scoreless draw away against Real Salt Lake. The Dynamo, led by a goal and assist from Vicente Sanchez, then crushed the San Jose Earthquakes at home. A 2–1 loss away to Vancouver and an exciting 3–3 draw in Dallas rounded out the month. With the third draw of the season in Dallas, the Dynamo solidified their hold over El Capitan.
September
The Post-Harvey blues were very much real for the Houston Dynamo, as they opened September with their first home loss of the season. A 1–0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids, who had been win-less away from home previously. Another 1–0 loss followed, this time at San Jose. The Dynamo got their first points of the month in a 1–1 draw against NYCFC, in a strange game that was hosted in Connecticut. The Dynamo closed the month with an exciting, yet disappointing 3–3 draw at home against the LA Galaxy. This draw continued the team's strange inability to gain points from teams at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Dynamo finished the month on a high note with an important 2–1 home victory over Minnesota United. Vicente Sanchez continued to showcase his value to the team throughout the month, despite his age as he racked up 4 assists during the month. New DP Tomás Martínez also started to settle in with the team, as he scored his first goal of the season against the Galaxy.
October
October proved to be a great month for the Men in Orange. A big 2–1 win at home against Sporting KC, followed by a gutsy 0–0 draw at Sporting clinched the first Houston Dynamo playoff appearance since 2013. The Dynamo finished off their regular season with a big 3–0 win over the Chicago Fire. That win, along with a Kansas City loss clinched 4th place in the West for the Dynamo. Right Back
A.J. DeLagarza tore his ACL in the early minutes of the game, a crucial knock on the Dynamo's playoff hopes.
The Dynamo took on Sporting Kansas City in the Knockout Round of the
2017 MLS Playoffs, the third match between the team in four games. The Dynamo would win that game 1-0 off an Alberth Elis goal in Extra Time and advanced to play the Portland Timbers in the Conference Semifinals. The first leg was a dire 0–0 draw, with neither team threatening much. While the Dynamo had an all-around great October, one of their players had a much more rocky month. GK Tyler Deric won MLS Player of the Month honors on October 27, but was also arrested on assault charges. Deric would miss the remaining games in the Dynamo's season.
Current squad
Coaching staff
}
Overall table
U.S. Open Cup
MLS Cup Playoffs
Player statistics
Appearances and goals
, -
, colspan="14", ''Players eligible from
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...
:''
, -
, colspan="14", ''Players away from the club on loan:''
, -
, colspan="14", ''Players who left Houston Dynamo during the season:''
Goal scorers
''As of match played October 22, 2017''
Assists
''As of match played October 22, 2017''
Disciplinary record
As of match played October 22, 2017
References
{{2017 in American soccer
Houston Dynamo FC seasons
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dyamo