Houston Dynamo: The rebuilding starts now

As the Houston Dynamo have plummeted down the standings, one thing has become increasingly clear: something’s got to be done. So the team is rebuilding, from the fans up, and it starts now.

The word spread like wildfire that a couple of season ticket holders became outraged at the Houston Dynamo front office. The encounter wasn’t even related to gameplay, but it gradually and then very quickly grew into a Dynamo fan organization.

Houston Dynamo Fans for Change has set off explosions of club actions. Houston Dynamo front office representatives are trying to understand and guide them toward a peaceful resolution with the team, but at one point, it looked like war could erupt.

The battleground was laid when the Dynamo season started hurtling toward disaster. Specifically, it was after the mid-July shutout suffered in Atlanta. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera was fired in the aftermath. But things have not improved since then. At present, except for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Houston would be last in MLS Western Conference.

Then, anticipating more need for organized supporter group attendance that hasn’t yet appeared, a report spread that the team office had carried out two incidents of forced seat locations for season ticket holders at BBVA Compass Stadium.

It didn’t match the first shot fired on Fort Sumter in history, but other fans heard about the incidents and started piling on. Houston Dynamo brass came to their senses before it got much nastier. They called for a summit meeting and Dynamo Fans for Change responded, diffusing the situation.

Senior executives met at their home BBVA Compass Stadium with representatives of the Facebook-based group. They promised 90 minutes. The meeting spanned more than two hours. Executives only left with small time to spare to make an annual Houston Dash event. Predictably, season-ticket issues weren’t the only subjects discussed.

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Fan comfort in the home stadium was covered in detail, especially requests for shading options — BBVA Compass Stadium was brandished with the moniker of The Oven three weeks after its 2012 opening. Then the subject turned to player development. The fans organization members proved very knowledgeable. Executives explained that not only would the team taking to the pitch be rebuilt, but the Houston Dynamo Academy was subject to a major restructuring as well. Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan assured those in attendance that the work on the Academy was ongoing now.

As for Houston Dynamo hovering very near the bottom of their MLS Division, the attendees asked about being at the bottom of the MLS pay level. Staying there prevents them from bringing players with the highest impact to the roster, which in turn leads to a bad team on the pitch. Financial power is directly linked to success, and Houston have little of either at present.  Fans were told the general manager is listing high-impact players for the team to target this offseason, while the deadline to name a head coach to lead those players is this October.

So this complete transparency guides Houston Dynamo executives through a rebuilding effort. Normally, supporters wait for the offseason to mine hints about how a team is rebuilding. This time, Houston Dynamo leadership says rebuilding is now.