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Red Cow fans once yu finishgrazingyou guys need to take a cue from this Houston Dynamo press guy and bow down and praise the greatest franchise in the world! Notice I made no mention of how we beat your asses with 10 men the other day. Can we say Matias Donnet boys and girls?....GOLASO! Hehe....
- T.K.
<SPAN class=storyheading3>MLS' model franchise plays in city this week</SPAN>
<P class=copyright><SPAN class=author>By GLENN DAVIS
</SPAN>Copyrigth 2006 Houston Chronicle <DIV class=bodycopy>
Dynamo fans will get their only opportunity this season to check out the star-studded DC United side on Saturday at Robertson Stadium.
Teenager Freddy Adu is only part of the draw. For me, what jumps out is a history that is unlike that of any other MLS team. The motto is a "decade of passion," and DC United is clearly the standard-bearer as an organization, on and off the field, in the 11-year history of MLS.<DIV class=inlinead style="MARGIN-TOP: 5px"><SCRIPT>try{OAS_AD('Middle');}catch(e){}</SCRIPT><DIV id=OASADPLACEMENT pos="Middle"></DIV></DIV>
DC United has created a culture, level of expectation and standard that others in MLS have been unable to replicate.
United has earned more domestic and international honors than any other MLS club, along the way etching the team into the minds of the U.S. soccer culture.
MLS Cup championships (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004), along with a U.S. Open Cup title (1996), a CONCACAF Champions Cup title (1998) and the Interamerica Cup title in 1999 illustrate the on-field proficiency.
When DC United knocked off Copa Libertadores champion Vasco Da Gama of Brazil in 1999, it shocked the soccer world. That accomplishment never got the attention it deserved in the mainstream U.S. sports media and is the greatest international victory an MLS club has produced.
DC United beat Toluca of Mexico to become Champions of CONCACAF, another notable achievement.
That team was coached by Bruce Arena, who would not have gone on to manage the U.S. national team without DC United's success.<H3>Big-time operation</H3>This summer, United participated in two high-profile matches, playing Real Madrid before 60,000 fans in Seattle and crushing current Scottish Premier League leader Celtic 4-0 at RFK Stadium.
Along the way, United has competed against storied international clubs like Boca Jrs., Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham Hotspur — clubs that have the kind of history that makes an 11-year existence minuscule.
Those games have gone a long way in helping to create the best tradition in MLS.
With Bolivian Marco Etcheverry, United got the league's first real star.
The team's roster through the years has been sprinkled with MLS greats and high-profile players. Jaime Moreno, one of three players to score more than 100 goals in MLS, is on the current team.
Also seeing service for United have been Salvadorian Raul Diaz Arce, former world player of the year Hristo Stoichkov, EPL players Bobby Convey and Ryan Nelsen, and a core of U.S. players like former national team stars Eddie Pope and John Harkes.
The club has led the way in signing young talent — Convey, Santino Quaranta and MLS' highest-profile signing ever, Freddy Adu. All were signed in their teens.
But on-field success is only part of the story. Off the field, United has been a model of consistency and professionalism.
In recent years, it has created a pipeline to Argentina that has brought exciting players like Christian Gomez and former Boca Jrs. star Matias Donnet.
- T.K.<SPAN class=storyheading3>MLS' model franchise plays in city this week</SPAN>
<P class=copyright><SPAN class=author>By GLENN DAVIS
</SPAN>Copyrigth 2006 Houston Chronicle <DIV class=bodycopy>
Dynamo fans will get their only opportunity this season to check out the star-studded DC United side on Saturday at Robertson Stadium.
Teenager Freddy Adu is only part of the draw. For me, what jumps out is a history that is unlike that of any other MLS team. The motto is a "decade of passion," and DC United is clearly the standard-bearer as an organization, on and off the field, in the 11-year history of MLS.<DIV class=inlinead style="MARGIN-TOP: 5px"><SCRIPT>try{OAS_AD('Middle');}catch(e){}</SCRIPT><DIV id=OASADPLACEMENT pos="Middle"></DIV></DIV>
DC United has created a culture, level of expectation and standard that others in MLS have been unable to replicate.
United has earned more domestic and international honors than any other MLS club, along the way etching the team into the minds of the U.S. soccer culture.
MLS Cup championships (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004), along with a U.S. Open Cup title (1996), a CONCACAF Champions Cup title (1998) and the Interamerica Cup title in 1999 illustrate the on-field proficiency.
When DC United knocked off Copa Libertadores champion Vasco Da Gama of Brazil in 1999, it shocked the soccer world. That accomplishment never got the attention it deserved in the mainstream U.S. sports media and is the greatest international victory an MLS club has produced.
DC United beat Toluca of Mexico to become Champions of CONCACAF, another notable achievement.
That team was coached by Bruce Arena, who would not have gone on to manage the U.S. national team without DC United's success.<H3>Big-time operation</H3>This summer, United participated in two high-profile matches, playing Real Madrid before 60,000 fans in Seattle and crushing current Scottish Premier League leader Celtic 4-0 at RFK Stadium.
Along the way, United has competed against storied international clubs like Boca Jrs., Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham Hotspur — clubs that have the kind of history that makes an 11-year existence minuscule.
Those games have gone a long way in helping to create the best tradition in MLS.
With Bolivian Marco Etcheverry, United got the league's first real star.
The team's roster through the years has been sprinkled with MLS greats and high-profile players. Jaime Moreno, one of three players to score more than 100 goals in MLS, is on the current team.
Also seeing service for United have been Salvadorian Raul Diaz Arce, former world player of the year Hristo Stoichkov, EPL players Bobby Convey and Ryan Nelsen, and a core of U.S. players like former national team stars Eddie Pope and John Harkes.
The club has led the way in signing young talent — Convey, Santino Quaranta and MLS' highest-profile signing ever, Freddy Adu. All were signed in their teens.
But on-field success is only part of the story. Off the field, United has been a model of consistency and professionalism.
In recent years, it has created a pipeline to Argentina that has brought exciting players like Christian Gomez and former Boca Jrs. star Matias Donnet.
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