Dynamo get green light to build stadium

Houston to break ground Saturday, hope to finish by April 2012

Five years after relocating from San Jose, the Houston Dynamo will finally be able to go forward with plans for a soccer-specific stadium.

On Tuesday, the Houston City Council unanimously approved the Tax Increment Revenue Zone (TIRZ), clearing the final hurdle for the Dynamo to begin construction on their new home.

The prospect of building a soccer-specific stadium was a primary reason for the club to relocate to Houston from San Jose in 2005. More than five years later, the feeling is certainly one of better-late-than-never.

“Obviously, it’s a huge step. We moved six years ago to come down here and get a stadium,” said Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis. “It’s taken a little while, but I’m finally happy to say it’s here.”

The approval for the project took major steps forward in the past year, with the club receiving approval on the site and TIRZ from the Harris County Commissioners' Court.

The completion of the political process is “something we’ve worked very hard on,” said Dynamo president of operations Chris Canetti. “It feels great.”


The Dynamo had faith they would receive approval but postponed a scheduled ground-breaking last Saturday to wait on final word. Tuesday’s vote by the Houston City Council gives the club the official green light to go ahead with the proceedings.

“Obviously, it goes back a number of years, it has been a major goal for the organization [to build a stadium],” said Canetti. “When the word came through the office that were given the green light to move forward, the energy level ramped up big time.”

As a veteran, Davis relishes the thought of finally getting a permanent home even if it took longer than most expected.

“[You] can’t do anything about the past, but we are looking forward to this Saturday [when Houston will break ground] and it is a huge step for this organization,” said Davis. “This is my 10th year in the league and I have not played in my own stadium and there are some other guys here in the same shoes. For me, it's fun.”

Despite the later-than-expected groundbreaking, Canetti believes the target opening date of April 2012 is still in the club’s grasp.

“We are still on a tight timeline to get it going in April,” said Canetti. “We are going to break ground ceremoniously on Saturday and get to a real construction start soon thereafter.”

The Dynamo will host the ceremonial groundbreaking at the stadium site Saturday at 2 p.m. local time. The club will have more details about the event in the coming days.

Revolution players hit camp raring to go

Players eager to gel as New England prepare for '11 season

Cabin fever struck soon after the New England Revolution departed for the offseason.

While players usually take a bit of time off to recover from the grueling exertions of the nine-month campaign, they soon resume workouts with an eye toward preparing for training camp.

By the time the end of January hits, players are clamoring to end their isolated workouts in the gym to join their teammates on the practice field. While the enthusiasm is appreciated, it must also be tempered a bit in order to ensure the preseason progresses smoothly, according to Revolution midfielder Chris Tierney.

“Everyone's going to be very eager to get out there,” Tierney told MLSsoccer.com. “I think it's going to be good to ease in a little bit, get to know each other as people and understand everyone else a little bit.”

Revolution coach Steve Nicol prefers to start training camp with a week or two dedicated to strength and conditioning work. Although every player prepares for the early stages of camp, the collective fitness work establishes common ground and lays the foundation for the extended campaign ahead.

“During the first couple of weeks, it really doesn't matter what you did during the offseason,” new Revs defender Ryan Cochrane said. “You're still going to come in and you're still going to have some heavy legs. It's about getting your feet under you and building up that camaraderie with the new guys coming in. It's important to meet everybody and get a feel for everybody's personalities.”

The preliminary activities will gradually yield to more emphasis on technical sessions. Scheduled trips to Orlando (Feb. 14-24) and Kennesaw, Ga., (March 3-13) should allow Nicol and the Revs coaching staff to focus on full-field work and tinker with tactical approaches.

“Once the soccer starts, it'll be a little crazy and frantic for the first couple of days, but there's definitely an aspect of pacing to it,” Tierney said.

The preparations will increase gradually as the Revs wind their way through a series of friendlies to get ready for the season opener in Los Angeles on March 20. As the crucial date approaches, the Revs must avoid moving too quickly as they seek to acquire match fitness and develop the necessary chemistry to succeed during the regular season.

“You have to know that it's a marathon, it's a long season,” Revolution defender Darrius Barnes said. “You have to take it slow and get yourself integrated into everything. The preseason is the time to get the chemistry right. At first, it isn't about how sharp you are on the ball. We need to get the team gel together a bit and then pick it up as we move along.”

Cochrane starting from scratch at New England

Defender aims to re-establish himself as starter in MLS with Revs

When Ryan Cochrane scanned through the New England Revolution's roster after the club selected him in the second stage of the Re-Entry Draft in December, he reached a surprising conclusion.

In a tight-knit league with familiar faces scattered from coast-to-coast, the seven-year veteran landed in one of the few locales in which there was no one he knew.

“This is one of the teams where I didn't know one person,” Cochrane told MLSsoccer.com. “Most guys will tell you that you end up knowing guys on different teams around the league. This is the first time I'm going in with a truly fresh start and not knowing anybody.”

While the clean slate certainly appealed to the veteran center back as he seeks to re-establish himself as a starter in the league, it also inspired a bit of uncertainty as Cochrane waited for his first Revolution training session.

Stepping out onto the practice field at the Dana-Farber Field House on Monday morning for the start of New England’s training camp went a long way toward addressing those concerns, according to Cochrane.

“It's nice to get out there on the field finally and get [rid of] this feeling of anxiousness,” Cochrane said.

Any lingering doubts dissipated from the moment he entered into the Revolution locker room. Cochrane, who spent the last season-and-a-half with the Houston Dynamo, pegged his new teammates as a “pretty welcoming group” and suggested he can already pick out a few of the key personalities within the squad.

“It's been great,” Cochrane said. “It gives you an anxious feeling before you get here, but I know this group has a low-key personality. Guys really get along, so it's been fun.”