As a society, we love our "I remember when ..." moments. People love to relive the past and remember where they were or what they felt during that particular moment. For Dynamo fans, it's hard to put into words what the last 12 months have felt like, but I'm going to try anyway. Here are my ten “I remember when …” moments from the 2012 season:
- I remember when the Dynamo opened BBVA Compass Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd on national TV. The anticipation, the atmosphere and the result all lived up the hype with the seven-year journey for a stadium to call their own finally complete.
- I remember when the Dynamo completed an undefeated home campaign, becoming only the fourth team in MLS history to complete the feat.
- I remember when Will Bruin became a legitimate goal scorer in Major League Soccer, breaking the Dynamo’s single season scoring mark in all competitions with 16.
- I remember when Brian Ching redefined the word “leader”, thriving in his new role as a substitute to the tune of five goals and five assists.
- I remember when I first saw Boniek Garcia play, a wiry Honduran who caused whiplash with the amount of times he made you do a double-take.
- I remember when Dominic Kinnear cemented his place among the coaching elite, leading Houston to its fourth MLS Cup final in seven seasons.
- I remember when the Dynamo sported one of the top goalkeeping tandems in Major League Soccer. Tally Hall broke Houston’s mark for shutouts by a goalkeeper and Tyler Deric led the Dynamo Reserves to a division title and helped Houston advance out of their group into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
- I remember when I first saw Calen Carr leap over the corner flag to celebrate a goal. It came against Sporting Kansas City and it set the tone for goal celebrations for the rest of the season.
- I remember former Everton star Tim Cahill’s first game at BBVA Compass Stadium. I remember it less for the fact that Cahill played and more for the fact that the Dynamo capped a five-game winning streak with a 2-0 win over New York to move the team into first place in the Eastern Conference.
- I remember when Sporting Kansas City supplanted FC Dallas as Houston’s new rival. Sure, Dallas and the Dynamo will battle for El Capitan every year, but due to the unbalanced scheduled, they play only once during the regular season. The Dynamo and Sporting KC have played nine times in all competitions over the past two years and Houston has knocked SKC out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Both teams have reloaded with new weapons in the off-season and are ready to challenge again for the Eastern Conference crown.
To be honest, I could probably continue my list for days. It was an incredible year that will be hard to duplicate. But now I want to hear from you. What are your “I remember when…” moments from 2012?
