The Houston Dynamo's home unbeaten streak has been well-chronicled within MLS circles. As it stands, no team in the 18-year history of the league has a longer home unbeaten streak in all competitions and only one team (Real Salt Lake) has a longer home unbeaten streak in the regular season. The Dynamo will look to tie RSL's regular season streak (29) and sit alone atop the all competitions mark when they host the Chicago Fire on April 14.
But just how difficult is 34 consecutive home games unbeaten? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one North American professional sports team has a longer streak. That would be the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls who won 44 straight home games from March 1995 until April 1996.
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>Home unbeaten streak</strong> |
<strong>Dates</strong> |
<strong>Sport</strong> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">Chicago Bulls</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">44</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">3/30/1995 to 4/4/1996</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">NBA</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">Houston Dynamo</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">34</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">7/9/2011 to present</p> |
<p class="rtecenter" style="">MLS</p> |
Real Salt Lake |
34 |
6/6/2009 to 4/27/2011 |
MLS |
Equally as impressive as the Dynamo's home unbeaten run is their run in BBVA Compass Stadium, their downtown home that opened in May 2012. Our friends at Elias tell us that last night, the Dynamo became only the third team in the history of major North American professional sports leagues to go unbeaten in their first 20 regular season games at a home venue. Last night's win gave the Dynamo a 14-0-6 in the first 20 regular season matches at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Care to guess who the other two teams are to accomplish that feat? We promise you won't get the answer.
The first was the Washington Capitols of the Basketball Association of America (predecessor of today’s NBA), who won their first 27 games at Uline Arena in 1946–1947. While Dominic Kinnear is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in MLS history, that Capitols squad was managed by none other than Red Auerbach, quite possibly one of the greatest coaches in American professional sports history.
The other team to accomplish this feat was the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, who won their first 22 games at Staples Center (2001–2002). That sparks squad was led by three-time WNBA MVP and four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie.
So while it's important to recognize the Dynamo's standing among their peers in professional soccer, it's hard not to appreciate the fact that Kinnear's squad has accomplished feats that few in North American sports history have done before.
