| Club: | Houston Dynamo |
| Season: | 2011 |
| Owner: | Philip Anschutz (AEG) |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Dominic Kinnear |
| Chairman: | Chris Canetti |
| Chrtitle: | President |
| Stadium: | Robertson Stadium |
| League: | Major League Soccer |
| League Result: | Conference 2nd |
| Highest Attendance: | 30,018 v Los Angeles Galaxy (October 23, 2011) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 12,047 (two matches) |
| Average Attendance: | 16,868 |
| Cup1: | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Runners-Up |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | DNQ |
| Cup3: | Texas Derby |
| Cup3 Result: | Winners |
| League Topscorer: | Bobby Boswell Will Bruin Geoff Cameron Brian Ching 5 goals each |
| Season Topscorer: | Brian Ching 6 goals |
| Pattern La1: | _DYNAMO_11h |
| Pattern B1: | _DYNAMO_11h |
| Pattern Ra1: | _DYNAMO_11h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _adidasonwhite2011 |
| Pattern So1: | _3_stripes_white2 |
| Leftarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Body1: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts1: | FF7F00 |
| Socks1: | FF6F00 |
| Pattern La2: | _DYNAMO_11a |
| Pattern B2: | _DYNAMO_11a |
| Pattern Ra2: | _DYNAMO_11a |
| Pattern Sh2: | _adidaswhite2013 |
| Pattern So2: | _3_stripes_on_white2 |
| Leftarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts2: | FF6F00 |
| Socks2: | FF7F00 |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2010 |
| Nextseason: | 2012 |
The 2011 Houston Dynamo season was the sixth season of the team's existence, breaking the record for the most seasons played for a Houston soccer team. The Dynamo had been tied with Houston Hurricanes, who competed in the USISL D3 Pro League from 1996 to 2000. It was the Dynamo's sixth season with head coach Dominic Kinnear and majority owner Philip Anschultz. It was Chris Canettis first season as team president, having worked as chief operating officer for the previous five.
Prior to the season, Houston was switched to MLS's Eastern Conference along with Sporting Kansas City due to expansion teams Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC joining the Western Conference. It was the Dynamo's final season playing at Robertson Stadium, with the new BBVA Compass Stadium set to open the following year.
After failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2010, Houston rebounded and finished 2nd in the conference. During the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs, Houston beat the Philadelphia Union 3–1 over two legs. In the Eastern Conference Final, Houston defeated Kansas City 2–0 to reach their third ever MLS Cup, where they fell 1–0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the final. The Dynamo failed to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, losing to Sporting Kansas City in the Qualification Semi-finals.
As of November 21, 2011.[1]
Appearances and goals are totals for MLS regular season only.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Joined from | Joined in | Apps. | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 | Tally Hall | GK | May 12, 1985 (26) | Esbjerg fB | 2009 | 39 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Tyler Deric (HGP) | GK | August 30, 1988 (23) | Houston Dynamo Academy | 2009 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Evan Newton | GK | April 1, 1988 (23) | Old Dominion University | 2011 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 2 | Eddie Robinson | DF | June 19, 1978 (33) | San Jose Earthquakes | 2006 | 96 | 5 | ||
| 4 | Jermaine Taylor | DF | January 14, 1985 (26) | St. George's SC | 2011 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Kofi Sarkodie (GA) | DF | March 22, 1991 (20) | University of Akron | 2011 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 20 | Geoff Cameron | DF | July 11, 1985 (26) | University of Rhode Island | 2008 | 101 | 11 | ||
| 21 | Hunter Freeman | DF | January 8, 1985 (26) | IK Start | 2011 | 23 | 1 | ||
| 26 | Corey Ashe | DF | March 14, 1986 (25) | University of North Carolina | 2007 | 130 | 1 | ||
| 31 | André Hainault | DF | June 17, 1986 (25) | FK Baník Most | 2009 | 79 | 4 | ||
| 32 | Bobby Boswell | DF | March 15, 1983 (28) | D.C. United | 2008 | 112 | 7 | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 5 | Danny Cruz (GA) | MF | January 3, 1990 (21) | UNLV | 2009 | 51 | 4 | ||
| 7 | Colin Clark | MF | April 11, 1984 (27) | Colorado Rapids | 2010 | 29 | 4 | ||
| 10 | Je-Vaughn Watson | MF | October 22, 1983 (28) | Sporting Central Academy | 2011 | 22 | 1 | ||
| 11 | Brad Davis | MF | November 8, 1981 (30) | San Jose Earthquakes | 2006 | 159 | 21 | ||
| 13 | Francisco Navas Cobo (HGP) | MF | November 17, 1991 (20) | Houston Dynamo Academy | 2010 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Adam Moffat | MF | May 15, 1986 (25) | Portland Timbers | 2011 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 17 | Luiz Camargo | MF | May 4, 1987 (24) | Paraná Clube | 2011 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 18 | Josue Soto (HGP) | MF | January 3, 1989 (22) | Houston Dynamo Academy | 2011 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | Alex Dixon (HGP) | MF | February 7, 1990 (21) | Houston Dynamo Academy | 2011 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||
| 3 | Calen Carr | FW | October 4, 1982 (29) | Chicago Fire | 2011 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 9 | Jason Garey | FW | July 19, 1984 (27) | Columbus Crew | 2011 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Will Bruin (GA) | FW | October 24, 1989 (22) | Indiana University | 2011 | 25 | 5 | ||
| 15 | Cam Weaver | FW | June 10, 1983 (28) | San Jose Earthquakes | 2009 | 50 | 10 | ||
| 25 | Brian Ching (C) | FW | May 24, 1978 (32) | San Jose Earthquakes | 2006 | 125 | 51 | ||
| 29 | Carlo Costly | FW | July 18, 1982 (29) | Atlas | 2011 | 11 | 1 | ||
See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2011.
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.
| Date | Player | Position | Age | Previous Club | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 3, 2010 |  Jason Garey | FW | 26 | Columbus Crew | Acquired in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. | [2] | |
| December 13, 2010 | Jordan Graye | DF | 23 | Portland Timbers | Acquired in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. | [3] | |
| December 17, 2010 | Hunter Freeman | DF | 25 |  IK Start | Signed on a free transfer. Houston acquired his MLS rights and a 2012 MLS SuperDraft 3rd round pick from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money. | [4] | |
| January 19, 2011 | Alex Dixon | FW | 20 | Houston Dynamo Academy | Signed as a homegrown player. | [5] | |
| January 19, 2011 | Josue Soto | MF | 22 | Houston Dynamo Academy | Signed as a homegrown player. | ||
| February 16, 2011 |  Jermaine Taylor | DF | 26 | St. George's SC | Full transfer, fee undisclosed. | [6] | |
| March 23, 2011 | Calen Carr | FW | 28 | Chicago Fire | Acquired in exchange for Dominic Oduro. | [7] | |
| April 15, 2011 | Je-Vaughn Watson | MF | 27 | Sporting Central Academy | Full transfer, fee undisclosed. | [8] | |
| April 15, 2011 |  Koke | FW | 27 | Aris | Signed on a free transfer. | ||
| July 21, 2011 | Adam Moffat | MF | 25 | Portland Timbers | Acquired along with allocation money in exchange for Lovel Palmer, Mike Chabala, and a 2011 international roster spot | [9] |
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.
| Date | Player | Position | Age | Destination Club | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 3, 2010 | Joseph Ngwenya | FW | 29 | D.C. United | Contract option declined, selected in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft | [10] | |
| December 3, 2010 | Ryan Cochrane | DF | 27 | New England Revolution | Contract option declined, selected in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft | ||
| December 3, 2010 | Richard Mulrooney | MF | 34 | Retired | Contract option declined. | ||
| December 3, 2010 |  Pat Onstad | GK | 42 | D.C. United | Contract option declined, retired, and later came out of retirement. | ||
| December 3, 2010 | Adrian Serioux | DF | 31 | Retired | Contract option declined. | ||
| December 3, 2010 |  Samuel Appiah | MF | 25 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Contract option declined, free transfer. | [11] | |
| December 3, 2010 | Anthony Obodai | MF | 28 | Mağusa Türk Gücü | Contract option declined, free transfer. | ||
| March 23, 2011 | Dominic Oduro | FW | 25 | Chicago Fire | Traded for Calen Carr. | ||
| May 31, 2011 | Koke | FW | 28 | Rayo Vallecano | Released, free transfer. | [12] | |
| June 29, 2011 | Jordan Graye | DF | 24 | Carolina RailHawks | Released, free transfer. | [13] | |
| July 21, 2011 | Lovel Palmer | MF | 26 | Portland Timbers | Traded along with a 2011 international roster spot for Adam Moffat and allocation money. | ||
| Mike Chabala | DF | 27 |
| Date | Player | Position | Age | Loaned from | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 4, 2011 | Carlo Costly | FW | 29 |  Club Atlas | Loaned for the remainder of the 2011 season. | [14] | |
| August 9, 2011 |  Luiz Camargo | MF | 24 | Paraná Clube | Loaned for the remainder of the 2011 season. | [15] |
See also: 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Age | College | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Kofi Sarkodie | DF | 19 | University of Akron | Signed to a Generation Adidas contract. | [17] | |
| 1 | 11 | Will Bruin | FW | 21 | Indiana University | Signed to a Generation Adidas contract. |
See also: 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Age | College | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Evan Newton | GK | 22 | Old Dominion University | Signed with Dynamo on February 14, 2011. | [18] | |
| 2 | 25 | Sergio Castillo | MF | 21 | Creighton University | Did not sign with Dynamo, retired. | [19] | |
| 3 | 43 | Passed | [20] | |||||
As of November 21, 2011.[21]
| Name | ||
| Head coach | Dominic Kinnear | |
| Assistant coach | Wade Barrett | |
| Assistant coach | Steve Ralston | |
| Goalkeeper coach | Tim Hanley | |
| Head athletic trainer | Theron Enns | |
| Assistant athletic trainer | Shane Caron | |
| Team administrator | Nick Kowba | |
| Equipment manager | Michael Porter |
See main article: 2011 Major League Soccer season.
See also: 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs.
See also: 2011 U.S. Open Cup.
| 1 | GK | 38 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | DF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | FW | 13 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | DF | 15 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | MF | 25 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | FW | 31 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | DF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | 11 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | MF | 25 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | MF | 37 | 4 | 18 | 34 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | FW | 29 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | DF | [22] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | FW | 29 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | MF | 17 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | MF | 11 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | DF | [23] | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | DF | 37 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | DF | 23 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | MF | [24] | 20 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | FW | [25] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | FW | 24 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | DF | 37 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | FW | 15 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | FW | [26] | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 28 | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 | DF | 35 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 32 | DF | 33 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||