[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H565-H566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE HOUSTON DYNAMO SOCCER TEAM FOR WINNING THE 2007 MAJOR 
                           LEAGUE SOCCER CUP

  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 867) commending the Houston Dynamo soccer team for 
winning the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 867

       Whereas the Houston Dynamo soccer team won the 2007 Major 
     League Soccer Cup, defeating the New England Revolution by a 
     score of 2-1 at RFK Stadium on November 18, 2007;
       Whereas as the Houston Dynamo came back from a 1-0 halftime 
     deficit to defeat the Revolution;
       Whereas as Dwayne De Rosario, assisted on the tying goal to 
     Joseph Ngwenya, scored the winning goal and was named the 
     game's MVP;
       Whereas as the Houston Dynamo were playing without Brian 
     Ching, the MVP of last year's MLS Cup due to injury;
       Whereas as the Houston Dynamo has won the Major League 
     Soccer Cup for the second consecutive year;
       Whereas as the Houston Dynamo is the first team to win 
     back-to-back MLS Cups in 10 years;
       Whereas as the Houston Dynamo have won the MLS Cup in their 
     first 2 years of existence in Houston;
       Whereas Houston Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear has guided the 
     team to 26 wins, 20 draws, and 16 losses in his first 2 
     seasons in Houston; and
       Whereas Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson and 
     midfielder Dwayne De Rosario were named to the 2007 MLS Best 
     XI all-star team: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the Houston Dynamo soccer team for winning the 
     2007 MLS Cup; and
       (2) congratulates the team for back-to-back MLS Cup wins in 
     their first 2 seasons in Houston.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Hodes) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Foxx) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Hampshire.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Hampshire?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time to myself as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the 
consideration of House Resolution 867, which provides for the 
recognition of the Dynamo soccer team, out of Houston, Texas, for their 
recent 2007 MLS championship win.
  House Resolution 867 was introduced by Representative Gene Green of 
Texas on December 11, 2007, and was considered by and reported from the 
House Committee on Oversight on January 29, 2008, by voice vote.

                              {time}  1430

  The measure has the support and cosponsorship of nearly 55 Members of 
Congress, and its consideration today on the House floor allows our 
entire body the chance to commend the Dynamo on winning the coveted MLS 
Cup. As is the case in most professional sporting or athletic leagues, 
ultimate success or winning of a championship title requires hard work, 
sacrifice, and innate desire to win.
  The Houston Dynamo, led by 2005 MLS Coach of the Year Dominic 
Kinnear, have clearly demonstrated their commitment to these ideals as 
they not only hold the 2007 MLS Championship Cup but are also the proud 
winners of the 2006 MLS Championship Cup as well.
  The Dynamo's recent wins mark the first time in 10 years that a team 
has won back-to-back MLS Cups. For this accomplishment, Mr. Speaker, we 
stand to commend the Dynamo, their players, coaches and supportive fans 
on a job well done.
  I urge the passage of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of H. Res. 867 which congratulates 
the Houston Dynamo for winning its second straight Major League Soccer 
championship.
  Early in the season, the Dynamo team members weren't so much worried 
about defending their title as merely maintaining respectability. They 
brought a 2-4-1 record into Washington's RFK stadium, less than two 
miles from where we stand right now, on May 26.
  Though they lost by the score of 2-1 that night, to a man, they 
agreed that was the game when things turned around.
  The Dynamo did not lose again until July 10, a period that covered 12 
games. After that, they went six more games without a loss. By then, 
they were back where they belonged, atop the MLS standings.
  The key for this team, from all accounts, was its defense. The Dynamo 
scored 43 goals in 30 games. Not outstanding for a league champion, but 
it allowed just 23 goals as opponents wore defenders from all three 
lines of the Dynamo attack like a cheap suit for most of the season.
  Brian Ching, Stuart Holden, Eddie Robinson, Ricardo Clark, Brad 
Davis, and Patrick Ianni formed the backbone of those three lines. Pat 
Onstead, who help the team set a league record for best goal-against 
average, 0.73 per game, provided other-worldly goalkeeping.
  The season was not without its drama. After recovering from the slow 
start, the Dynamo again flirted with elimination when it lost to FC 
Dallas, 1-0, in its first playoff game and trailed 1-0 and faced 
elimination in its second. But the Dynamo then buried Dallas in a four-
goals-in-30-minutes barrage and never looked back. It beat New England 
in the finals 3-0. Does this sound familiar?
  The Dynamo showed what can happen when the team recognizes its 
weaknesses and buys into a plan to fix them.
  Congratulations to Coach Dominic Kinnear and his players for showing 
what can happen when we pull together and rise above.

[[Page H566]]

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my distinguished colleague from 
Texas (Mr. Gene Green) so much time as he may consume.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my 
colleague and both the Government Reform Committee and Rules Committee 
for allowing this resolution to be considered today. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  The Dynamo soccer team arrived in Houston just 2 years ago, and in 
the team's first two seasons, they won back-to-back MLS Cups. The 
Dynamo are the first team to do so in over a decade and have 
immediately drawn a huge fan base in Houston for their success.
  Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear has guided the team to 26 wins, 20 
draws, and 16 losses in its first two seasons in Houston. The Cup win 
this season came over the New England Revolution, the same team the 
Dynamo defeated in 2006 to win their first MLS Cup and the 2007 match 
to an attendance of merely 40,000. The 2007 Cup win was a come-from-
behind victory in which Dwayne De Rosario assisted on the tying goal to 
Joseph Ngwenya, and scored the winning goal to take home the most 
valuable player honors from the match.
  The Dynamo managed to accomplish this without the most valuable 
player from their 2006 Cup win, Brian Ching, who was sidelined with an 
injury.
  Texas and Houston have a long history of being a football State and 
town, but I first learned about soccer when I was in college playing 
goalie just during college sports. My two children grew up playing 
soccer in the 1980s when they were young in Houston. Over the years, I 
watched soccer grow not only in the suburbs but also in the very inner 
city, and you can hardly have a flat field, flat surface, without 
having soccer goals put up.
  Today in our district and throughout the Houston area, countless 
numbers of children have played and become soccer fans, and the 
Dynamos' success since arriving in Houston greatly increased the 
interest in the game.
  Four of the Dynamo stars, Brad Davis, Eddie Robinson, Ricardo Clark, 
and Stuart Holden, have been selected for the U.S. Men's National Team 
roster that will face Team Mexico at Reliant Stadium tonight in 
Houston. This is the most players of any club represented on our 
national team, and it includes the Houston native, Stuart Holden, who 
played his high school soccer in Houston.
  The U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry is one of the biggest matches the team 
plays and always draws enormous crowds and a large television 
following.
  We wish the players luck tonight in their match and congratulate the 
Dynamos on their past success and look forward to their continued 
success in 2008.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this resolution congratulating the Houston Dynamos on their 2007 Major 
League Soccer Cup victory.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. 
Res. 867 commending the Houston Dynamo for winning the 2007 Major 
League Soccer Cup. I would first like to commend our distinguished 
colleague Gene Green of the 29th Congressional District of Texas for 
introducing this important resolution. The Houston Dynamo has 
consistently strived for excellence and dominated the MLS playoffs for 
2 consecutive years and I am happy to commend them for their efforts.
  The Dynamo played their first game on April 2, 2006, in front of a 
crowd of 25,462 in Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo finished their first 
season in Houston with an 11-8-13 record, earning them second place in 
the Western Conference. On November 12, 2006, at Pizza Hut Park in 
Frisco, Texas, the Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 
in an exciting match decided by the first shootout in MLS history, 4-3 
on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie to win the 2006 MLS Cup.
  After regrouping in 2007 and pulling off a win against rival FC 
Dallas, Houston began an winning streak of 11 games and a shutout 
streak of 726 minutes, a new MLS record. They finished in second place 
in the regular season in the Western Conference, advancing to the 2007 
MLS Cup Playoffs, where they met State rivals FC Dallas in the first 
round. Just like in 2006, they faced the New England Revolution for the 
championship, and won it 2-1 on a game-winning goal by Dwayne De 
Rosario in the second half, thus winning their second MLS Cup in a row.
  As a native Houstonian I am proud to honor the Houston Dynamo for 
their sheer dominance since the premiere of MLS soccer in the United 
States. I strongly urge the community to support the Houston Dynamo as 
they will need it to sustain the expectations they have already lived 
up to. I strongly support this resolution and I urge my colleagues to 
do the same.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H. Res. 867, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 867.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HODES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________