January 26, 2006 3:54 AM

Game on, eh? Uhh...wait.....

Houston 1836

Well, we done got us a Major League Soccer team. OK, so you can be pardoned for the deer-in-the-headlight look and the overpowering sense of being underwhelmed. No one really knows what we have here, but while it’s not exactly Italy’s Serie A or Germany’s Bundesliga, it is the highest level of professional soccer in this country- and soccer is growing rapidly in the US. Currently, the US National team is ranked in FIFA’s top 10 worldwide- not something that anyone who knows anything about international soccer will take for granted. The US has a legitimate chance to do some damage in this year’s World Cup, and that can only help MLS and Houston 1836.

Of course, some wags will complain about the name (1836 is the year Houston was founded), but this is the same team San Jose Earthquakes team that was one of the best teams in MLS last year. Houston is NOT getting an expansion team. Houston 1836 should be a winner out of the box, which will certainly help it gain acceptance in a very fair-weather fan base. And speaking of weather, since the MLS season runs over the summer, and since Houston 1836 will be playing outdoors at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of attendance the team can garner. Given the high heat and humidity that are part and parcel of a Houston summer, the quality of play may also suffer as well. So many questions….

The city’s Major League Soccer team will be known as Houston 1836. The team colors will be white, orange and black.

The name’s main reference is the year Houston was founded by John and Augustus Allen on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. It also marks the year Texas declared its independence from Mexico, the Battle of the Alamo and the defeat of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican army at the hands of General Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution….

Most popular in Europe, particularly Germany, the style of naming a team after a year is considered a soccer staple. German teams such as Hannover 96 (1896), Bayer 04 Leverkusen, FC Schalke 04 (both 1904) and FSV Mainz 05 (1905) are among the most popular in Europe. The style migrated to other parts of the world, including Latin America, in the early 1900s.

Hey, if Houston 1836 wins, any complaints about the name will die off very soon. Opening Day is April 1st, and I’m going to try and get tickets. As a former college goalkeeper and high school soccer coach, I’m excited about seeing high-level professional soccer. I’ve seen the English Premier League in person, and no, I’m not expecting a level of play that high, but it should be enjoyable nonetheless.

Game on, eh??

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 26, 2006 3:54 AM.

They belong in re-education camps was the previous entry in this blog.

Principles are all well and good, but ya still gotta answer to the shareholders, eh? is the next entry in this blog.

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