July 31, 2010
My most famous call is undoubtedly the "Woohoo" call of Alex Dixon's 2011 game-winning goal for the Dynamo against Real Salt Lake.
But that call was actually a sequel. In 2010, in a game the rest of the world knew as Thierry Henry's first MLS game (that was interrupted by a pitch invader who spectacularly evaded security and then crashed into a wall), the Dynamo played the whole second half with 10 players and came from behind to score in the 90th minute and earn a 2-2 tie.
Excited, exhausted, relieved at the end of a crazy two weeks, I went off, punctuating my call with an ecstatic, "Wooo!"
Slightly more than a year later, I got to call a similar moment with Dixon's goal, but since that one was a win and I was even more excited, my punctuation went even longer and organically turned into my (in)famous, "Woohoo!"
Thierry Henry coming to MLS was a huge deal. Getting to call his
debut should have been a hugely
anticipated event. But as it happened, it was way down my priority list
that week. If you're interested in what exactly led up to that game and that call, read on ...
The backstory
You see, Houston hosted the 2010 MLS All-Star Game at Reliant Stadium just three days earlier, and it was a huge organizational focus all year. The Dynamo pushed MLS to invest in bringing Manchester United to Houston and playing the game at Reliant Stadium (capacity 70,000+), rather than playing a Mexican club at Robertson Stadium (capacity 30,000). Once MLS agreed, the pressure to make sure the All-Star Game sold out was enormous.
We were all pushing the Summer of Soccer, trying to connect World Cup viewing parties with the All-Star Game and with Dynamo games. Laying out plans, working long hours, and answering to our bosses. It was intense.
In the build-up to the All-Star Game, Houston also hosted what is now known as the Generation Adidas Cup, the championship for MLS youth teams. I had always complained about how other host teams supported the event, not helping out with photo or video or information for other teams, so I decided we would be different. With my assistant, Jonathan Kaplan, and photographer Wilf Thorne, we covered the heck out of that tournament. We got lineups for every game, we sent action photos to the other team websites to help them out, and we kept track of it all. It was exhausting. Thankfully, much of our coverage still lives here. Take a look, and check out the names in one of the daily recaps. You'll recognize some of them! Or check out one of the best goalkeeper shootout performances I've ever seen.
Anyway, the All-Star Game happened Wednesday night and was a long day, but a big hit. The crowd was sold out, our bosses were happy and relieved. MLS got crushed, but it was seriously beside the point for us. Being field-side to see Manchester United play and Chicharito debut in front of a capacity crowd that we were responsible for was a big deal, and that was a memorable night.
Of course, some of us were back at work early the next morning for the academy championship game and then a full day in the office. When I got in bed that night, early at 9 or 10 pm, I remember just immediately falling into a deep sleep.
So when my fiancee (now wife) woke me up in the middle of the night, I was not exactly with it. But it very quickly became clear she was in real pain, and we were headed to the hospital. After spending Friday and most of Saturday with her at the hospital, and after her mother arrived to help comfort her, I did manage to sneak away for the Saturday night broadcast of the Dynamo-Red Bulls game. My wife has never let me forget it, but I can't deny I'm glad I didn't miss that game!
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