Houston's new name is Dynamo

Time has slipped away in Houston and has been replaced with an electrical generator, as Houston's MLS team is now Houston Dynamo. Gone are the days of the Clash, Earthquakes or 1836, now we welcome the new day of pure soccer power.

Dynamo is not a new name to the soccer vernacular. It has served many teams in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union well. However, never did the name serve the human spirit better then it did in 1942 when Hitler's Germany was occupying the Ukraine. A match was setup between an "All-Star" German team and Dynamo Kiev. Players for Kiev had been warned ahead of time, "If you win, you die."

At the start of the match, the players, filled with fear, were ready to fall to defeat at the hands of the Germans. However, being soccer players on a pitch caused them to stir. They decided they would rather die with dignity then loose with disgrace. Sure enough, they went on to beat the Germans 5-1 and all of the Ukraine was filled, if only for a moment, with pride.

Legend has it that the players were soon rounded up and shot near a cliff while wearing their jerseys, but the reality seems to point to a different, although still tragic ending (most died in various prison camps).

This is just some of the history this name brings to Houston and the league.