Nice.
As the MLS All-Stars prepare to take on English Premier League club Everton in Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game in Sandy, Utah, the league announced Monday that Houston will host the 2010 edition.
“The city of Houston has consistently and fervently supported the Dynamo and other high-profile soccer events in recent years,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber, who joined Dynamo president Oliver Luck in Park City, Utah, for the announcement. “Houston will be a tremendous site for the 2010 MLS All-Star Game, and we are pleased to reward its vibrant soccer community with the week of festivities that surround this marquee event.”
The date, opponent and venue for the event — either Robertson Stadium, home to the Dynamo, or the much bigger Reliant Stadium — will be announced at a later date.
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The Dynamo had been pushing for either an MLS All-Star Game or an MLS Cup final since the team relocated from San Jose, Calif.
Still, Luck said the selection caught the team somewhat by surprise, considering it is one of the few MLS clubs without a stadium of its own.
“We knew we were operating at a disadvantage,” said Luck, whose team has been negotiating a stadium deal with the city of Houston and Harris County for more than 11/2 years. “I think this shows MLS has really warmed up to Houston.”
Most other leagues would have said something like “When you build the stadium, you’ll get the event”. You don’t think it’s a coincidence or a run of good luck that we got the Super Bowl and the MLB and NBA All Star Games in recent years, do you? In the meantime, I hope this game is at Reliant. I’d buy a ticket for that. Congrats to the Dynamo for getting this done.