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    CultureMap Video

    Dating a Dynamo: Danny Cruz pines for Natalie Portman and doesn't believe intraditional dates

    Sarah Rufca
    Caroline Gallay
    Apr 22, 2011 | 12:51 pm
    • Danny Cruz
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Danny Cruz
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Danny Cruz
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Danny Cruz
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com

    Want to get up close and personal with your favorite Houston Dynamo player? Head to Drink Houston on April 30th for Cruz'in for A Cure, a fundraiser and party organized by Dynamo player Danny Cruz to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

    This is a highly-personal cause for Cruz and he's set a goal of raising $30,000 for LLS. Much of that will depend on this night and its unique twist, which centers on a bachelor auction of 11 Dynamo hotties. Who should you bid on? Let CultureMap's dating personality quiz be your guide.

    The namesake of this whole charitable endeavor, midfielder Danny Cruz is in his third year with the team and has shown tremendous growth — playing in 25 of the Dynamo's 30 games last season and starting 14 matches. Cruz didn't pick up soccer until his freshman year of high school, but it's obvious he's come a long way.

    He took some time to answer the tough questions for CultureMap in anticipation of the big auction.

    Stats:
    21 year old from Phoenix.

    Zodiac sign:
    Capricorn

    Idea of a perfect first date:
    "Long walks on the beach. Just kidding, I don't go on dates. Maybe Mexican food."

    What's the craziest thing you've ever done to impress a girl?
    "Wow, it's a good thing these are easy questions!"

    Do you believe in love at first sight?
    "I do, absolutely."

    What's your favorite date movie?
    "Honestly, Date Night. It was funny!"

    If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
    "I'd be a cheetah."

    Who's your celebrity crush?
    "Natalie Portman."

    What is your most annoying habit?
    "I bite my nails."

    Sarah's appraisal: $4,750
    Talking about dating maybe isn't Danny's strong suit, but hearing him talk about how important this charity is to him and how much he loves the kids he works with will seriously melt your heart.

    Caroline's appraisal: $4,500
    Cruz is a definite cutie, and gets major points for organizing this whole shebang, but the midfielder gets docked for his uneven application of dating rules and his penchant for pregnant ladies.

    Longtime sports writer Chris Baldwin's appraisal: $3400
    Cruz is fast and fiery. He concentrated on American football first in high school and that attitude shows on the soccer field. This is a guy who was ejected after just 12 minutes of one game last year — for receiving two yellow cards in that span. He collects red cards like Charlie Sheen collects Goddesses. But he also drives the other team to distraction, drawing plenty of fouls and free kicks himself.

    In many ways, Cruz is a modern-day soccer version of renowned basketball pest Danny Ainge. And who wouldn't want to pick that guy's brain at dinner?

    Striking even more of a contrast, Cruz turns into Mr. Charity once the final whistle blows. Remember, this is a 21-year-old spearheading this leukemia drive.

    As an aside, I think we all can be thankful that Sarah and Caroline are only in charge of their own spending.

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    Dynamo difference makers

    Shirt off & bids high: Bachelor auction of soccer hotties brings in the bucksfor LLS

    Sarah Rufca
    May 2, 2011 | 6:24 pm
    • Lovel Palmer ups the ante by showing off his abs at the Dynamo Cruzin' for aCure auction.
      Photo by © John M. Boni/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Dynamo fans bid during the bachelor auction.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Auctioneer Sara Pepper with Cruzin' for a Cure founder Danny Cruz
      Photo by © John M. Boni/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley created a frenzy, selling for a whopping $800.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Dynamo Kofi Sarkodie with fans
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Will Bruin and Lovel Palmer
      Photo by © John M. Boni/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Photo by © John M. Boni/CatchlightGroup.com

    The sun was still out as Houston Dynamo players and fans filed into Drink Houston on Saturday night for Cruzin' for a Cure. The spacious club felt open without hordes of people, and even with hip-hop playing and the bar doing steady business, the place seemed not quite ready for prime time.

    "I think we might have done ourselves a disservice by having this a little earlier," confused Dynamo defender/event organizer Danny Cruz. But though the dance floor might not have been fully rocking, the moment 95.7's Sarah Pepper climbed up to the stage over the bar to begin the Dynamo bachelor auction, the energy in the room totally changed.

    Suddenly girls in party dresses seemed to fill the floor, waving their orange bid placards energetically to get the attention of Pepper and the Dynamo Girls who were hanging out in the crowd as spotters.

    Pepper started out by flirting with keeper Tyler Deric about how good he smelled and hyping Will Bruin's Friday night hat trick to pump their date prices to more than $200 each. The bidding atmosphere was competitive from the start, and Pepper had a knack for convincing people to keep the prices for dates going up.

    It was an atmosphere that was so contagious, that even a mild-mannered reporter like this one could get inspired to put money down for her own Dynamo (Kofi Sarkodie, in case you were wondering). It was just that kind of scene.

    Plenty of players pulled out all the stops to coax women out of their money — Lovel Palmer took his shirt nearly off to flash his washboard abs, and Mike Chabala got on the microphone looking for "Tyler Deric's mom." Cruz and Geoff Cameron both brought in big bids, but in the end it was 51-year-old goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley who created a bidding frenzy.

    With a half dozen women bidding enthusiastically, Hanley's selling price was more than double most of the players at a whopping $800.

    Between the cover charge, the bachelor auction and the silent auction featuring outings with other Dynamo players, Cruzin' for a Cure brought in more than $10,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, supporting Cruz's very personal cause and also his bid to win LLS Man of the Year.

    But for the lucky ladies who made a date with the Dynamo, the fun is just beginning.

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