The sports gods were generous to the city of Houston on Sunday, granting key wins to two of its pro sports franchises. But though there were a couple of Andre Johnson jerseys visible among the sea of orange at Brian O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub, the Houston Texans’ shellacking of the Cleveland Browns was far from the minds of the pub’s patrons as the Dynamo asserted themselves over Sporting Kansas City for a 2-0 upset victory in the MLS Eastern Conference Finals.
The Dynamo viewing party filled O’Neill’s to the brim with fans, and even spilled runoff to nearby Rice Village bars with crowded-out patrons catching the game elsewhere. The atmosphere was almost identical to that of the raucous games at Robertson Stadium, with large clusters of fans chanting as the action unfolded onscreen.
A DJ made comments at opportune times, but was wise to cede noise control to the orange-clad fans for the most part. Moments such as Tally Hall’s crucial save in the first half drew wild applause, while Andre Hainault’s goal in the second half brought the house down. The crowd also found itself sitting through MLS MVP candidate Brad Davis' season-ending injury.
“I’m just here for the cheerleaders,” Michael Derrett said. “I hear that the Dynamo cheerleaders are a lot more approachable than Texans cheerleaders.”
Davis went through the Dynamo's giddy trophy ceremony on crutches.
Most of the fans at Brian O'Neill's were long-time followers of the MLS franchise, but others came for a taste of the renowned pub food and the Dynamo fans’ legendary enthusiasm. Still others were drawn for separate reasons entirely.
“I’m just here for the cheerleaders,” Michael Derrett said. “I hear that the Dynamo cheerleaders are a lot more approachable than Texans cheerleaders.”
Indeed, the Dynamo Girls seemed very approachable, interacting easily with the crowd and giving away prizes when they were not dancing during halftime.
As another iteration in the Dynamo’s history of providing a quality soccer experience, or even just as a diversion from afternoon NFL games involving teams without “Houston” in their name, the viewing party was a huge success.
And the next viewing party figures to be bigger — times 10. The surprise Eastern Conference champion Dynamo (so much for the "rebuilding year") will play for the third MLS Cup in franchise history on Nov. 20.
The opponent? The LA Galaxy of Landon Donovan and David Beckham, who could be playing his last game in the MLS.
The site? The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., where the star-studded Galaxy are undefeated in 17 games this season.
Those are stats which would only make an upset victory party at Brian O'Neill's even sweeter.
The Dynamo spirit is high.
