Houston change his name (MLS)

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HOUSTON -- With a fitting backdrop of the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Weiss Energy Hall, the Houston club in Major League Soccer will be known as the Dynamo, team president and general manager Oliver Luck announced Monday in a press conference.

"Dynamo is a word to describe someone who never fatigues, never gives up," said Luck. "The new name is symbolic of Houston as an energetic, hard-working, risk-taking kind of town.

"To me, Dynamo has a blue-collar feel to it, as well as an association with the energy business, which is one of the things Houston is known for. We think this is a great name that greater Houston can rally around."

Scientifically, a dynamo is created within the rotation of a single magnet, whose north and south poles create electricity in a nearby coiled wire. But Luck said he hopes the term will have a new meaning for Houston soccer fans.

It is hoped the new name will unite all people from all walks of life into supporting one common cause -- the team. By and large, Houston is a very multicultural and multiethnic city. It is a city with many immigrants and first-generation Americans from Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and to some extent Eastern Europe. These groups tend to give Houston a blue-collar feel, a trait that is often not associated with the Bayou City.

"We believe a parallel can be drawn to the two major communities in Houston: English speakers and Spanish speakers, who together will create electricity at games unlike any other in MLS," said Luck.

In an attempt to restore faith with Houston's Spanish-speaking community, club officials decided to change the club's original name from Houston 1836. Houston MLS officials were adamant that their intentions were never to disrespect Houston or its diverse community. The new name was chosen internally, as opposed to a fan poll.

"We'd like to once again reiterate that at no time did MLS or AEG ever want to offend any members of the community in Houston. We want everyone to feel welcome and become a part of professional soccer in Houston," said Luck.

"We want everyone to feel welcome and become a part of professional soccer in Houston. Similar to soccer around the world and in our other MLS markets, the sport embraces all cultures and unites the community," he said. "We certainly believe this team will be a positive meeting place for the fabulous diversity of this city."

Although the new team name has no correlation with a previous Houston team, called the Houston Dynamos, the new team name, Dynamo, does embrace Houston's soccer history. The previous team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues and played one year, in 1984, losing in the final in a penalty shootout against Fort Lauderdale.

This season will be the first in MLS for the Houston franchise. The club relocated from San Jose in December.

http://houston.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/team ... p&team=hou