2007 Houston Dynamo season
The 2007 Houston Dynamo season was the second season of existence for the Houston franchise. The Dynamo were the defending champions from the previous season and prevailed to win back-to-back MLS Cups as they defeated the New England Revolution for the second year in a row in the MLS Cup final. The Dynamo also competed in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and North American SuperLiga during the 2007 season.
Summary
The Dynamo entered 2007 as defending champions, having defeated the New England Revolution in MLS Cup 2006. The result qualified them for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, their first continental tournament in franchise history. The Dynamo began their season in the Champions Cup; defeating Puntarenas F.C. in the quarterfinals before losing to C.F. Pachuca in the semifinals. Houston had a disappointing Open Cup, losing in the third round to the Charleston Battery. The Dynamo also competed in the inaugural North American SuperLiga, finishing top of the group before losing to Pachuca 4–3 on penalties in the semifinals.In MLS play, Houston struggled early in the season, losing 5 of their first 8 matches. The Dynamo then went on an 11 match unbeaten streak, with 8 wins during the streak, helping them climb up to top of the table. Houston had 5 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws over their final 11 games, enough of a dip in form to let D.C. United win the Supporters' Shield by 3 points and Chivas USA claim the top seed in the Western Conference by 1 point.
In the MLS Cup Playoffs, Houston matched up with Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas in the Conference Semifinals. Dallas won the first leg 1–0 thanks to a goal from Clarence Goodson. Houston got off to a poor start, with Carlos Ruiz scoring in the 14th minute to put the Dynamo down 2–0 on aggregate. The game turned in the 47th minute when Arturo Álvarez was shown a red card for violent conduct. Stuart Holden and Brian Ching then scored once each to level the aggregate score and send the game to extratime. In extratime, Ching scored in the 97th and Brad Davis scored in the 100th minute to help Houston advance to the next round. Facing off with the Kansas City Wizards in the Conference Final, the Dynamo rode goals from Nate Jaqua and Dwayne De Rosario to a 2–0 win and a return to MLS Cup. However star striker Brian Ching left the game due to an injury that forced him to miss the final. Houston met the New England Revolution in MLS Cup 2007, a rematch of the 2006 final. Taylor Twellman gave the Revs the lead after scoring in the 20th minute. Houston responded in the second half when Joseph Ngwenya scored the equalizer in the 61st minute. In the 74th minute De Rosario headed in a Brad Davis cross to give the Dynamo a 2–1 lead. Houston held onto the lead, becoming the second team in MLS history to win consecutive MLS Cups.
Final roster
Appearances and goals are totals for MLS regular season only.Player movement
In
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.| Date | Player | Position | Age | Previous Club | Notes | Ref |
| January 12, 2007 |  John Michael Hayden | MF | 22 | University of Indiana | Selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft | |
| January 12, 2007 | Corey Ashe | MF | 20 | University of North Carolina | Selected with the 13th pick in the 2nd round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft | |
| January 12, 2007 | Mike Sambursky | FW | 22 | University of South Carolina | Selected with the 13th pick in the 3rd round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft | |
| January 12, 2007 | Eric Ebert | MF | 22 | University of California | Selected with the 13th pick in the 4th round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft | |
| January 18, 2007 | Nick Hatzke | MF | 23 | University of California | Selected with 13th overall pick in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft | |
| January 18, 2007 | Erik Ustruck | MF | 22 | Santa Clara University | Selected with 13th in the 3rd round in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft | |
| January 18, 2007 | Justin Douglass | DF | 21 | Missouri State University | Selected with 3rd in the 4th round in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft | |
| January 2007 | Jordan James | GK | 24 | Cincinnati Kings | Signed on a free transfer | |
| April 18, 2007 | Richard Mulrooney | MF | 30 |  Toronto FC | Acquired in exchange for Kevin Goldthwaite and a 2008 MLS SuperDraft 1st round pick | |
| May 10, 2007 |  Joseph Ngwenya | FW | 26 | Columbus Crew | Acquired in exchange for Alejandro Moreno | |
| July 2, 2007 | Nate Jaqua | FW | 25 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Acquired in exchange for Kelly Gray and a 2008 MLS SuperDraft 2nd round pick. | |
| August 31, 2007 | Kenneth Hoerner | MF | 22 | San Jacinto College | Signed on a free transfer |
Out
Friendlies
Carolina Challenge Cup
Competitions
Major League Soccer
Conference table
Matches
Overall standings
- – Toronto FC cannot qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS. Rather, they can qualify through the Canadian Championship.
- – The winner of the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield and the winner of MLS Cup 2007 qualified for the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2007 and the winner of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round. Because New England qualified twice, the additional berth in the Preliminary Round was awarded to the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield runner-up.
MLS Cup Playoffs
US Open Cup
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
SuperLiga
Player statistics
Appearances, goals, and assists
Disciplinary record
Clean sheets
Honors and awards
MLS Player of the Week
MLS Goal of the Week
Annual
Dynamo team awards
Uniforms
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Info |
| Home | Orange | White | Orange | |
| Away | White | Orange | White | |
| Special | Maroon | White | Orange | MLS, April 29 against Chicago → Virginia Tech Memorial Kit |