Better Know A Supporters Group - Texian Army

We continue our comprehensive coverage of American soccer culture with our series "Better Know a Supporters Group," just like Steven Colbert's "Better Know a District" from "The Colbert Report". 

Our goal: to feature each of the MLS teams' supporters groups. We've sent e-mails to each and every SG in Major League Soccer and soon you'll be able to check all what each is all about and what awesomeness they have to contribute to our growing American soccer world.

When we devised this idea a while back it was cool to be able to see what each supporter group is about, but in light of the terrible, one-sided, anti-American, condescending profile of Philadelphia's Sons of Ben SG by the British GQ (not even going to link to it to give them the site hits) we think its all the more important to give supporters groups in Major League Soccer the proper exposure and voice they deserve.

Today we feature one of Houston Dynamo's largest supporters groups, the Texian Army.

As told to the Free Beer Movement by James Hromadka, a member of TA's Board of Directors.

The Basics


SG Name: Texian Army

MLS Club: Houston Dynamo

Stadium: Robertson Stadium (New soccer-specific stadium currently under construction. Opening date: 2012)

Year SG Founded: 2006

Section Name (if other than SG name): North End

Any other SGs apart of your section? La Bateria, El Batallon, Brickwall Firm

Location of SG in Stadium (section #, side, direction): 214

The Meaty Questions

What are the origins of your groups’ name? 

The original name of the Dynamo was going to be “Houston 1836” after the year in which Houston, Texas was founded. However, 1836 was also the year that Texas won its independence from Mexico, and a big political stink was raised by county commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Since the team was going to need political help to get a stadium, they caved on the name and changed it. The Texian Army uses the same name as the Texas revolutionary army that fought and defeated Santa Anna during Texas’ fight for freedom. Even after 1836 was no more, the group decided to keep the name.

Favorite chants/songs?

“Oh Dynamo You Are My Love” and “Forza Houston” are our two most popular songs.

Why is being in the supporters section the “best seat in the house”? 

It’s where all the action is. Elsewhere in the stadium you’re just a fan. But being in the supporters’ section you feel as though you were part of something bigger, that your cheering “wills” the team to victory. And when your team does score, the section goes nuts.

Every soccer fan should spend one game with the supporters.

Brag. What makes your SG one of the best supporters groups in MLS?

Our tifo is top notch. We have a new banner for every opponent this year that’s a cartoon making fun of the opponent. We have come up with some good banners over the years. Next year at the new stadium is going to be exciting because it will be an opportunity to come up with all new banners for the occasion.

Our group also loves to travel. Texian Army members have amazing stories from seeing the Dynamo play at Pachuca and elsewhere. The annual trek to Frisco for the FC Dallas game is always fun because it is obvious that we are not wanted there. 

Greatest game(s) in team history?

It would be easy to say the very first game or the two MLS Cup championships, but there’s nothing l enjoy more than the games against FC Dallas. The first time we played them was a barnburner win, and one of the most exciting games ever was the home leg against them in 2007. There’s a lot of bad blood between the two teams and its fans alike. We don’t like each other, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Predictions for this season? 

The Dynamo get its only road win of the season in Frisco. Brad Davis finishes the season as the assists leader. The Dynamo don’t make the playoffs.

Why Major League Soccer? Why American soccer? 

Houston is our city. MLS is our league. If you truly enjoy soccer, why wouldn’t you want to watch soccer in your city? In your country? How can you be a fan of a team from a city (or country for that matter) that you’ve never been to? Plastic Man Utd and Chelsea fans are just as bad as plastic Red Sox and Yankees fans.

For more information and/or how to join the Texian Army go to their website.

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Free Beer Match Day Seven: The Movement Makes the All-Star Game

The Free Beer Movement is headed down Hwy 290 to Houston, Texas today for the Major League Soccer All-Star Game!  The best at the brightest of MLS will face off against English Premier League giants, Manchester United at 7:30pm CT on ESPN2.

We're hanging out with the crazy folks of the Houston Dynamo supporters group, the Texian Army for a bit of tailgate, beer swilling action.

We'll be armed (not in the Texas way you think!) with FBM stickers for anyone that can track me down.  I'll be in my maroon Free Beer Movement shirt from Objectivo probably sporting my white US Soccer hat.

The site will be quite for a couple of days then, but we'll post our standard photo essay when we get back so you can live vicariously through the Movement's day.


If you're looking for something to do in the meantime help us out by heading over to this post and give some advice to newly minted soccer fans from the World Cup.

Support the Movement. Get the Free Beer Movement T-Shirt. Only from Objectivo.com

Who We're Buying a Beer For...

We're got an all-Major League Soccer line up this week for our brew list as we anxiously await the beginning of another domestic soccer season in America (especially since our Liverpool is dropping a big one in England). We're looking to honor the passion and drive that the league and fans are driving to support soccer in America.

1) Houston Dynamo Fans

New stadiums are popping up all over the United States, but sadly not yet for the Dynamo of Houston. The fourth largest city in the country recently elected a new mayor and not the guy who favored building the two-time MLS champions their new casa.

Despite this obvious set back, Dynamo fans rallied last week to highlight their cause to move out of their college digs, Robertson Stadium. A bit of fan activism that shows that American soccer is trying to flex its collective muscle and add another soccer-specific-stadium to the league.

Playing soccer in a college (and probably a throw-ball) stadium is exactly like living in a college place. For a while it's nice just to have a place to play/live; you don't mind the fact that your roommates are slobs or their are football lines on the field and the sidelines look like a bulldozer ran down them. Sure, you really like the "quaint-ness" of sharing a bathroom with four other guys and, sometimes, their girlfriends or sharing with a NFL franchise that cares nothing for soccer (I'm looking at you Krafts and Patriots).

But its time to graduate and get a real place. Time to take down the Bob Marley posters and stop eating only Jack's frozen pizzas for dinner. Time to stop sharing gate and concession revenue and have some space to put up your championship banners not hidden in a corner.

Time to take action. Here's to the Texian Army and Houston Dynamo fans fighting the good fight!

2) Kansas City Wizards

And see what hard work will get ya? The Wiz broke ground for their new stadium this past week. Great news for the soccer-specific stadium movement in America. While the stadium won't be completed until the 2012 season it just highlights how important for the sport to grow in the U.S. it is to have great facilities for our teams.

That can only happen if we, as soccer fans, invest our time and money in these local clubs. If you are an soccer fan in American you have an unique opportunity to be a "financial founding father" of this sport. Our hard-earned dollars, put to good use in American soccer clubs, proves to the powers-that-be that it is worth the time and money investment for them to build stadiums, develop quality players, and serve their fans as best that can.

Clubs like Toronto, Seattle, and this year's expansion team, Philadelphia have proven that fan activism is THE key to successful club growth in American soccer.

3) Sons of Ben

The FBM just got done reading this month's issue of Soccer America that featured an article about the new Major League Soccer franchise in Philly. With their inaugural season about to kick off this spring its important to think about just how important the supporter's group, the "Sons of Ben" were to bringing soccer to the "City of Brotherly Love".

The SOBs (nice abbreviation!) began in 2007 on the 301st anniversary of their namesake Benjamin Franklin's birthday and quickly grew to be a supporter's group numbering in the thousands despite the fact that Philadelphia had no MLS team. With a rumored franchise on the way the group formed a strong backbone to the city's MLS bid creating a season ticker drive that in 2007 that netted 2,800 requests!

With their team's first season on the horizon nearly 9,000 of the allotted 12,000 season tickets have already been snatched up by Union supporters. The SOBs efforts have allowed the league to post another public relations triumph even before kickoff of their 15th season.

Fan-led efforts are creating momentum for soccer all across the United States. While the Free Beer Movement is small-fries now this is the wave we're trying to ride as well. When we're in Philly we'll be sure to stop by McGillin's Old Ale House and buy them a round.