# 2012 Houston Dynamo season

The 2012 Houston Dynamo season was the seventh season of the team's existence and the first season in their new soccer-specific stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo entered the season as both the defending MLS Cup runners-up and Texas Derby winners. The club also played in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.
Houston would finish the season fifth in the Eastern Conference, making a run back to MLS Cup by defeating Chicago Fire in the wild-card round, upsetting top-seeded Sporting Kansas City in the conference semifinals, and seeing off D.C. United in the conference finals. The 2011 runners-up came up short against defending champions LA Galaxy in the final by a 3–1 scoreline. As of 2024, this is the Dynamo's most recent MLS Cup appearance.

## Squad information
### Club roster

As of March 9, 2012.
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | Tally Hall | United States |
| 3 | FW | Calen Carr | United States |
| 4 | DF | Jermaine Taylor | Jamaica |
| 5 | MF | Warren Creavalle | United States |
| 6 | MF | Nathan Sturgis | United States |
| 7 | MF | Colin Clark | United States |
| 8 | DF | Kofi Sarkodie (GA) | United States |
| 9 | FW | Macoumba Kandji | Senegal |
| 10 | MF | Je-Vaughn Watson | Jamaica |
| 11 | MF | Brad Davis | United States |
| 12 | FW | Will Bruin (GA) | United States |
| 14 | FW | Colin Rolfe | United States |
| 15 | FW | Cam Weaver | United States |
| 16 | MF | Adam Moffat | Scotland |
| 17 | MF | Luiz Camargo | Brazil |
| 18 | MF | Josue Soto (HGP) | United States |
| 19 | MF | Alex Dixon (HGP) | United States |
| 20 | DF | Geoff Cameron | United States |
| 22 | FW | Brian Ownby | United States |
| 24 | GK | Tyler Deric (HGP) | United States |
| 25 | FW | Brian Ching | United States |
| 26 | MF | Corey Ashe | United States |
| 31 | DF | André Hainault | Canada |
| 32 | DF | Bobby Boswell | United States |

## Player movement
### Transfers
#### In

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 6, 2011 | Luiz Camargo | MF | Paraná Clube | Undisclosed |
| December 28, 2011 | Nathan Sturgis | MF | Toronto FC | Acquired for a 2014 draft pick |
| February 8, 2012 | Macoumba Kandji | MF | Colorado Rapids | Acquired for a 2014 draft pick |
| February 16, 2012 | Brian Ching | FW | Montreal Impact | Acquired for a 2013 draft pick |
| June 7, 2012 | Oscar Boniek Garcia | MF | Olimpia | Undisclosed |
| August 8, 2012 | Ricardo Clark | MF | Eintracht Frankfurt | Free Agent / Undisclosed |
| August 29, 2012 | Giles Barnes | MF | Doncaster Rovers | Undisclosed |

#### Out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| November 23, 2011 | Brian Ching | FW | Montreal Impact | Selected in the Expansion Draft |
| December 12, 2011 | Hunter Freeman | DF | Colorado Rapids | Selected in the Re-Entry Draft |
| January 20, 2012 | Danny Cruz | MF | D.C. United | Traded for allocation money |
| August 8, 2012 | Geoff Cameron | CB/MF | Stoke City F.C. | Sold – approximately $2.5 million |

### SuperDraft

| Round/Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1/18 | Colin Rolfe | Forward | Louisville |
| 2/37 | Warren Creavalle | Defender | Central Florida |

### Supplemental draft

| Round/Pick | Player | Position | From |
| 1/7 | Brian Ownby | Forward | Virginia |
| 1/18 | Eder Arreola | Midfielder | UCLA |
| 4/75 | Daniel Roberts | Midfielder | UNC Wilmington |

## Club staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Dominic Kinnear |
| Assistant Coach | Steve Ralston |
| Assistant Coach | Wade Barrett |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Tim Hanley |
| Athletic Trainer | Theron Enns |
| Manager, Team Operations | Nick Kowba |
| Equipment Manager | Michael Porter |
Last updated: 9 February 2012 Source:

### Other information

| Chairman | Philip Anschutz |
| Ground (capacity and dimensions) | BBVA Compass Stadium (22,039 / N/A) |
Source: Houston Dynamo

## Regular-season standings
### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 63 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 2 | D.C. United | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 58 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 57 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 57 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 53 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 52 | |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 42 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 | |
| 9 | New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 35 | |
| 10 | Toronto FC | 34 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 36 | 62 | −26 | 23 | |

## Match results

Win  Tie  Loss

### Preseason

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: October 6, 2012. Source: Competitive Matches

### Results by rounds

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Result | W | W | L | T | T | L | L | W | T | T | W | L | W | T | L | W | T | T | W | W | W | W | W | L | T | T | L | W | T | L | W | T | W | L |

### MLS regular season

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### MLS Cup Playoffs

Kickoff times are in CDT.

#### Championship
### U.S. Open Cup

Kickoff times are in CDT.

### Champions League

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Houston Dynamo | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 8 |
| Olimpia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 |
| FAS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 3 |

### Exhibitions

Kickoff times are in CDT.

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Last updated on October 27, 2012.
MLS stats from Houston Dynamo website
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Major League Soccer | Major League Soccer | MLS Cup Playoffs | MLS Cup Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League | CONCACAF Champions League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 3 | FW | USA | Calen Carr | 31 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | JAM | Jermaine Taylor | 32 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Warren Creavalle | 16 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | USA | Nathan Sturgis | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | USA | Colin Clark | 19 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | USA | Kofi Sarkodie | 19 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SEN | Macoumba Kandji | 36 | 4 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | JAM | Je-Vaughn Watson | 22 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Brad Davis | 37 | 8 | 37 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | USA | Will Bruin | 39 | 16 | 38 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | USA | Colin Rolfe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | USA | Cam Weaver | 17 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Adam Moffat | 33 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | MF | BRA | Luiz Camargo | 34 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | USA | Josue Soto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | USA | Alex Dixon | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | Geoff Cameron | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | USA | Brian Ownby | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | USA | Brian Ching | 37 | 6 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 26 | MF | USA | Corey Ashe | 37 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | HON | Oscar Boniek Garcia | 26 | 5 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | USA | Andre Hainault | 32 | 4 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 32 | DF | USA | Bobby Boswell | 42 | 3 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |

### Goalkeeper stats

| No. | Nat. | Player | Total | Total | Total | Major League Soccer | Major League Soccer | Major League Soccer |
| No. | Nat. | Player | MIN | GA | GAA | MIN | GA | GAA |
| 1 | USA | Tally Hall | 2946 | 33 | 1.19 | 2946 | 33 | 1.19 |
| 30 | USA | Tyler Deric | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Updated to match played October 28, 2012 Source: Houston Dynamo
Italic: denotes player is no longer with team

### Top scorers

| Rank | Nation | Number | Name | Total | Major League Soccer |
| 1 | USA | 12 | Bruin | 12 | 12 |
| 2 | USA | 11 | Davis | 8 | 8 |
| 3 | USA | 25 | Ching | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | HON | 27 | Garcia | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | USA | 3 | Carr | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | SEN | 9 | Kandji | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | USA | 31 | Hainault | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | USA | 32 | Boswell | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | SCO | 16 | Moffat | 2 | 2 |
Updated to match played October 8, 2012 Source: Houston Dynamo

## Uniforms

| Home | Away | Alternate |
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks |
| Home | Orange | White | Orange |
| Away | White | Orange | White |
| Alternate | Orange | Orange | Orange |

## Miscellany
### Allocation ranking

Houston is in the #18 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after going to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.

### International roster spots

Houston has 6 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots, which can be traded. Houston has previously dealt one spot to New York on 17 March 2009 and dealt another spot to New York on 14 January 2005 while the Houston franchise was still based in San Jose. Press reports did not indicate if or when these roster spots would revert to Houston. On 21 July 2011, Houston traded an international roster spot for the remainder of the 2011 season only to Portland Timbers.

### Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired:
* 2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 1 pick from Portland Timbers;
* 2014 MLS SuperDraft Round 4 pick from Los Angeles Galaxy.
Future picks traded:
* 2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 4 pick to Colorado Rapids;
* 2013 MLS SuperDraft conditional pick to Montreal Impact;
* 2014 MLS SuperDraft Round 4 pick to Portland Timbers;
* 2014 MLS SuperDraft conditional pick to Colorado Rapids;
* 2014 MLS SuperDraft conditional pick to Toronto FC;
* 2015 MLS SuperDraft Round 4 pick to Columbus Crew.