Houston Dynamos was a U.S. soccer team which existed in various forms from 1983 to 1991. In 1991, the team’s owners changed the name to Houston International, but the team lasted only through the 1992 season before folding.

1984: United Soccer League

In 1983, the United Soccer League

United Soccer League

The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...

 (USL) was formed after the second American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

 (ASL) folded that year. The ASL had served as the de-facto U.S. second division for decades, but collapsed due to overexpansion and financial insolvency. The USL intended to avoid this fate by creating a lean, financially responsible league. In 1984, the league began play with nine teams in three regional divisions. The Houston Dynamos joined the Oklahoma City Stampede and Dallas Americans

Dallas Americans

Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. It is also the name of a Indoor American Football team.After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League....

 in the Western Division. The Dynamos gained a significant boost when it signed José Neto

José Neto

José Manuel Conceiçāo Neto was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica and was part of their European Cup victory in 1961....

. Houston finished third in the league, but second in its division. In the wild card

Wild card (sports)

The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...

 game, the Dynamos defeated the Dallas Americans

Dallas Americans

Dallas Americans was an American soccer club based in Dallas, Texas that was a member of the American Soccer League. It is also the name of a Indoor American Football team.After the ASL folded, the club joined the newly formed United Soccer League....

. In the semifinals, they defeated the Oklahoma City Stampede two games to none. Their run ended in the championship, when they lost 3-0 to the Fort Lauderdale Sun

Fort Lauderdale Sun

Fort Lauderdale Sun was a U.S. soccer team which played two seasons in the United Soccer League. In 1983, the team was known as the Fort Lauderdale Sun, but in 1985, changed its name to the South Florida Sun.-Origins:...

 in the third, and deciding, game of the series.

1984 Roster

Manny Andruszewski

Manny Andruszewski

Emanuel Franciszek Andruszewski, born 4 October 1955 in Eastleigh, Hampshire of Polish parents, is a former footballer who played for Southampton F.C. He played at full back and centre back during the late 1970s.-Southampton:...

 Mike Barbarick

Mike Barbarick

Mike Barbarick is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League, United Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association....

 24 Apps 0 Goals Giulio Bernardi

Giulio Bernardi

Giulio Bernardi was an American soccer defender who spent two seasons in the American Soccer League, one in the United Soccer League and several in Major Indoor Soccer League....

 Tony Johnson

Tony Johnson (soccer)

Tony Johnson is a retired American soccer forward who played professionally in the American Soccer League, United Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association, Lone Star Soccer Alliance and the Southwest Indoor Soccer League....

 22 Apps 11 Goals Jose Neto

José Neto

José Manuel Conceiçāo Neto was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica and was part of their European Cup victory in 1961....

 21 Apps 22 Goals (1984 league MVP) Ed Puskarich

Ed Puskarich

Ed Puskarich is a retired U.S. soccer defender who had an extensive career which began in 1984 in the United Soccer League and ended in the Premier Development League. In between, he played in the American Indoor Soccer Association, National Professional Soccer League, USISL and Major League Soccer...

 Nathan Sacks

Nathan Sacks

Nathan Sacks is a former South African professional football player who spent one season in the North American Soccer League.-Professional:...

 Walter Schlothauer

Walter Schlothauer

Walter Schlothauer is a retired U.S. soccer player and coach. He played in several outdoor and indoor leagues. In 1980, he was the American Soccer League Rookie of the Year with the Cleveland Cobras....

   Lesh Shkreli

Lesh Shkreli

Lesh Shkreli was a Yugoslavian-American soccer forward who played in Yugoslavia, Greece and the United States. He led the American Indoor Soccer Association in scoring in 1984-1985, earning MVP honors.-Player:...

 Mark Lugris Thomas Rafferty

1985-1986: Independent

In 1985, the Dynamos chose not to return to the USL for the league’s second season when it became apparent the league would not survive. Despite the league’s attempt at financial austerity, it indeed folded eight games into the 1985 season. Having forsaken the USL, the Dynamos played an exhibition schedule as an independent team.

1987-1991: Lone Star Soccer Alliance

In 1987, the Dynamos entered a newly established league, the Lone Star Soccer Alliance

Lone Star Soccer Alliance

Lone Star Soccer Alliance was a soccer league that existed from 1987 to 1992. While the majority of the teams came from Texas, some also came from Oklahoma and Kansas.-History:...

.

At the end of the 1990 season, the team ownership changed the team’s name to Houston International for the franchise's final season.

Year-by-year

Year	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup
1984 1984 United Soccer League season -History:The creation of Ingo Krieg, owner of the Jacksonville Tea Men, the United Soccer League formally announced its existence on February 1, 1984. The roots go back to Krieg's frustration over the direction taken by the second division American Soccer League which was declining after a period...	USL	2nd, Western	Finals	Did not enter
1985	Independent	“N/A”	“N/A”	Did not qualify
1986	Independent	“N/A”	“N/A”	Did not qualify
1987 1987 Lone Star Soccer Alliance season -History:In April 1987, four Texas soccer teams announced the formation of the Lone Star Soccer Alliance which was associated with the Texas State Soccer Association South. The Houston Dynamos, an independent professional team, had instigated the formation of the alliance...	LSSA	2nd	Finals	Did not enter
1988 1988 Lone Star Soccer Alliance season -League standings:-Semifinals:-Championship:-External links:**...	LSSA	2nd	Finals	Did not enter
1989 1989 Lone Star Soccer Alliance season -League standings:-Semifinals:-Championship:-External links:**...	LSSA	3rd	Semifinals	Did not enter
1990 1990 Lone Star Soccer Alliance season -Northern Division:-Southern Division:-Semifinals:-Championship:-External links:**...	LSSA	4th, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1991 1991 Lone Star Soccer Alliance season -Northern Division:-Southern Division:-Semifinals:-Championship:-Points leaders:-External links:**...	LSSA	3rd, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter

Honors

MVP

• 1984 José Neto
  José Neto
  José Manuel Conceiçāo Neto was a Portuguese footballer who played for SL Benfica and was part of their European Cup victory in 1961....
  
  

Coach of the Year

• 1984 Gary Hindley
  Gary Hindley
  Gary Hindley is an American soccer coach. He has coached youth soccer, high school, college and professional teams. He won Coach of the Year honors in 1984 in the United Soccer League, 1991 American Professional Soccer League and 1998...
  
  

Executive of the Year

• 1984 Peter Kane
  Peter Kane
  Peter Kane was one of England's greatest flyweight boxers and a world champion in the 1930s. Kane was born in Heywood, Lancashire, on February 28, 1918, but grew up in the town of Golborne, Lancashire, after his family moved there before his first birthday.-Boxing style:He was a two-fisted...