Major League Soccer's newest soccer-specific stadium will officially open Saturday afternoon, as the Houston Dynamo end their season-opening, seven-game road trip to open up BBVA Compass Stadium against D.C. United.
The final touches have been put on the stadium, which Geoff Cameron told the Houston Chronicle is like "an oven" because of the lack of wind that carries through the park. The stadium itself, though, coupled with the skyline provided by downtown Houston, makes for one impressive venue. Here's a look at the stadium from inside and out ahead of its unveiling. Enjoy:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-LBveiBYgY]
Nice stadium…Bad Name
Climate Change is handling that
It has been hailing in Texas with record cold over the past few years. The heat won’t be as steady as it has been as climate change becomes more of a force.
totally agree, felix! Chicago sports almost always are “too early” and “too meh” in the stadium development.
United Center (Bulls and Hawks). OK stadium. Ok location.
US Cellular Field (Sox). After remodels, nice. Ok location.
Soldier Field (Bears). Weird after remodel. Too small of capacity. AWESOME location.
Toyota Park. Pretty Nice. Bad location.
Seems like we never WOW people with stadia (other than the obvious Wrigley Field).
Toyota Park was $100 Million. BBVA was $95 Million, and the Dynamo only paid $60 Million for construction, and the CITY bought the land!
Absolutely amazing stadium. Damn I’m jealous in a good way. I wish North Carolina had a MLS team and stadium. Cheers to the city of Houston and MLS. We have two or three more teams to go in the league for SSS stadiums.
Haha you are correct, my fault. Another plus are the ticket prices. Season tickets are a bargain!
The field will be hot but there isn’t anything you can do about that. The stands are actually breezy and the concourse is going to feel absolutely amazing. During the STH event on Thursday, even with just a mild wind outside, it felt like a huge breeze in there. The mesh outside the stadium really channels the wind well.
Probably means more people standing in line to get beer, unlike Robertson which was out in the scorching sun.
The atmosphere is going to be amazing.
Bros, home depot center is the epitome of Mel’s stadium class.
“yet”….yea, hopefully they don’t ala Frisco.
That heat comment is concerning. If it’s hot before noon when they practice, it’ll be much hotter in the afternoon and will be even hotter when full of people. It’s very beautiful indeed, but I hope safety wasn’t sacrificed and no one gets hurt due to the heat.
They have a paper on them saying that they are still available for Season ticket purchase. It was for Saturdays STH event.
There are. Lucky’s Pub is probably closest at 1 block.
Location, location, location. It’s a great location. It’s also a pretty pitch…at least until that college football team tears it up.
Hmm…that deserved some fact-checking. BBVA capacity is 22,000. THe team hasn’t averaged 18,000 in any since the first year. While the playoff crowds have been larger than 22k, the smaller stadium is sure to increase regular season average.
Gnarls,
What’s the neighborhood like? It looked commercial from the aerial shots. I know they can’t drop a stadium directly into a city, but it would be nice if there were places to get a beer within a couple minutes walk of the gate.
I like Toyota Park, but when I see places like BBVA, RBA, and Livestrong or places where location was put at a premium like BMO Field or Jeld-Wen, it really bums me out.
Toyota Park is a nice, but not a great stadium built in a terrible location.
Le sigh.
For those looking for more pictures of the stadium
Pillars of the Dynamo (current and former)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150703795926150.380453.20105631149&type=3
Suites
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150663329636150.378176.20105631149&type=3
Team Store
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150684534501150.379996.20105631149&type=3
Week By Week
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150278331606150.323891.20105631149&type=3
NO football lines…yet.
That college gridiron team better not rip up all that beautiful grass.
The bar on the bottom is indeed the base frame. It hooks up to the front posts when not in use.
Don’t forget the random drop/step along the end line for the ones without barriers.
The stadium looks great but I feel like I need a dramamine after watching that video.
this video needs less pointless floating-camera-over-the-stadium shots and more interior shots (e.g. box seats, locker rooms, etc.). about 2/3 of that video was the same shot from above the stadium. it’s looks great though, was just hoping for a little bit more of a tour.
Actually our attendance will be lower b of the fewer seating but it will have a greater atmosphere 🙂
As a neutral, LSP is the class of our league. That observation includes fan support/atmosphere.
Ditto from a DCU fan!
wow Houston Soccer has arrived!!!
I was wondering the same thing. My thoughts were maybe the bottom bar was actually the net all rolled up. Just my guess.
From a Galaxy supporter… congrats to Dynamo fans, the city of Houston and MLS. One of the leagues most consistent and solid clubs now has the home it deserves.
Honestly… I can’t believe how far the league has come in 5 years.
Yep, they used a remote control helicopter.
Well done and deserved. The attendance will improve a lot.
I hope that the games are played at night. That would improve the attendance and the game.
Uh-oh. Looks as if the designers made a major mistake–too much space between the out-of-bounds lines and the seats. This is too smart an idea and will make the field too safe for players, making it way too hard for them to be injured. Some concrete barriers and advertising billboards will have to be added near the playing field, European style.
What’s with the random white seat(s) located in various sections?
As a fifth-generation Houstonian, I have only one thing to say to any complainers: “Wah-friggin’-wah.”
Last I checked, if it’s too bad for you, forfeits are allowed for in the Laws of the Game.
Only the stadium?? Try the whole of Houston…
RBA is the nicest IMO.. or equal with LSP and this from a KC fan.
They should’ve hired the crew from Qatar to cool the stadium.
I’ve been to the stadium twice already and it’s awesome! I’m so proud of our guys and our City for making it happen. Go Dynamo!
Very nice. Its muggy in Mexico City, rainy in Seattle, and it’s hot in Houston. Get over it, Geoff.
Very nice Houston. Well done
Agreed.
Hoping more clubs follow suit in the future.
How’d they do the camera work? Is it on some sort of remote-controlled flying contraption? Very cool stuff!
This looks very cool . . . I have been to RedBull and Union Park a few times, and really enjoy both. This looks like a great size, and some really nice touches. Congrats to Houston, and to the league as a whole . . . another great step forward for everyone.
What is up with those goals? Why does it seem that there are 2 crossbars at different heights?
Curious that they would either 1)neglect to take heat into consideration when they designed it or 2)purposely design it to be hot to make players sweat. Looks really nice though.
its*
Its best features are its location and it’s stunning exterior architecture. To me, Livestrong is still the most attractive stadium inside (or so it seems from my couch in California).
No turf/football lines = great step in the right direction.
If the netherlands were able to collectively deficate all at once…I would imagine that this is what it would look like.
Wade Barrett also told me the field was quite hot and stifling during the open practice. The stands, however, are comfortable and breezy due to the design of the stadium. I asked Wade if Robertson Stadium was hot down on the field and he couldn’t really remember if it was any hotter than this one. Let the boys sweat! We’re in Texas after all.