2023 Houston Dynamo Expectations: Survey Results
(image via Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)
The 2023 MLS season gets underway tomorrow, and the Houston Dynamo will kick things off on the road against FC Cincinnati. A new year brings a new season with lots of new players, a new coaching staff, and a chance to wipe the slate clean from the 2022 season.
With a new season and a new era of Dynamo soccer getting ready to begin, we thought it would be interesting to see what you, the fans, expectations are for 2023. We sent out a short survey on Twitter asking about your expectations for the club this year across each of the tournaments they’ll be competing in. Here, we’ll break down the results.
First and foremost, we wanted to say thank you to all 94 of you who took the time to answer the survey. Your data was very insightful and appreciated. Without further ado, let’s jump into the results.
MLS Western Conference
The Dynamo last made the playoffs at the end of the 2017 season. It’s been a while. Based on our responses, nearly 60% of Dynamo fans think is the year the team returns to the postseason. It won’t be easy as this 60% thinks the Dynamo get into the play-in game as the 8 or 9 seed in the Western Conference.
Nobody thinks this team is winning the Western Conference, but they also don’t think the Dynamo are finishing bottom of the conference. 26.6% of responders think the Dynamo will get into the playoffs as a 5, 6, or 7 seed while a few even think they can finish as high as 2nd through 4th. 11.7% don’t think the Dynamo return to the playoffs this season.
MLS Cup Playoffs
So, nearly 90% of Dynamo fans expect the team to get into the playoffs this season. What are the expectations when they get there? 40% think getting to the play-in game is the expectation in 2023. Nearly 32% expect them to go a step further and win that play-in game to advance to the conference quarterfinal. Another 15% have even higher expectations and are looking for the team to advance to the conference semifinal or even to the final. Nobody is ready just yet to put the Dynamo into MLS Cup.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
One of the main takeaways from this data is that fans are expecting the Dynamo to do well in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. 7% even think the team will lift the trophy again, like they did in 2018. Only 6% don’t think the team advances past the round of 16. New head coach Ben Olsen also won an Open Cup as a manager with D.C. United so this tournament could be the Dynamo’s best chance at success in 2023.
Leagues Cup
This is the first year that all MLS and Liga MX teams will be competing in the League Cup. The Dynamo have been drawn into a group with Mexican side Santos Laguna and fellow MLS club Orlando City. This looks to be a tough draw for Houston but the fans are still expecting a successful tournament. Only 13% are expecting a group stage exit. The other 87% are looking for the team to advance into the knockout stages. About 25% of people think the team will get to the round of 32, another 25% think they will get to the round of 16, and another 25% think they will get to the quarterfinals. One person is expecting to win the Leagues Cup, no pressure.
Best Comments
These are some of our favorite comments from the ones that people left.
“Something at least something”
“Playoffs or we riot”
“I am PUMPED. This team is being built for a Championship in 2026 or beyond. Ted Segal wants to win as we do. I am hopeful.”
“I expect us to lay a foundation to build upon. I don't expect us to go last to first, but it would be nice to at least be in playoff conversation when the end of the season comes along. Hopefully this will be the first actual start to rebuild we've needed for several years.”
“I expect disappointment. Not sold on Olsen at all.”
And lastly…
“I just hope we don’t suck ass”
Conclusions and final thoughts
Given how poor the team has been in different years, the fans are entering 2023 with some varied expectations. People are ready for this team to improve, and a good majority are expecting a playoff appearance as well as some success in the two tournaments.
The expectations seem reasonable for the squad the club has going into the season. We’ll have to wait and see how the team looks on the field. We’re excited to see what this season brings and hope you all are too.
