Commending the Houston Dynamo soccer team for winning the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup.

Madam Speaker, on February 6, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 29: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 867. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 30: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 942. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'', and rollcall No. 31: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 943. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''.

Madam Speaker, on February 7, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 32: On ordering the previous question for H. Res. 956. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 33: On agreeing to H. Res. 956. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 34: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 283, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 35: On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4848, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 36: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 4 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 37: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 5 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 38: On agreeing to the amendment numbered 7 to H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''; rollcall No. 39: On motion to Recommit H.R. 4137 with Instructions. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no''; rollcall No. 40: On passage of H.R. 4137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall

No. 41: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 947. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'', and rollcall No. 42: On agreeing to the Senate amendment to H.R. 5140. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, On March 11, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following vote: rollcall No. 111: On motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, on April 14, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 183: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 886, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 184: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 994, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; and rollcall No. 185: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3548, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on May 5, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 240: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 952. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 241: On a motion to table the motion to reconsider H. Res. 952. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 242: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1011, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 243: On a motion to table the motion to reconsider H. Res. 1011. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; and rollcall No. 244: On a motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on May 6, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following vote: rollcall No. 260: On motion to adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on June 3, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 367: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 138, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 368: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 923. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 369: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1114. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, on July 17, 2008, I was unable to vote on the following votes: rollcall No. 510: On agreeing to the resolution to H. Res. 1350. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes''; rollcall No. 539: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1370, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague and both the Government Reform Committee and Rules Committee for allowing this resolution to be considered today. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

The Dynamo soccer team arrived in Houston just 2 years ago, and in the team's first two seasons, they won back-to-back MLS Cups. The Dynamo are the first team to do so in over a decade and have immediately drawn a huge fan base in Houston for their success.

Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear has guided the team to 26 wins, 20 draws, and 16 losses in its first two seasons in Houston. The Cup win this season came over the New England Revolution, the same team the Dynamo defeated in 2006 to win their first MLS Cup and the 2007 match to an attendance of merely 40,000. The 2007 Cup win was a come-from- behind victory in which Dwayne De Rosario assisted on the tying goal to Joseph Ngwenya, and scored the winning goal to take home the most valuable player honors from the match.

The Dynamo managed to accomplish this without the most valuable player from their 2006 Cup win, Brian Ching, who was sidelined with an injury.

Texas and Houston have a long history of being a football State and town, but I first learned about soccer when I was in college playing goalie just during college sports. My two children grew up playing soccer in the 1980s when they were young in Houston. Over the years, I watched soccer grow not only in the suburbs but also in the very inner city, and you can hardly have a flat field, flat surface, without having soccer goals put up.

Today in our district and throughout the Houston area, countless numbers of children have played and become soccer fans, and the Dynamos' success since arriving in Houston greatly increased the interest in the game.

Four of the Dynamo stars, Brad Davis, Eddie Robinson, Ricardo Clark, and Stuart Holden, have been selected for the U.S. Men's National Team roster that will face Team Mexico at Reliant Stadium tonight in Houston. This is the most players of any club represented on our national team, and it includes the Houston native, Stuart Holden, who played his high school soccer in Houston.

The U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry is one of the biggest matches the team plays and always draws enormous crowds and a large television following.

We wish the players luck tonight in their match and congratulate the Dynamos on their past success and look forward to their continued success in 2008.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution congratulating the Houston Dynamos on their 2007 Major League Soccer Cup victory.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of H. Res. 867 which congratulates the Houston Dynamo for winning its second straight Major League Soccer championship.

Early in the season, the Dynamo team members weren't so much worried about defending their title as merely maintaining respectability. They brought a 2-4-1 record into Washington's RFK stadium, less than two miles from where we stand right now, on May 26.

Though they lost by the score of 2-1 that night, to a man, they agreed that was the game when things turned around.

The Dynamo did not lose again until July 10, a period that covered 12 games. After that, they went six more games without a loss. By then, they were back where they belonged, atop the MLS standings.

The key for this team, from all accounts, was its defense. The Dynamo scored 43 goals in 30 games. Not outstanding for a league champion, but it allowed just 23 goals as opponents wore defenders from all three lines of the Dynamo attack like a cheap suit for most of the season.

Brian Ching, Stuart Holden, Eddie Robinson, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis, and Patrick Ianni formed the backbone of those three lines. Pat Onstead, who help the team set a league record for best goal-against average, 0.73 per game, provided other-worldly goalkeeping.

The season was not without its drama. After recovering from the slow start, the Dynamo again flirted with elimination when it lost to FC Dallas, 1-0, in its first playoff game and trailed 1-0 and faced elimination in its second. But the Dynamo then buried Dallas in a four- goals-in-30-minutes barrage and never looked back. It beat New England in the finals 3-0. Does this sound familiar?

The Dynamo showed what can happen when the team recognizes its weaknesses and buys into a plan to fix them.

Congratulations to Coach Dominic Kinnear and his players for showing what can happen when we pull together and rise above.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H. Res. 867, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 867) commending the Houston Dynamo soccer team for winning the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time to myself as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of House Resolution 867, which provides for the recognition of the Dynamo soccer team, out of Houston, Texas, for their recent 2007 MLS championship win.

House Resolution 867 was introduced by Representative Gene Green of Texas on December 11, 2007, and was considered by and reported from the House Committee on Oversight on January 29, 2008, by voice vote.

The measure has the support and cosponsorship of nearly 55 Members of Congress, and its consideration today on the House floor allows our entire body the chance to commend the Dynamo on winning the coveted MLS Cup. As is the case in most professional sporting or athletic leagues, ultimate success or winning of a championship title requires hard work, sacrifice, and innate desire to win.

The Houston Dynamo, led by 2005 MLS Coach of the Year Dominic Kinnear, have clearly demonstrated their commitment to these ideals as they not only hold the 2007 MLS Championship Cup but are also the proud winners of the 2006 MLS Championship Cup as well.

The Dynamo's recent wins mark the first time in 10 years that a team has won back-to-back MLS Cups. For this accomplishment, Mr. Speaker, we stand to commend the Dynamo, their players, coaches and supportive fans on a job well done.

I urge the passage of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to my distinguished colleague from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) so much time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 867 commending the Houston Dynamo for winning the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup. I would first like to commend our distinguished colleague Gene Green of the 29th Congressional District of Texas for introducing this important resolution. The Houston Dynamo has consistently strived for excellence and dominated the MLS playoffs for 2 consecutive years and I am happy to commend them for their efforts.

The Dynamo played their first game on April 2, 2006, in front of a crowd of 25,462 in Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo finished their first season in Houston with an 11-8-13 record, earning them second place in the Western Conference. On November 12, 2006, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, the Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution in an exciting match decided by the first shootout in MLS history, 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie to win the 2006 MLS Cup.

After regrouping in 2007 and pulling off a win against rival FC Dallas, Houston began an winning streak of 11 games and a shutout streak of 726 minutes, a new MLS record. They finished in second place in the regular season in the Western Conference, advancing to the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they met State rivals FC Dallas in the first round. Just like in 2006, they faced the New England Revolution for the championship, and won it 2-1 on a game-winning goal by Dwayne De Rosario in the second half, thus winning their second MLS Cup in a row.

As a native Houstonian I am proud to honor the Houston Dynamo for their sheer dominance since the premiere of MLS soccer in the United States. I strongly urge the community to support the Houston Dynamo as they will need it to sustain the expectations they have already lived up to. I strongly support this resolution and I urge my colleagues to do the same.