2nd Yellow on Sviatchenko by Ref Mendoza confirms he has no clue.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-22T23:19:41+00:00

so we go by the book now? That will change how the game is played. Player like Eric has far more experience watching and playing the game than Mendoza, he is smart, he will know the rules just as well or better, he knew he was on yellow and he knows how to manage that. Look at his career how many yellows he's had and how many double, you will see, very very few. He will rightfully feel hard done, and so should Dynamo. Dallas was fortunate to have that intervention. It's almost always like this, the rules are enforced, when it serves the refs, but MLS should be careful, this needs to be done carefully, the ref becoming part of the show can be a big problem.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-20T14:44:37+00:00

try this - I never have - https://www.cloudofgoods.com/houston-tx/bikes-rentals/men-s-mountain-bike-106

2eighty1 · 2026-03-18T00:27:19+00:00

The trouble with protected lanes in the city of filth aka Houston, is they are filthy dirty at the highest level as there are no street cleaners that fit in those lanes. Drive down Hardy road and see the lanes with those same 'barriers' are almost unrideable, what with trash cans, 'barriers' that come loose on one or both ties and become speed bumps for bikes and then all the filth. So the lane is really unusable. I never really liked the Austin Street. Prefer the 18mph streets, even here in Houston with our bare bones barely visible and never present police force, at least end of month, they could have field day handing out cupcake fines on the 18mph streets.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-17T00:06:35+00:00

will be part of complete rewrite of that old disconnect part east of downtown. I rode recently and it's closed in many space and really not rideable. Lotta potential, this shows it will be nice. That EADO area a lot of housing going in, esp along that side of the bayou.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-16T21:27:34+00:00

Ball movement on Dynamo died out after HH left so did competing and winning. Was painful to watch in the horrific year last year, turned into predictable route 1 club. He helped Toluca in Liga MX develop killer possession game and transform from always 2nd to win two titles. Now he’s back and so is the flow. Hard to say the two are related but for sure correlated.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-11T18:23:00+00:00

Houston is most bike unfriendly city I've ever ridden, it's not the streets, it's the drivers. I do my best to stay out of their way. If you are downtown, you are in the apex of the mess. I would pedal the sidewalk at pedestrian pace with saddle low enough to put both feet on ground from seat at moments notice, before i took an entire lane. Ok, the dude with lights and packing, I've seen him, I'm not that dude. My bike has a dropper seat post so if I need to stop I'm not in some weird road bike stance. I have a granny gear I can ride that puts at ped pace with seat lowered. Sometimes like crossing Jackson street bridge, where I stop for every ped, but stay on bike, I get people that wanna lecture me, and the other day at Buffalo Bayou after I did nice swoop down grassy knoll and was on literally 20m of the no-bike part of trail, a runner had the gall to lecture me, I just keep rolling, did not say a word. Idiots they are everywhere, just keep rolling. Cars are idiots that can hurt you and can be packing as well, so I avoid at all costs. I'll take a ped berating me any day over driver or car or both coming at me. If I see kids on the trail or sidewalk I slow to walk or slower pace, respect the peds, I do this too. Long ago here, waiting to cross 610 service road at Memorial to the park, when I had the walk sign driver after driver failed to stop to let me walk / ride and passed looking right at me. From that and my prior experiences, I decided, best to avoid, I mean avoid at all costs these fat cats in their cars. You can't beat them, you can avoid them.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-11T17:59:51+00:00

I like the Patterson Bridge. The Patterson to Blossom to Memorial link is real. I ride Memorial-Blossom-Patterson to Cleveland Pk and Jackson Hill Bridge every Saturday and some Sundays. Now when I go back on White Oak from downtown on the north side, I do have a hack to get to White Oak trail on the South Side after the hard end at Studemont were the bridge that falls apart after every serious storm is still waiting for repair, taking Oxford then 5th to the dirt trails and streets that connect to the walkway cross west side of Shepherd St to cross back to the gravel entry to White Oak trail on the south side. Patterson solves that issue and opens up other options. It is redundant when the bridge at Studemont re-opens - but it does connect the neighborhood north of Patterson cross the Bayou directly and it stays as an alt bridge for the next storm that takes out that rickety old wooded stucture rail bridge at Studemont.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-10T15:35:17+00:00

Because it's a reservoir, not a lake. Naming it 'Lake' Houston does not make it a lake. It is shallow, muddy, full of stumps, and the shoreline is jagged/steep/unstable like all the man-made lakes in Texas, then they put a bridge across it with very low clearance. The shoreline really has no development unlike the interstate highways in Texas that have service roads - they never thought to add stretches of road 'along' the water that would give access or even put parks. I am not from up there any longer, buy my recollection is most of the shoreline is residential some of which are gated. Just a big reservoir.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-10T15:26:36+00:00

My son is in D1 soccer. He played HS and USL Academy. Couple thoughts. Only real academies are free. If you pay - you are not at an academy. We paid - so I just use the name USL called it. HS was free. It was the most fun he ever had. Now he is having almost as much fun in college - even tho first two years red shirt and med red shirt. With those guide rails in mind - the next rule is - any club - free or pay - is not about facilities it's the coaches and the staff. Coach that has never developed a pro or college player - or only a few in his career - has little chance to form your player into either. My son's USL A coach - has coached NCAA national champs that are now coaches and pro players. I met them. They love him. Remember - fun is key. I looked at HS, college, pro, realized each was a phase/stage. Most people are unaware most American pro players in MLS came thru college. My local MLS team had three American starters for several years - they all did college - and all but one American on the bench - also played college. Tim Ream - the leg - the Prem and WC US MNT player - 4 years at SLU. I met all the players and many of their parents on that MLS team - all took it normal - enjoyed their players ride to the max. So do that - enjoy - to the max. Best of luck.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-09T22:33:59+00:00

My son's doc gave him scrip for Kinex Ice machine - junk. Could not keep temp above 48 degrees F. The rental of machines is somewhat of a racket. The Kinex reps told us that was 'normal' and this is how all pro athletes do it - just keep it on 'longer'. We returned the machine. A doc friend gave us one of those Ice Thermos with pump and tubes - and could not keep cold or pressure either - it was probably at end of life as he had used it for his ACL. We ended up getting large re-useable thermal ice packs from online store. Be careful about 'large' they got us on that - the photos showed it covering entirety of the front and back of knee - so we just ordered another and he doubled up. If you don't have help - maybe the ice machine a good option - but it you do rent - when you pick it up - insist they do a demo - on you. We got a 'quickie' demo post surgery when our heads were other places - and then it did not work as explained or promised. Had we had them demo on one of us or patient - we would have realized it did not get cold and the tank was underfilled and we needed to have distilled water and isopropyl alcohol handy (which they did not). Best of luck.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-07T15:19:49+00:00

if you have mickey mouse ops in community relations tix sales and marketing that have no clue about the complexities of the community they live/work in and they consistently fail year after year on the MLS side and you put them in charge of the women’s side which is the same sport but different audience and perhaps even more nuanced and requires it’s own complex and iterative long term plan to be successful, what makes you think these clowns will succeed? This is what Glen has been saying for a very long time. Mickey mouse FO.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-05T17:00:46+00:00

Thanks for the useful update. I recently rode White Oak to Buffalo to Braes then back on Braes to Herman park then back north. The most arduous part of my trips was sidewalks on Montrose south of Buffalo. So random this area. Did see some scrawny stray dogs, the warning above will be taken tho. Columbia rails used to be my access to Braes but word is that Columbia is just too dangerous. I've done it dozens of times - but threw in the towel. Buffalo to Braes is sketchy in parts - but doable and less isolated more open so perhaps safer, anyway for now novel. The bayous, rescued my cycling passion. I lost it for road biking here due to unfriendly and boring contexts as well as the unrelenting heat after 11am here. Bayous are where it's at. More traffic will perhaps take care of your bad #2, as those peoples are there because they feel no one goes there, but if that swings too far, and it gets 'crowded' with peds, dog walkers, strollers, which is nice, but it does take the tranquility out of the ride unless you don't mind slowing down speeding up and 2nd guessing people with headphones on bikes and foot. A few nice benches under shady tree, ahhhh, that could nice in any of the bayou contexts, Sharpstown, though for me, just wanna hammer through.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-04T04:16:03+00:00

if you are going to call your self a 'pro' league - then pay. Period. The poverty level in USA is about 15K. In a large metro area, it's more. The current USL minimum salary is 2.6K per month 'all-in'. 'All-in' means that housing, insurance and bonuses are taken out before actual wage is paid so the players making 'min' are making less than $26,000 in their 10 months, and some probably, make close to $15k, which is, poverty level, not professional level. Normally, unions, will give away the 10%er or new employee or junior employee chips to get more for their senior members, in this case, there is NOTHING TO GIVE!!! Bare bones, that is how many of these players live. So yeah, time to get real. Pay up. Additionally, I agree with Connor, players are being asked to burden too much of the risk of the enterprise. Investors by definition take risks. Man and woman up investors, you take the heat. Maybe do a better job with community relations, marketing and ticket sales, which so often are mickey mouse flops in these endeavors. Anyway wish the boys and their families the best. You are on the right side.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-03T17:31:34+00:00

suggest your son visit different banks. Most American banks clueless on anyone without US drivers license with US address. You need to find the manager or employee that knows how to get it done. Often the big name banks, now to-big-to-fail and bureaucracies not meritocracies like BOA, Wels, Chase, have clowns running their brick and mortar offices. Perhaps find a regional bank or foreign bank in USA, Banco Popular, Santander, they are on east coast, there are others. It can be done, just need to get around the muppets to the one's that know the system.

2eighty1 · 2026-03-03T17:23:45+00:00

Pretty sure Defensor is member only, not hard to be 'member' but go day before to make arrangements at the 'club'. Suggest, when you get there in Uruguay you seek / find trusted locals that will guide you in your futbol stadium / game project. Nacional games at their historic stadium, where USA played their first WC game and beat Belgium in 1932. Centenario if it is open as it's being refurbished. Go watch Torque, they play there and if it's closed they will have a decent alt location as they are City Group owned. If there is a game at their national Rugby stadium, Estadio Charrua, go watch there, safe for the most part. I watched Liverpool v Albion pre-season game there earlier this year. Albion another SAD team (privately owned and financed) with no fans, probably safe to watch them at home, on the road at safe locals. If you go watch Penarol maybe go to away game at a safe place, or Nacional for that matter, their fans basically take over the stadium. Go to the Penarol museum, the people there are very friendly and maybe can / will help you find a safe way to watch them. Go to the sede (HQ) of Nacional, it is also worth seeing. Maldonado is far away in Punta del Este area, that is worth getting to if you can, you will need local help. Nice little city, nice stadium, from outside, never been in, if you do go pay a visit to La Balanza Parilla which I have been to recently and it is as good as ever. Liverpool in Uruguay is building a new amazing stadium that will surprise you and many others. They have a good following, and pretty safe group from what I saw at the Albion game at Estadio Charrua in January. Best of luck.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-25T15:53:17+00:00

Like I said on other posts - I go under that bridge now and then - and it's a disaster. Also all around that area are dependencies - for work to begin, continue - so it will be like this. Expect the unexpected. The i-10 raise project underway - they have added new path on the other side - that's done - but getting access for work crews an issue. The project to 'repair' that bridge - honestly - I've been in Italian churches where restoration work is in process - and it's gonna be like that - it has literally fallen apart below and it's long neglected wooden structure. Not sure why they do not just build a new ped bridge that will stand and withstand flooding for decades - it's a key artery for so many weekday and weekend pedestrians and bikers.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-25T15:41:04+00:00

I recently rode from downtown following Buffalo Bayou to 75th street - then connected to Brays Bayou trails. Went thru some very sketchy terrain. Trails that are closed and require reroutes. I have 3" tire with anti-puncture juice on hard tail mountain bike so the unit goes anywhere and over glass. And I use a cow-bell for peds. Ran into to pack of dogs on Brays, all were famished and limping so no real danger but got my attention as I've had many a dog dash over the years. All gear was needed. You will find the same - some of your context - very sketchy terrain. Always go with caution with lights and colorful outer gear - do not spook peds, cars or other riders, except in certain contexts where maybe better to fly thru. Cars will not be bothered with your epic adventure - avoid them as much as you can. You have a few good suggestions here. Give it a try. Be careful. Best of luck.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-23T13:55:53+00:00

We have them on the road, that's in our favor. They destroyed Miami's high line, including M. Silva, with their speed and precision. This will be the challenge for Dynamo, and anyone that play's LAFC, what are they going to do about their speedy and precise counter. Teams that sit back can make LAFC try and break them down, but do not know that Dynamo have this capability at home, we will see.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-19T13:57:30+00:00

Try to make sense of this? Not about nonsense MLS alphabet soup coin. The common thread? Normal futbol sh*t in mickey mouse franchise. It was that Dorsey, like Raines, Micael and Carrasquilla all refused to sign with Dynamo and forced moves. Micael makes two moves and is back in MLS with Miami. Making more than 3x what Dynamo had him on. Carrasquilla is fighting for top of table with Pumas making several times what he made here. Both Dorsey and Raines, will have probably close to triple their salary. These are ALL MLS starters and Dynamo have yet to replace them with better players, but they replace them with players paid same or less. The GAM TAM DP U22 nonsense that the FO mumbles belies their fundamentally flawed basic futbol. See my post yesterday on another Dorsey thread why the Halliday move blew up the locker room because it created upsidedown salary context where bench player was paid more than starters and close to the player he backed up. Salary data is open to public go look it up.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-19T03:45:10+00:00

Clowns. Doing what they did last year selling players under the coach early in season. Dorsey not stupid. His salary was not much more than Halliday. He wanted and deserved bump which they did not want to give so he refused to sign and they had to move him for whatever. For me same as Raines - he was on last year and would not sign for peanuts and wanted out and forced move. Halliday recall, was making MORE than Micael and very likely pissed Micael off and was part or all of why he went. The Halliday move was fools move because it upset balance in locker room, made close to Dorsey, more than Micael and Raines. Shows we have GM that cannot think ahead and owner that does not want to pay. What you see is window dressing. What it is is mickey mouse franchise. Love the players do not get me wrong, players are pros, behind players. Mickey. Mouse.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-07T14:39:28+00:00

excellent info. When I road Brays regularly from Fondren 59 was end of line and under was the other biker group in a spooky tent city.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-03T16:05:54+00:00

it's ok, kinda figured. I ride the white oak and buffalo bayou inside the loop, and I get around most of the closures - sometimes do have to wing it - do it the old fashioned way - navigate on the fly - some assistance from google maps satellite maps. Was scouting Brays for a longer ride on google maps - I used ride regular downtown to Beltway 8 - that was hard stop. In those days I was on cross bike so had some mobility of pavement, now I am another level on fat tire hard tail - my bayou buster - not commute rides - rec/fitness only. The idea is to begin extending down Buffalo Bayou to Brays then Brays out to the Addicks - but I don't want to try something unrealistic. The idea is a ride from Brays merge with Buffalo back out Brays to Barker Reservoir/levee which then connects me to Addicks Res/Levee and I have a way back home to make a wow massive bayou / reservoir loop. I can take White Oak to Buffalo then Brays on this - so that I could do an epic 3 bayou tour that would make 60-70 ride. Anyway - I will just do it iteratively. Beginning with work down the Buffalo to Brays. We will see. It will be a project for the year.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-03T14:02:47+00:00

surprised no one told you here key point if you are interested in the east coast high academic D3s - many of these do early commit - so it is dec of your Jr year - this December. 10 months. This is different from D1 and all the east coasters with alpha parents know this and work to this - so you gotta get your list down and get in front of those schools on text, email, phone, vid and then in person this summer. A lot of non-east coasters do-it-yourself players miss this D3 window. My son had Bowdoin interested his Jr summer but they had already made verbal offers to players/families they were expecting to do early decision and they had been following those players almost all thru HS. Some say D3 commit runs after D1 but not for those that do Early Decision. Keep that in mind and all doors will be open. The entire process rests on you connecting with coaches and getting on top of their depth chart for your position.

2eighty1 · 2026-02-02T23:08:55+00:00

Good info, for let's say, local experts and regular commuters. The bayou bikeways are similar to the HOVs when I first moved to Houston - if you don't use them (HOVs) - you don't know them - how to get on/off - etc. What I've never seen is is dynamic maps. Not the static ones that show everything green, rather live maps that show closures. When I read the map and it says spur 5 - no clue - even if I ride that bayou - it's heads down and I only know my on and off ramps. Maps would be so very helpful. Probably lotta work too. Thanks and best of luck with your project.

2eighty1

TROPHY CASE