Thursday, July 8, 2010

Davis, Dynamo to salute military against Columbus

Davis, Dynamo to salute military against Columbus

Brad Davis and the Dynamo will offer a special ticket package benefitting military personnel this Saturday. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty)

HOUSTON – Fans will have the opportunity to join Brad Davis and become a member of Brad’s Brigade in support of US troops on Saturday night by purchasing tickets for current members of the military to attend the Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo match.

“It’s something that means a lot to me,” Davis said. “Obviously everyone knows what our troops are doing. Everyone I talk to about it always says they support our troops, and this is an opportunity for people to step up and show it.”

For $25, fans can purchase two tickets, one for themselves and one that will be provided to a member of the military. In addition, fans will receive a Brad’s Brigade T-shirt, a pass to a pregame tailgate and a pass to a postgame meet-and-greet that will feature Davis and likely some of his Dynamo teammates. Tickets are available through houstondynamo.com/bradsbrigade.

Davis’ military ties run deep. His best friend is currently serving in Iraq, and multiple generations of Davis’ family served in the US military, including his grandfather and father.

Since he joined the Houston Dynamo, Davis has quietly provided extra tickets to members of the military to attend Dynamo matches. Last year, however, Davis took his support public, creating Military Appreciation Night and Brad’s Brigade and allowing fans the opportunity to join Davis’ efforts in supporting the troops.

“It’s just something to show our support,” Davis said. “Last year was a big hit and we went way beyond what we thought we were going to get, and hopefully we can make it much bigger.”

Davis has also notoriously had some of his best performances on military appreciation night. Against Toronto last year, Davis had both a goal and an assist in the game’s first 25 minutes, and after his goal, Davis and his teammates saluted the military personnel in attendance.

However, Davis’ participation in Saturday’s match against Columbus is still up in the air. Davis suffered a hip flexor strain against the Colorado Rapids and he will likely be a game time decision on Saturday night.

“It’s been bothering me for a little while, but in the last game against Colorado, I hit a free kick against Colorado and I felt it go a little bit,” he said. “I wasn’t able to do anything, but I got out [on Monday] and was able to run , but I think I’m on the verge of being all right. So hopefully, I’ll start up on Thursday and see if I can hopefully go for the weekend.”

Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com. Questions or Comments can be sent via email to dwaincapodice@gmail.com.



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