The Houston Dynamo's preseason just got a little busier after it was announced that the two-time MLS Cup winning team will participate in the inaugural Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge. The tournament will be held in Kennesaw, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, and is being hosted by the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer.
The Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge is scheduled to run from March 9 - 13 and will include the Houston Dynamo, Columbus Crew, and New England Revolution. The tournament will be a round-robin format, kicking off when the Crew and Revolution face each other on March 9. Houston's first game is scheduled against New England on March 11, at 6:30 p.m.. The Dynamo will close the tournament against New England, a rematch of two MLS Cup finals Sunday, March 13, at a time to be announced later.
T. Fitz Johnson, owner of the Atlanta Beat, is the organizer of the tournament.
"Atlanta has shown strong support for soccer events throughout the city," said Johnson. "This is a great opportunity to see if an MLS franchise will be a good fit for the market as we host the tournament in our brand-new soccer-specific facility."
The APSC will be the Dynamo's last action of the preseason before their MLS and home opener against the second-year Philadelphia Union on Saturday, March 19, at Roberson Stadium in Houston.
The Houston Dynamo's preseason schedule currently looks like this:
| Date | Tournament | vs. | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb. 5 | Scrimmage | vs. | Houston Baptist University | Houston |
| Sat, Feb. 12 | South Texas Shootout | vs. | FC Dallas | Corpus Christi |
| Tues, Feb. 15 | Scrimmage | vs. | Sporting Kansas City | Phoenix |
| Thur, Feb 17 | Scrimmage | vs. | Columbus Crew | Phoenix |
| Sat, Feb. 19 | Scrimmage | vs. | Portland Timbers | Phoenix |
| Tues, Feb. 22 | Scrimmage | vs. | Seattle Sounders FC | Orlando |
| Thur, Feb. 24 | Disney Pro Soccer Classic | vs. | TBD | Orlando |
| Sat, Feb. 26 | Disney Pro Soccer Classic | vs. | TBD | Orlando |
| Sat, Mar. 5 | Meet the Team Day Scrimmage | vs. | SMU | Houston |
| Tues, Mar. 8 | Scrimmage | vs. | Real Salt Lake | Houston |
| Fri, Mar. 11 | Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge | vs. | Columbus Crew | Kennesaw (Atlanta) |
| Sun, Mar. 13 | Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge | vs. | New England Revolution | Kennesaw (Atlanta) |