HOUSTON – Ricardo Clark, the former Houston Dynamo midfielder, had plenty on his mind before the Columbus Crew took on the Orange at BBVA Compass Stadium Saturday night.
It was his first game at the Dynamo’s stadium as a visitor.
The 36-year-old midfielder has donned the Dynamo kit for 10 of his still-ongoing 18 seasons of professional soccer and before the game, an eventual 2-0 loss, he was a bag of mixed emotions.
“Coming to the stadium, coming down the tunnel in a different color, it was — I had mixed emotions. I was thinking about it before the game. I was like, ‘how am I going to feel coming out here,’ but once the whistle blew — it was business as usual,” Clark said after logging 81 minutes against his former club.
“I was trying to win for my team, trying to win for my teammates. But – just coming down the tunnel and seeing all the fans showing love, shouting my name, giving me support – just remembering me is something I’ll never forget. This was my home for 10 years and it was special to just see the love from the fans. I really appreciate that.”
Clark may have never gotten a proper sendoff in a Dynamo jersey, but on Saturday, the faithful Orange fans made sure to give Clark plenty of affection before, during, and after the game.
And post-game, an emotional Clark spoke to the media about his return.
ICYMI: positive vibes from @RicoC13 in his return to Houston! He caught up with @SportsTimeOhio's @AshCollins post-match 🎥 pic.twitter.com/TxakvxKBBR
— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) April 28, 2019
Clark, like most players, wanted to play well against his former team. And in the 61st minute, Clark nearly scored his first goal of the season, but the ball sailed inches over the crossbar.
The goal would have been a classic Clark blast from long distance. The kind of long-distance goals Houston fans were accustomed to seeing from the World Cup veteran.
“Yeah, everyone is motivated to play against their old team. I have so much love for a lot of those players and I still keep in touch with them,” Clark said. “We are all competitors and we know how it is.”
Dynamo ‘keeper Joe Willis, who reached to stop Clark’s shot but was overhead, called Clark a Dynamo legend.
“It’s weird seeing him in a different jersey sometimes,” Willis said. “but he’s a great guy and I always love competing against him.
Clark, who has played in 192 minutes this season, got a lot of applause when he was subbed off Saturday night, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the midfielder.
“The love from the fans and support from them is something I’ll never forget. I had some good moments here. I had some great memories here with retired players now, current players on the team, past coaching staff, current coaching staff, so I’ll never forget that — ever,” said Clark.
“That’s something you cherished for the rest of your career. And even though I’m still going in a different place, I still got love for the Dynamo and Houston.”
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.