Wanderers to Return Stateside This Summer

The Houston Dynamo have announced their opponent for this year’s Charities Cup. This being a Bolton Wanderers blog, you may have guessed it from the off but yes, the Whites are returning state-side.

Stuart Holden was conspicuously absent from Wembley yesterday which left fans scratching their heads. The injured midfield general made an appearance on crutches at Houston's 1-0 victory over New England on Sunday night. The fans in Houston still show great admiration and respect for the young American and he is sure to get a great reception when the club visits.

The Wanderers crossed the Atlantic last year to play two third-division sides in the Charlotte Eagles and Charleston Battery before traveling to Canada to face Toronto FC. Bolton won the games against Charlotte and Charleston easily enough and went on to beat Toronto 4-3 on penalties.

Houston, who we got our one and only Stuart Holden from, have never played a Premier League opponent in their very short history. For those unaware, The Dynamo were founded in 2005 and played their inaugural MLS season in 2006 where they won the MLS Cup (the title and trophy) twice in their first two years.

The two teams had been in negotiations to play each other ever since Holden made the moved to England but talks looked to have broken down after the Jonny Evans tackle that ended Holden’s season. Stuart is likely to miss the match as he will still be recovering from the injury and subsequent surgery. Bolton look set to travel with a full-strength side though with Super Kev, Chungy, Jussi, Petrov, Matty Taylor, and just about everyone else making the trip.

The match will be played on Wednesday, July 20, at Houston’s Robertson Stadium.