Houston Dynamo hold 2026 Fan Fest, final exhibition game while welcoming back legend Wade Barrett

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- So much went on down at Shell Energy Stadium in advance of next week's season opener. The Dynamo held a fan fest, a media preview for the food they will serve on gameday, and the final preseason game with the New York Red Bulls.

There were lots of new faces for the Dynamo as they started the season. Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen has seven new impact players, which should improve the club's results this season. One of the new players, Brazilian Guilherme, scored a hat trick, scoring the first of three goals in the first half on a penalty kick. He added two more goals in the second half to give the Dynamo a 3-2 win to secure the Torino de Tejas trophy for winning the preseason tournament .

Also, the former team captain, head coach, and Dynamo legend Wade Barrett is back with the club. When asked what Houston meant to him, Barrett responded, "It's become home. You know, we all moved here in 2006, and as an athlete, you never know how long you're going to be in any one place. But, yeah, I mean, fell in love with the city and you can't get rid of us."

He takes over as vice president of community involvement and explained what he hopes to bring to the job.

"You know, you want to make sure that people in this community feel like they know us, they know the team, they know what we're doing in the community, " Barrett said. "This needs to be Houston's team. They know, you know, they feel a connection with that. So that comes in a million different touch points, and that's what we're going to be doing."

The highlight of Fan Fest was when Lalo proposed to Andrea, and she said yes!

And finally, Chef Alex held a preview for the new menu items at the games. He said it's fresh and homemade with all Houston flavors. ABC13 sports producer Joe Gleason said his personal favorite is the stuffed baked potato.