It's the eve before FC Dallas kicks off against the Houston Dynamo and it's been too calm on all fronts. The social media accounts have been pretty benign (probably being extra cautious given the recent Mavs-Rockets fiasco), the players have been giving pretty standard answers to the media, again exercising caution but I do fully expect everything to change once tomorrow hits and when the opening whistle sounds and Dallas starts zipping the ball past the Orange Cones.

For the newer readers of BigDSoccer and fans of FCD, let me give a brief lesson on why this game matters more than usual and why the 2015 Texas Derby will be a great one.

The Math

When Houston was exiled to the Eastern Conference for the past four years for their sins the Texas Derby began to lose some of its significance. The fans were still very much into it, but when the teams are only scheduled to play against one another once over the course of a year for the past 3 seasons, it's hard to feel the passion and the intensity of the match.

But things have changed this year as the Dynamo have returned to the Western Conference and the Texas Derby will actually happen 3 times this year. That means there are not only 9 total points on the table but those points will have a direct impact on the team's standings and their respective chances of a playoff birth.

The Pride

This is Texas we're talking about. Name me another state with this much state pride and I'll show you the BBVA sold out with Dynamo fans. As proud as we are of being native (or adopted) Texans, we are even more so when it comes to interstate rivalries. We've already established that Texas is the best state, now let's have the best of the best duke it out on the soccer field to be crowned Kings of Texas.

The Trophy

For the newcomers, the team with the most points at the end of the series will get a glorious trophy and bragging rights for a year. So to answer this guy's question:

It's right here.

Yes, the trophy for the Texas Derby winner is a freaking cannon. Why? Because we're Texas.

And just in case you're wondering how I'm treating this game? I'm a Longhorn alum and I'm treating this like Texas-OU Weekend which means a full cooler full of beer, brats, bacon wrapped scallops and smoked ribs. #DTID