The Houston Dash took the field of BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday morning for training in advance of Sunday’s season opener against the Chicago Red Stars (4 p.m., TICKETS) only to find a special guest from the Houston Zoo, Kito, getting his own workout in on the field.
Kito is a 10-year-old male cheetah, invited by head coach Vera Pauw to exercise at BBVA Compass Stadium prior to training as an example for her squad for how she wants to set up her tactics and gameplan going into her first season in charge.
“The cheetah stands for a set of characteristics that we are looking to have,” Pauw told reporters during the team’s media day.