Houston What-ers?

I like soccer and would follow MLS if it were on TV more, but damn if "Houston 1836" is a stupid name for the city's new pro soccer franchise:

The city's new Major League Soccer franchise is called Houston 1836, commemorating the year of Houston's founding.

The unusual nickname echoes the practice of some German clubs, which include the year of their founding in their names: TSV 1860 Munich, Hannover 96, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, FC Schalke 04 and TSV Mainz 05.

Houston becomes the fourth MLS team with a European-style nickname, joining CD Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas.

What the hell will the players be called? 1836ers? '36ers?

And on top of that, 1836 isn't exactly a neutral year: it was the year that Texas tried to secede from Mexico - largely so that the white settlers who had flooded in from the east could continue to own slaves. Remember the Alamo!