MLS NEXT Pro Houston Dynamo 2

Houston Dynamo 2 Closes Stretch of Three Games in a Week

August 12, 2023 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Houston Dynamo 2 News Release


HOUSTON - ‚ Houston Dynamo 2 return to SaberCats Stadium on Sunday to host Whitecaps FC 2 in hopes to extend its unbeaten streak to six games. Houston Dynamo 2 is also closing out a week which featured three games in a seven-day span.

Dynamo Dos returns home after scoring three goals to beat top-ranked Colorado Rapids 2 3-1 at Dicks Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday evening. The team was named the MLS NEXT Pro Team of the Matchday following their performance in Colorado. This was only the second time Rapids 2 lost at home this season and the victory gave Dynamo 2 a boost in the conference standings. The team enters the weekend in fourth place in the Western Conference with 35 points.

Midfielder Diego Gonzalez opened the scoring for Dynamo 2 on Wednesday after a deflection off a Rapids 2 defender landed at his feet. The Houston Dynamo Academy product took the strike on the first touch to score the equalizer. A minute later, in the 40th, Houston took the lead after defender Isaiah LeFlore found forward Isaiah Reid at the top of the 18-yard box. Houston closed out the scoring in the 63rd minute after midfielders Sebastian Rodriguez and Jacob Evans combined for the final goal of the match. Dynamo Dos goalkeeper Xavier Valdez saved a penalty kick in the 69th minute to preserve a two-goal advantage and secure three points.

WHO: Houston Dynamo 2 vs Whitecaps FC 2

WHEN: Sunday, August 13 - 6:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: SaberCats Stadium - Houston, Texas

TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+

Whitecaps FC 2 enters Sunday's match just below the playoff line in eighth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings. Vancouver suffered a 6-2 loss to Colorado Rapids 2 at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium on Saturday, August 5. The Whitecaps were able to climb back into the match after trailing by three goals to make it 3-2 to start the second half. Rapids added three more goals to extend their lead and earn three points. Vancouver 2 is led by forward Levonte Johnson who has scored a team-leading seven goals this season.

Here are three key points ahead of Sunday's match:

MLS NEXT PRO HONORS: Houston Dynamo 2 was named the MLS NEXT Pro Team of Matchday for Matchday 21 following its 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids 2. The recognition marked the first time this season Houston Dynamo 2 earned the honor as a team. Earlier in the week, forward Papa Ndoye earned MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchday 20 honors for his three-goal performance against Sporting KC II on Aug. 6. Ndoye earned the back-to-back honors after recording hat tricks in back-to-back matches. The Senegalese forward became the first player in MLS NEXT Pro history to complete back-to-back regular season hat tricks.

GOAL CONTRIBUTION: Forward Papa Ndoye has been the team's leading scorer as of late with 11 goals scored this season. Six of Ndoye's goals have come in two of the last three games. In the 3-1 win over Colorado on Wednesday, three different players scored, including midfielder Diego Gonzalez. Dynamo Dos has won every game in which Gonzalez has scored with an 8-0-0 record when the Dynamo Academy product finds the back of the net. So far this season, 13 different players have scored for Dynamo 2.

PLAYOFF PUSH: With seven games left in the MLS NEXT Pro season, the race to the postseason is heating up. Entering Sunday's match Dynamo Dos sits in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, with 10-8-3 (WLD) overall record and 35 points. Houston is tied with Earthquakes II and Sporting KC II in points and is one point ahead over seventh place Minnesota United FC 2. The top seven teams in MLS NEXT Pro advance to the playoffs.

Check out the Houston Dynamo 2 Statistics



MLS NEXT Pro Stories from August 12, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central