Dynamo 2sday: Dos dominate rival North Texas
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
Houston Dynamo 2, looking to bounce back from a string of matches without a regulation win, hosted in-state rivals North Texas SC for another Texas showdown on Sunday night at SaberCats Stadium.
Marcelo Santos, Dynamo 2 head coach, looking ahead to a two-game home stretch, fielded the following starting XI: Pedro Cruz in goal; a back line of three with Daniel Barrett, Gavin Wolff, and Michael Halliday; in midfield, Sebastian Rodriguez, Mattheo Dimareli, Lionel Gitau, and Joshua Bolma; and in attack, Juan Viveros, Stephen Annor, and Myles Gardner, making his first start.
In the opening minutes, both teams exchanged shots on target, but the goalkeepers handled them without issue.
Ten minutes into the match, Dynamo Dos earned a dangerous free kick outside the box—and they took full advantage. Dimareli took the cross, and as the ball traveled to the back post, it looked like it might go over everyone’s head—until Annor connected at the last second to put the ball in the back of the net and give the home team the 1-0 lead.
North Texas SC responded a few minutes later with a low shot by Diego Garcia, but Cruz got down to deny the equalizer.
In the 31st minute, Houston recovered the ball in their own half and built up play with a 10-pass sequence that included a pass to and from Cruz. Rodriguez received the ball from Gitau and ripped a shot from about 20 yards out that went through the hands of North Texas SC goalkeeper JT Harms, doubling the lead for Dynamo 2.
Bolma tried his luck from outside the box minutes later, but this time the keeper managed to get a touch and deflect it wide.
The third and final goal came from a beautiful cross by Halliday, which found Viveros deep on the far side of the field. He closed in on the ball and scored his first goal with Dynamo Dos to make the score 3-0.
In the 62nd minute, Cruz came off his line to close down the space on Malachi Molina, who was played in behind. According to the referee, Cruz fouled Molina, and a penalty was awarded to the visitors. The penalty by Samuel Sarver, however, flew into the stands—and North Texas missed their chance to get on the board.
Dynamo Dos closed the match with a perfect performance: three goals, a clean sheet, and three points earned against an in-state and conference rival. With this win, Marcelo Santos’ team jumps back into the playoff picture, now in 6th place with 11 matches left to play.
Next up for Dynamo 2 is Vancouver Whitecaps FC II, who currently sit in 5th place with the same number of points as the Young Orange. Will home-field advantage and the morale boost from a 3–0 win be enough to push Dos forward? We’ll find out on Thursday, July 17th at 7 PM at SaberCats Stadium.
You can catch all the action on MLSNextPro.com and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, or get your tickets to attend the match completely free.
