Dynamo Beaten by Pachuca, Finish Leagues Cup with Zero Points
(image via Aldo Canale)
The Houston Dynamo wrapped up their participation in this year’s Leagues Cup on Tuesday night, falling 1-0 to CF Pachuca. Houston was already eliminated before this match started, and used the 90 minutes to get players some minutes ahead of Saturday’s big league match against Austin FC.
Tuesday night’s lineup had some rotation, but maybe not as much as one would have thought. Starters like Jack McGlynn and Artur were in the eleven, while others like Lawrence Ennali and Brooklyn Raines began the game on the bench.
Pachuca came out of the gates looking like the team needing a win, which they were. A scramble in the box, in the 6th minute, after a corner kick, led to a shot that caromed off the post.
McGlynn made his presence in the lineup known, setting up a couple of golden chances. The first came in the 11th minute when he perfectly weighted a pass into the path of Duane Holmes running in on goal. Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno came off his line well and took away the angle while saving Holmes’ shot.
The Liga MX side got the only goal they would need in the 24th minute. Ethan Bartlow overcommitted to a ball down the flank and Pachuca broke into the box. Jonathan Bond made the save on the initial shot but veteran Luis Quinones pounced on the rebound and slid it into goal to make the score 1-0.
The 37th minute saw another great chance created by McGlynn. The young attacker one-timed a ball into the path of Ondrej Lingr. Moreno once again came out well and Lingr couldn’t get away a clean shot and was saved.
Lawrence Ennali came on for Houston to begin the second half as the Dynamo searched for an equalizer. It took quite a while but eventually they would find it.
Substitute Toyosi Olusanya was played into the box and as he got to the ball, it looked like he collided with Moreno. The referee was called to the monitor by VAR to take a look, and after a short review he pointed to the spot to award the penalty. Amine Bassi stepped up and put the kick right down the middle to level the match at 1-1 in the 82nd minute.
The excitement, however, was short-lived as Pachuca took the lead back almost immediately. A long ball over the top caught fill-in right back Duane Holmes well out of position. Gaston Tongi was able to control the pass, drive to goal, and beat Bond with a low shot to the back post to restore Pachuca’s lead, putting them ahead 2-1 in the 85th minute.
Houston was not able to equalize again and the final whistle officially signaled the end of Leagues Cup for the Dynamo. They finish the tournament with zero points in three games played at Shell Energy Stadium, and only scored two goals.
The Dynamo will want to put this tournament behind them for many reasons, but maybe the biggest being that they return to MLS play on Saturday in a huge rivalry match on the road at Austin FC that also has big playoff implications. Houston will have to rebound quickly and find their form in league play if they want to save anything from this 2025 season.
