Houston Dynamo 2’s Season Ends in Penalties as Questions Loom for the Future
(image via Aldo Canale)
After a year that started off with so much promise, Houston Dynamo 2 were eliminated from the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs in the quarterfinal round as they lost to LAFC 2 on Sunday at Shell Energy Stadium on penalties after ending regulation in a 2-2 draw.
Houston finished the regular season in bad form, only winning two games in regulation after July. Even after goalkeeper Pedro Cruz returned from loan to bolster the defense, the results just didn’t come.
Against LAFC 2, Gilberto Rivera, who also was shipped out on loan before returning, scored two goals to keep DynaDos alive in the match.
In the penalty shootout, LAFC missed on their second try, but Rivera and Arthur Sousa missed one each, ending Dos’ season.
With the offseason now approaching, Dos’ roster will most likely see a drastic amount of turnover, as is expected with any reserve team. The core of the roster is still young (Mattheo Dimareli, Daniel Barrett, Matthew Arana), but now that they’ve had several seasons of MLS NEXT Pro experience, some might expect them to become more involved in the first team set-up, possibly leaving some major gaps open.
While the results at the end weren’t as good as the team perhaps expected when they were unbeaten in 11 matches to start off their campaign, the results showed growth from a team that missed the playoffs a year prior.
However, with the results that came about near the end of the season, questions remain as to what comes next.