Houston Dynamo at San Diego FC: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo picked up a big three points on the road, beating San Diego FC 4-3 in a thrilling match on Saturday night.
MATCH SUMMARY
San Diego FC 3-4 Houston Dynamo FC
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium - San Diego, California
Referee: Timothy Ford
Assistants: Kevin Lock, Mike Nickerson
Fourth Official: Servando Berna
VAR: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 28,321
Weather: 70 degrees, partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
SD: Milan Iloski (Onni Valakari) 25’
HOU: Lawrence Ennali (Amine Bassi) 36’
HOU: Franco Escobar (Ethan Bartlow) 45+3’
SD: Luca Bombino (Jeppe Tverskov) 54’
SD: Onni Valakari (Anders Dreyer) 67’
HOU: Ezequiel Ponce (penalty kick) 87’
HOU: Ezequiel Ponce (Ethan Bartlow) 90+10’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Ondrej Lingr (caution; foul) 53’
HOU: Brooklyn Raines (caution; foul) 58’
HOU: Ethan Bartlow (caution; foul) 62’
SD: CJ Dos Santos (caution; foul) 84’
HOU: Amine Bassi (caution; foul) 90+1’
HOU: Duane Holmes (caution; foul) 90+2’
HOU: Erik Dueñas (caution; foul) 90+6’
LINEUPS & STATS
San Diego FC: CJ Dos Santos; Luca Bombino, Paddy McNair (Ian Pilcher 56’), Christopher McVey, Oscar Verhoeven; Jeppe Tverskov, Onni Valakari, Anibal Godoy (Tomas Angel 90’); Alex Mighten (Hirving Lozano 56’), Milan Iloski, Anders Dreyer
Unused substitutes: Pablo Sisniega, Heine Gikling Bruseth, Jasper Loffelsend, Franco Negri, Emmanuel Boateng, Manu Duah
Total shots: 14
Shots on goal: 7
Fouls: 8
Offside: 1
Corner kicks: 5
Saves: 1
Houston Dynamo FC: Jonathan Bond; Franco Escobar, Ethan Bartlow, Pablo Ortiz, Felipe Andrade; Artur, Brooklyn Raines, Lawrence Ennali (Duane Holmes 62’); Amine Bassi (Griffin Dorsey 90’+15’), Ezequiel Ponce, Ondřej Lingr (Erik Dueñas 77’)
Unused Substitutes: Jimmy Maurer, Daniel Steres, Toyosi Olusanya, Gabe Segal, Femi Awodesu, Júnior Urso
Total shots: 7
Shots on goal: 5
Fouls: 15
Offside: 1
Corner kicks: 2
Saves: 4
HOUSTON DYNAMO HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On the result:
“It is our best performance to date. The team brought the right level of intensity and quality, and we put those two together throughout this whole match. We were resilient and kept fighting back to secure those three points. Hopefully this is the type of game that can change a season.”
On Ezequiel Ponce’s performance:
“For me, (Ezequiel Ponce) was the playerof the match. We were excited for him. He looked very lively on the offensive end, making it difficult for their backline to play against him, and these two goals will really push him forward for more.”
On Lawrence Ennali’s performance:
“We have been waiting for (Lawrence Ennali) to come back because he has those special moments like tonight. Show me a play from the past two and half years where someone broke through with speed and scored a goal. The last player to do that was Lawrence himself, last season against LAFC. This is what he can do, and he is a piece we have been missing for a while.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO FORWARD LAWRENCE ENNALI
On the result:
“It was just amazing. It felt like everything was possible today. The team was amazing. Every single player performed at their highest level. Of course, there is always a little bit of luck when it comes to a win like this, but we deserved tonight’s result.”
On his goal:
“I saw the ball go up, and I felt like I was able to catch it, and I did. The first touch was with my head to keep the pace, and then I saw the goalkeeper coming out, so I just chipped it a little bit towards the far post.”
On his motivation to get back on the field:
“It was just the love of the game. I started when I was three years old and since then I have never stopped playing. I have a lot of love for this sport. I also got a lot of help from the medical staff, coaches and my teammates. They really pushed me forward. Of course, there were days I did not feel like going in, but with discipline and commitment, I was able to push through.”
