Houston Dynamo Football Club will host a doubleheader later today which features the return of the Dynamo Charities Cup. The exhibition match returns for the first time since 2018 and features the Dynamo and Atletico San Luis from Mexico. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and the game will benefit Kids’ Meals Houston.
This is the 11th edition of the Dynamo Charities Cup and the Dynamo look for their third victory against a team from Mexico. The match will feature two significant differences versus a normal league game.
First, the teams will be allowed unlimited substitutions rather than the usual five, though as normal, a player may not re-enter the match after he is subbed out. This allows the managers to get work for more players and allows fans to see more of their favorite players on the pitch during the contest. Second, because this is a "Cup" match, there must be a winner. However, if the match is tied after 90 minutes, there will NOT be any extra time - we will instead proceed directly to penalty kicks. Only one edition of the Dynamo Charities Cup has gone to penalties - six years ago when the Dynamo defeated Real Sociedad from Spain 5-3 on spot kicks.
Additionally, proceeds from ticket sales for Saturday’s doubleheader will benefit Kids Meals Houston. Kids’ Meals is an organization that works to end childhood hunger in Houston by delivering free healthy meals, year-round to the doorsteps of Houston’s hungriest preschool-aged children and through collaboration provide their families with resources to end the cycle of poverty. Additional information about Kids’ Meals Houston is available here.
Houston gears up to return to league play next weekend as they travel to Florida to face Orlando City SC at 6:30 p.m. CT. The match in Orlando could feature the return of nine players currently away for national team duty. In total, the Dynamo, Dynamo 2 and Dynamo Academy have 12 players with their respective national team during the FIFA break. Among the group is midfielder Darwin Ceren who earned his 85th appearance for El Salvador earlier this week. With his appearance against Granada on Tuesday Ceren is now the most capped player for his country.
DYNAMO 2 RETURN TO PNC STADIUM
The doubleheader begins with Dynamo 2 hosting Sporting KC II at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. This is the second match at PNC Stadium in Dynamo 2 history. The last time that the team played here, they defeated Timbers 2 by a final score of 4-1.
In last week’s matchup, Houston suffered its second loss of the season, and it’s first scoreless outing, against St. Louis CITY2. St. Louis opened the scoring in the 28th minute as defender Ezra Armstrong played a ball in for forward Vitor Dias, who got a shot past Dynamo goalkeeper Xavier Valdez to give the home team a 1-0 lead. St. Louis doubled its lead in the 55th minute as midfielder Célio Pompeu took a left-footed shot from the top of the box that found the back of the net.
The match was also notable as it featured two milestones for Dynamo Academy products on the squad, as defender Reese Miller made his first start for the team and defender Bryce Barnum made his first appearance in an MLS NEXT Pro match.
After this week’s match, Dynamo 2 will be back on the road to face Timbers 2 on Sunday, June 19 at 8:00 p.m. CDT.
