Houston Dynamo 2 close two-game homestand on Sunday

Houston Dynamo 2 continues its brief homestand at AVEVA Stadium on Sunday, August 14 against Colorado Rapids 2. This is the second meeting with Rapids 2 with Houston earning a 2-0 victory in the first meeting on May 8.

Houston continued its unbeaten run at AVEVA Stadium on Sunday as Dynamo 2 still has not lost at the stadium in its inaugural season. In addition to their season-long success, Houston’s 3-0 victory extended its current undefeated streak to seven games.

In the win over SKC II, midfielder Marcelo Palomino opened the scoring in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half, as Houston drew a foul directly above the top of the 18-yard-box. Palomino curled in an inch-perfect shot, whipping the ball up and over the wall of SKC II defenders and back down to dip under the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper. It was Palomino’s fourth goal from a free kick on the season and his sixth overall, giving him sole possession of the team lead in goals scored this season.

Coming out of intermission, Dynamo 2 picked up right where it left off in the first half, as midfielder Brooklyn Raines received a pass from midfielder* Juan Castilla* and took a shot from the top of the penalty area that bounced off the post and into the back of the net to give Houston a 2-0 lead in the 48th minute. The goal was the 16-year-old’s first as a professional.

Houston extended the lead to 3-0 in the 77th minute when midfielder Jacob Evansslipped a pass to forward Kyle Edwards inside the penalty area to the right of goal and Edwards lifted a first-touch shot over the goalkeeper. The shot caromed off the crossbar and down into the back of the net.

After this match, Dynamo 2 is back on the road to face MNUFC2 at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 6:00 p.m.

Here are three key points ahead of Friday's match:

1. SHOOTING PROWESS: In Dynamo 2’s matchup against Sporting Kansas City II, Houston’s offense was truly firing on all cylinders. This showed through in the scoresheet with new season highs in both shots taken and shots on target. The team finished with 24 total shots, 12 of which were on target. This total team effort was spearheaded by forward Kyle Edwards who finished with seven total shots, including five on target and a goal scored in the 77th minute.
2. PASSING ON TARGET: One factor that may have led Houston to such success shooting the ball against SKC II is that the build-up play from the team’s passing was also stellar in Sunday’s game. The team finished with the most passes attempted in a single game this season and the best accuracy on their passing as well. Overall, Dynamo 2 made 528 passes with a completion rate of 88.1%.
3. GOALS FROM MIDFIELD: During its inaugural season, Houston Dynamo 2 has seen goal contributions come from all over the pitch, but no position group has been more prolific in scoring goals than the midfield. Led by the trio of Marcelo Palomino, Brooklyn Raines and Juan Castilla that has started 10 of the team’s 19 games, Houston’s midfielders have contributed 14 goals on the season, while the forwards have scored 13.