Houston Dynamo 2 look to secure a second consecutive road victory on Friday as they close a two-game road trip in Southern California against Ventura County FC.
Dynamo 2 secured three points to open this two-game road trip on Sunday evening in a 3-1 triumph over Minnesota United FC at the National Sports Center Stadium. Ousmane Sylla gave Houston an early lead with a goal in the 10th minute, his fourth goal of the season. Mattheo Dimareli tallied the assist on the opening goal, his second assist of the season. The 15-year-old tallied his first assist on June 22 against Colorado Rapids 2 in his first start for the team.
Dynamo 2 doubled their lead to start the second half after Diego Gonzalez capitalized on a turnover and played a cross into the heart of the box. Stephen Annor was well positioned to head the ball toward the far post for his third goal of the season. Homegrown midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez tallied his second assist of the season in the final minutes of the second half to secure three points for Dynamo 2. The 16-year-old and Isaiah Reid found space along the right flank of the final third to create space behind the Minnesota backline. Reid capitalized to score his second goal of the season.
Defensively, Xavier Valdez finished with four saves against Minnesota. Defender Isaac Mwakutuya led the team with seven clearances and finished with three recoveries. The Dynamo Academy defender earned his 12th start of the season on Sunday and will represent the Dynamo Academy at the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game later this month. He is the third player to represent the Dynamo Academy at the exhibition game since 2022.
Ventura County is the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of the LA Galaxy. The team rebranded in April and currently plays at William Rolland University on the campus of California Lutheran University. Houston split the two-game series in 2023 with each team winning on the road. Houston’s triumph over LA Galaxy II on the final match day of the season secured a spot in the postseason for Dynamo 2.
Ventura County enters the match tied for second place in the Western Conference. They are currently winless in their last four games but have secured six points from four games after winning three postgame penalty kick shootouts. Aaron Bibout leads the team with seven goals this season and has tallied four assists. Ruben Ramos Jr. And Gino Vivi have also played a key role for Ventura County, combining for 10 goals and four assists this season.
The team returns to SaberCats Stadium on July 11 to host Austin FC II. Tickets for that match, and all Dynamo 2 games at SaberCats Stadium are free and available HERE.
