HOUSTON (March 8, 2024) – Houston Dynamo 2 earned a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City II during the team’s Home Opener at SaberCats Stadium earlier this evening. The win marked Marcelo Santos’ first victory as Dynamo 2 head coach.
The fixture also saw several Dynamo Academy players take the field, including midfielder Noah Betancourt, defender Miach Harris, midfielder Jayden Puna and forward Fadel Kone, all of whom made their professional debuts. Additionally, defender Felipe Andrade and goalkeeper Pedro Cruz made their debut appearances for Dynamo 2 and in MLS NEXT Pro after signing with the team last week.
Dynamo Dos opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez found forward Andy Batioja on the left flank, giving the Colombian winger space to beat the Kansas City II defender with a series of stepovers and find the far post with a shot that took a deflection off the defender.
Midfielder Mattheo Dimareli doubled Houston’s lead in the 71st minute after calmly slotting a shot through the legs of goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp. Dynamo 2 captain Diego Gonzalez assisted on the play, finding the 15-year-old inside the box.
Rodriguez scored Houston’s third and final goal of the night in the 76th minute when the midfielder capitalized on a Kansas City II mistake near the box.
Kansas City II pulled one back in the 82nd minute when Stephen Afrifa found Beckham Uderitz in the middle of the box for the goal.
The visiting team almost took the lead in the fifth in the minute after Medgy Alexandre’s goal was deemed offside in the six-yard box following a corner kick.
Rodriguez had Houston’s first shot of the match in the seventh minute with a right-footed blast that forced the Kansas City II keeper to dive right for the save.
Goalkeeper Pedro Cruz was called into action in the 21st minute, when the Brazilian found himself in a one-on-one situation but did well to quell the danger. The shot-stopper made seven saves on the night.
In the 53rd minute, Cruz prevented another scoring opportunity from Kansas by redirecting a powerful shot from Shane Donovan.
Dimareli took his chances from long range in the 70th minute, firing a shot that missed just high.
Gonzalez gave Dynamo 2 another opportunity to score after midfielder Lukas Bruegmann drew a foul in the 79th minute. The captain took the free kick from the left flank and forced a save from the Kansas City II goalkeeper.
Dynamo Dos next host in-state rivals North Texas SC on Sunday, March 23, at SaberCats Stadium, the first of three matchups this season.
