MORAGA, CALIF. (Oct. 20, 2024) – Houston Dynamo 2’s season came to an end this evening after falling 2-1 on the road to The Town FC in the MLS NEXT Pro Conference Quarterfinals.
The Town opened the scoring in the 28th minute after Cruz Medina found Beau Leroux inside the box. Leroux’s first-touch finish found the top corner of the far post.
Midfielder Matteo Dimareli leveled the match in the 41st minute after capitalizing on a loose ball. The play began with forward Gabe Segal, who found defender Kieran Sargeant inside the box for a shot that deflected off goalkeeper Emmanuel Ocha. The 15-year-old midfielder followed the play and was well positioned to score his first postseason goal.
Joel Garcia gave The Town the lead in the 81st minute with a right-footed shot that found the bottom left corner. The play began with a through ball from Edwyn Mendoza.
Dynamo 2’s first shot on goal came in the sixth minute when midfielder Jefferson Valverde took his chances with a powerful strike from distance that found the hands of Ochoa.
Segal almost put his name on the scoring sheet in the final moments of the first half with a dangerous free kick that forced a diving save from The Town’s keeper.
Sargeant had a dangerous chance in the 51st minute when he fired a shot towards the near post, but Ocha was able to block the shot.
Dynamo 2 goalkeeper Xavier Valdez was called into action in the 61st minute, diving to his left to handle Eduardo Blanca’s free kick. Valdez would the step up again in the 71st minute by getting low to deny another dangerous opportunity from the San Jose Earthquakes affiliate. Valdez finished the match with two saves.
Houston’s final opportunity of the match came in the sixth minute of stoppage time when forward Jahmani Bell fired a shot from distance that got blocked by The Town’s backline.
The 2024 season for Dynamo 2 was highlighted by contributions from the Houston Dynamo Academy. The roster for the 2024 campaign featured one of the youngest rosters in MLS NEXT Pro this season, with Dynamo Academy players from the 2007, 2008 and 2009 classes recording the most minutes (6,828) in the league this year. Defender Isaac Mwakutuya, Dimareli and defender Daniel Barrett were key contributors throughout the season and during the final push for playoffs.
First-year players also made key contributions on both ends of the field this year. Mac Hermann Trophy winner Ousmane Sylla finished with seven goals and five assists this season. Segal led the team with 10 goals this year. Defender Femi Awodesu finished with 28 appearances this season, his first as a professional.
Houston ended the regular season eighth in the Western Conference table with a record of 10-11-7 (WLD) and 39 points. This was the third consecutive postseason appearance for Dynamo 2.
