HOUSTON (March 22, 2025) – After a bye week, Houston Dynamo 2 continue their two-game season-opening homestand this Sunday, March 23, versus in-state foe North Texas SC. This is the first of three matchups this season and the first of two matches between these two squads at SaberCats Stadium this year.
Dynamo Dos opened their fourth MLS NEXT Pro campaign under the direction of head coach Marcelo Santos on March 8, earning a 3-1 victory versus Sporting Kansas City II at SaberCats Stadium. Forward Andy Batioja scored Dos’ first goal of the regular season after his shot took a deflection off a SKC II defender. Midfielders Mattheo Dimareli and Sebastian Rodriguez also found the back of the net that evening.
The win marked Santos’ first victory as Dynamo 2 head coach and saw four Dynamo Academy players make their professional debuts in midfielder Noah Betancourt, defender Miach Harris, defender Jayden Puna and forward Fadel Kone. Additionally, defender Felipe Andrade and goalkeeper Pedro Cruz, who finished the night with seven saves, made their Dynamo 2 and MLS NEXT Pro debuts during the match.
Notably, Dynamo 2 started three 15-year-olds in the match, including defender Daniel Barrett, midfielder Lukas Bruegmann and Dimareli. Last season, the three academy players combined for 29 appearances (17 starts) in MLSNP and 11 additional academy players earned valuable minutes, with players born in 2007, 2008 and 2009 recording more minutes (6,828) than any team in the league.
Three Dynamo Academy players that play on Dynamo 2 have earned call-ups from their respective national teams. Midfielder Lionel Gitau and Harris were called up to join the U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team for training camp in Costa Rica, where they will face Costa Rica twice, while Puna was called up to represent the U-17 Angola National Team in the AFCON U-17 World Cup Qualifiers.
Midfielder and Dynamo 2 captain Diego Gonzalez made his first team debut versus the El Salvador National Team this past Wednesday, alongside Andrade and Batioja. Gonzalez also scored his first goal for the first team in the sixth minute with a volley that found the top corner of the near post.
North Texas heads into Sunday’s match with a 1-1-0 (WLD) record after falling 3-0 to St. Louis CITY2 in their home opener and earning a 3-2 victory in their second game of the season following a goal from Anthony Ramirez and a brace from Sam Sarver.
Like the past three seasons, both sides will meet three times this year, with Dynamo 2 hosting two out of the three matches. Dos has the upper hand in the all-time series against the FC Dallas affiliate, with four wins and three draws out of their nine meetings in regular season play. In 2024, Houston and North Texas finished with one win, one loss and one draw against each other. Notably, Dos recorded their largest win last season versus North Texas, earning a 4-0 home victory. Forward Gabe Segal finished the match with a brace, while Gonzalez assisted three of the four goals scored by the team.
Dynamo 2 next travels to face Ventura County FC on Wednesday, March 26 for their first road trip of the year, with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. CT. Fans can follow the action live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
