HOUSTON (Oct. 8, 2024) - Houston Dynamo 2 will open the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs against The Town FC on Sunday, Oct. 20 at Saint Mary’s Stadium. Kickoff for this conference quarterfinal is set for 5 p.m. CT and the game will stream live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The No.3 seed in the conference selected Houston as part of the league’s unique Pro Pick-Your-Opponent selection show earlier today. A replay of the selection show is available HERE.
Houston secured their third consecutive postseason berth on Sunday after earning a 3-1 victory over Whitecaps FC 2 at SaberCats Stadium. Dynamo 2 captain and midfielder Diego Gonzalez gave Houston the lead in the 28th minute from the penalty spot. That was his sixth goal of the season and the Dynamo Academy product finished the regular season tied for the most assists (10) and key passes (78) in the league.
Forward Gabe Segal doubled Dynamo 2’s lead in the 40th minute following a pass from Gonzalez that found the striker for his 10th goal of the season. Houston’s third goal of the match then came in the 61st minute with a first-touch finish from striker Isaiah Reid.
Throughout the regular season, Dynamo 2 has featured one of the youngest rosters in MLS NEXT Pro with Dynamo Academy players recording more minutes (6,828) than any team in the league. Additionally, Dynamo 2 had the second most academy players to appear in a single match this season and they made significant contributions throughout the year. Dynamo Academy players like defender Isaac Mwakutuya and midfielder Mattheo Dimareli were key contributors in the final push of the season.
Mwakutuya finished with 2,231 minutes for Dynamo 2 this season and represented the organization at the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game earlier this year, becoming the third Dynamo Academy player to represent the Club at the event. Dimareli was named a Rising Star by the league after contributing an assist during his first start against Colorado Rapids 2 on June 23, a week after making his MLS NEXT Pro debut versus St. Louis CITY2.
Houston will face The Town for the second time this year and this is the sixth time in the all-time series. Dynamo 2 won the first ever meeting with the San Jose Earthquakes affiliate in 2023 and defeated The Town FC on the road in a penalty kick shootout in May.
