Houston Dynamo 2 defeated Sporting Kansas City II by a final score of 3-0 to move to 3-0-0 on the season. This was Houston’s third consecutive clean sheet to start the inaugural season of MLS NEXT Pro and first road victory of the year.
The Dynamo got off to another early lead in this game, as they made use of another set piece to take the lead in the first 10 minutes. Forward Beto Avila got on the end of a pass from defender Mujeeb Murana to get his first goal with Dynamo 2 and put the team up 1-0 in just the 8th minute.
Avila was not done in the first half, as forward Papa N’Doye brought down a long pass from defender Talen Maples before flicking the ball back to Avila. Avila took a strike from outside the 18-yard-box in the 46th minute and rocketed the ball past the SKC defender for his second goal of the match, doubling the Houston lead.
Avila kept up his stellar play in the second half, as the former Houston Dynamo Academy player drew a penalty kick just 10 minutes into the second half. Avila lined up to take the shot that he earned himself and knocked home the ball past the SKC II goalkeeper with ease in the 55th minute to record the first hat trick in Dynamo 2 history.
Defenders Ian Hoffman and Jathan Juarez combined for a dangerous run of play in the 35th minute, when Juarez found an overlapping Hoffman inside the penalty area for a dangerous cross that ricocheted off a SKC II defender and onto the goalkeeper, before getting cleared away to avert the danger.
SKC II earned a penalty kick in the 37th minute after Maples brought down forward Rauf Salifu. Collin Fernandez lined up against Dynamo goalkeeper Xavier Valdez, who made an incredible save to keep Houston’s lead intact heading into halftime. This was the second penalty kick saved by Valdez this season.
The next match for Dynamo 2 will be the team’s debut at PNC stadium as part of a doubleheader with the first team in which both sides will be taking on their counterparts from Portland. The first team will take on the Portland Timbers at 5:00 p.m. before Dynamo 2 faces Portland 2 at 8:00 p.m.
