Dynamo Charities Cup presented by PNC to return for first time since 2018

Houston Dynamo FC will face Liga MX’s Atlético San Luis in the Dynamo Charities Cup presented by PNC at PNC Stadium on Sat., June 11, at 7:30 p.m. CT, the two clubs announced today. 

The Dynamo Charities Cup presented by PNC is an annual event bringing prominent international teams to Houston to raise money for charity. This year marks the 11th edition of the exhibition match and is the first Dynamo Charities Cup since 2018.  

“We are thrilled to announce the return of the Dynamo Charities Cup for this season and look forward to measure our first team against San Luis, a quality Liga MX opponent,” Houston Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said. “One of our sporting priorities is to improve our relationships with the Mexican soccer community, specifically FMF, Liga MX, and key Mexican clubs. These partnerships are critical to our player development efforts as they provide our teams with valuable competition, our players with national team opportunities, and our staff with opportunities to share best practices.” 

A portion of the proceeds from the match are donated to a different charitable cause each year by Dynamo Charities, the charitable arm of Houston Dynamo Football Club. This year’s charitable cause will be announced at a later date. 

 “The Dynamo Charities Cup has a more than decade long history in Houston, and we’re happy for all Houstonians that it’s back,” said Julie Sudduth, PNC regional president for Houston. “This game is important, given the good it does. For PNC, it’s one more example of how we activate and deliver on the vision we have as a Main Street Bank, which is to support our local community in the way they most need. It’s a win-win.”  

Tickets for the match will go on sale on Thurs., May 5, at 10:00 a.m. CT and are available at HoustonDynamoFC.com/Tickets. Houston Dynamo 365 Members will receive their seats at no cost as a benefit of their Membership. 

This is the fifth time that the Houston Dynamo have squared off against a Liga MX opponent in the Charities Cup. The Dynamo are 2-2 through the first four matchups including a 2-1 loss to Monterrey in the most recent edition of the competition.  

In most ways, the Dynamo Charities Cup presented by PNC is like any other professional soccer match. The teams will play 11-a-side in two 45-minute halves like normal. There are, however, two significant differences in this game versus a normal league game.

First, the teams will be allowed unlimited substitutions rather than the usual five, though as normal, a player may not re-enter the match after he is subbed out. This allows the managers to get work for more players and allows fans to see more of their favorite players on the pitch during the contest.

Second, because this is a "Cup" match, there must be a winner. However, if the match is tied after 90 minutes, there will NOT be any extra time - we will instead proceed directly to penalty kicks. Only one edition of the Dynamo Charities Cup has gone to penalties - six years ago when the Dynamo defeated Real Sociedad from Spain 5-3 on spot kicks.

Atlético San Luis is currently in 10th place in Liga MX, the first division in Mexican professional soccer, with a record of 7-2-8. The team has competed in Liga MX since 2019, when it earned promotion from the Ascenso MX. Since March 2016, the club has been majority owned by La Liga’s Atletico de Madrid, along with the state of San Luis. Atletico San Luis features stars such as captain Javier Güémez, who has 15 career caps with the Mexican National Team, and 23-year-old Argentinian forward Germán Berterame, who leads the team in both goals and assists this season. The team is managed by André Jardine, who, prior to joining the Liga MX side, led the Brazilian U-23 national team to a gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.