HOUSTON (Nov. 8, 2024) – The Houston Dynamo FC 2024 campaign came to a close on Sunday evening after a lengthy journey that saw them as the only American MLS team to compete in four major competitions – Major League Soccer, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup.
Under the leadership of second-year head coach Ben Olsen and third-year general manager Pat Onstad, the Dynamo earned their 10th overall playoff berth and made consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in over a decade. Additionally, Houston was the only MLS team in Texas to qualify for the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, while the Dynamo earned their first road win at Austin FC since their in-state rivals joined the league in 2021.
The Dynamo also set single-season Club records on the pitch in road wins (8) and points (54), while leading the league in average possession (59.2 percent). Houston managed to maintain a possession-based and defensively-sound style of play to control matches and dictate pace of play throughout the season, allowing just 39 goals over 34 regular season matches, the third fewest in MLS. The Dynamo defense was led by goalkeeper Steve Clark and a starting backline of Griffin Dorsey, Franco Escobar, Micael and Erik Sviatchenko.
Houston made two significant signings in the summer. In June, the Dynamo signed Argentinian forward Ezequiel Ponce from AEK Athens in Greece on a Club-record transfer fee, followed by the signing of German forward Lawrence Ennali from Górnik Zabrze in Poland in July in the largest U22 initiative signing in Club history. The Argentinian made his presence known, scoring 10 goals in just five regular season matches this season. The German burst on to the scene with a goal at LAFC in his second regular season match, but unfortunately suffered a significant knee injury in the same match that would see him miss the remainder of the season.
The Dynamo kicked off their campaign with preseason trips to Guadalajara, Mexico and Orlando, Florida in preparation for their first Concacaf Champions Cup appearance since 2019. Houston advanced further in the international competition than any other MLS Western Conference team, advancing to the Round of 16 after playing St. Louis CITY SC to a 2-2 aggregate draw, with Houston’s leg-one away goal serving as the tiebreaker. The Dynamo bowed out of the competition in the Round of 16 after falling to the Columbus Crew to a 2-1 aggregate score. The Dynamo qualified for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup play after winning the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Mid-summer brought the second addition of Leagues Cup, a competition between MLS and LIGA MX, where the Dynamo advanced to the Round of 32. Houston won its group over Real Salt Lake and Atlas FC before bowing out of the competition on a penalty shootout to Liga MX powerhouse Deportivo Toluca FC at Shell Energy Stadium. Two highlights from the tournament were the debut of Ennali and Ponce’s first-career goal for the Dynamo when he hammered a ball into the roof of the net versus Toluca.
Despite injuries to several key players throughout 2024, the Dynamo finished the MLS regular season with a 15-10-0 (WLD) and 54 points to earn the fifth seed in the Western Conference. At home, Houston managed a 7-3-7 (WLD) record, while playing to an 8-7-2 (WLD) record on the road. Notably, the Dynamo remained above the playoff line for the entire 2024 season and matched up versus Seattle Sounders FC in the Round One Best-of-Three Series but fell in tight penalty shootouts 5-4 (Game 1 on the road) and 7-6 (Game 2 at home) to bring their campaign to a close.
From an individual perspective, 16 different Dynamo players were named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday this season, including three selections each for Dorsey, Escobar and midfielder Héctor Herrera. Additionally, Herrera represented Houston at the 2024 MLS All-Star Game in July, while midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla recently became the first Panamanian player to be named the 2023/2024 Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year.
One major note off the pitch came in July when U.S. Men’s National Team legend Tim Howard joined Houston Dynamo Football Club as a minority investor. The recent National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee joined the Club which collectively owns the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League and Houston Dynamo FC of Major League Soccer and operates Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park, as well as Dynamo and Dash Charities.
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