HOUSTON (Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024) - Houston Dynamo FC traveled to Guadalajara, Jalisco on Jan. 29 as part of preseason preparations for the 2024 season.
Houston will face the Mexican teams below in matches that are closed to the public:
- Jan. 31 – C.D. Guadalajara (Chivas)
- Feb. 3 – Tecos FC
- Feb. 5 – Leones Negros
- Feb. 7 – C.D. Guadalajara (Chivas)
“We prefer traveling to Mexico for our longer preseason trip. Last year’s trip to Toluca and Mexico City galvanized our group and laid the foundation for a successful season,” said Dynamo General Manager Pat Onstad. “This year, we look forward to facing a variety of new opponents in Guadalajara to kick off the competitive phase of our preseason. Houston is inextricably linked to Mexico, and we want to continue investing in our relationships with the clubs, Federation and partners to find new ways to work together in the future.”
This is the second consecutive preseason trip to Mexico for the Dynamo, who faced Club America and Club America Universidad Nacional in 2023. Houston traveled with 29 players to Mexico this year, including four players from Dynamo 2 and two players from the Dynamo Academy.
“This city has produced some of the best teams in the region, and the history of the sport here is remarkable,” Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said. “This is one of my favorite trips as a coach because you take the team to a different environment and really challenge them with quality opponents. We made the most of our first trip to Mexico last year and look to build on that over the next 10 days.”
Chivas compete in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football, and are one of the 10 founding members of the league. They are one of Mexico's most successful teams with 12 league titles and are one of seven teams that have never been relegated.
Tecos are a professional football club associated with the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara AC. Tecos have won one Liga MX title and are the only team in Mexican football history to ascend from the two lower divisions to win the top tier championship. Tecos currently compete in Liga Premier, the third tier of Mexican football.
Leones Negros are a professional football club that currently competes in the Liga de Expansión MX. The club has won domestic leagues and cups at various levels of Mexican football, while finishing runner-up three times in Liga MX.
The Dynamo return to Houston on Feb. 7 to prepare for a scrimmage against Orlando City SC. The team will travel to central Florida on Feb. 14 to face The Lions.
The Dynamo will open the year on Feb. 20 when they face St. Louis CITY SC in the first leg of the Round One matchup in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. This is the first time the Dynamo compete in the regional tournament since 2019, and Houston qualified to the tournament by winning the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Houston will open the regular season on Feb. 24 when they host Sporting Kansas City at Shell Energy Stadium.
