Houston Dynamo FC close the regular season against the LA Galaxy on Sunday at PNC Stadium. The Club will celebrate Fan Appreciation Day, presented by Coushatta Casino Resort, and festivities include a Mariachi Battle at the Hold It Down Plaza during pregame. The winner of the battle will perform at halftime. Additionally, the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Hector Herrera bobblehead.
The Dynamo look to close the regular season with three points and return to PNC Stadium after winning their final road game of the year. A brace from Sebas Ferreira led the Dynamo to a 2-1 victory over Nashville SC at GEODIS Park last Sunday. That was Houston’s fourth road victory of the season, the highest mark for the team since the 2013 season. Houston limited MVP frontrunner Hany Mukhtar to three shots on Sunday and the only threat came off a shot that bounced off the crossbar and eventually cleared by captain Tim Parker. The Dynamo backline combined for 21 clearances and eight interceptions.
Héctor Herrera came off the bench against Nashville for his first appearance since Aug. 20. The captain of the Mexican National Team created one opportunity for the Dynamo and finished with two clearances. Coco Carrasquilla once again played a key role for the team on both ends of the field. The Panamanian international led the team with two chances created and won possession 14 times, which is double the number recoveries of any player that saw minutes at GEODIS Park on Sunday.
Sunday’s match is the second meeting of the season with the LA Galaxy and Houston looks for the series sweep after a 3-0 triumph at Dignity Health Sports Park on May 22. Ferreira tallied a goal and two assists in that match and was named the Continental MLS Player of the Week. Houston has a slight edge in the all-time series with a 13-12-10 (WLD) record and the Dynamo hold an 8-6-4 record at home against the Galaxy.
Soccer returns to PNC Stadium next Sunday when the Houston Dash host their first playoff game in team history. The Dash qualified for the postseason for the first time on Oct. 1 and closed the regular season with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit on Oct. 2. The team finished with a 10-6-6 record, a new mark for victories in a single season. Tickets for the match start at $7 as part of the fan-favorite 713 Night. For tickets and additional information, visit HoustonDash.com.
Here are three key points ahead of Sunday’s match:
- FERREIRA SETS NEW MARK: Dynamo forward Sebas Ferreira scored his 11th and 12th goal of the season in Houston’s 2-1 victory over Nashville SC last Sunday. The 24-year-old now holds the club record for the most goals scored by a Dynamo player in their first season with the team. Four of his last five goals have been against teams that qualified for the postseason and the forward looks to replicate that on Sunday against a Galaxy squad that enters Sunday’s game in position to clinch a home playoff match.
- DYNAMO VS. GALAXY MEET FOR DECISION DAY TRILOGY: The Dynamo and LA Galaxy have met two times on Decision Day with Houston earning a 3-2 comeback victory in California on Oct. 28, 2018. Houston was down 2-0 going into the final 30 minutes and their three unanswered goals cost the Galaxy a spot in the postseason. Houston earned three points again the following year on Decision Day to deny Los Angeles a home game in the postseason. The Dynamo scored three goals in the final 30 minutes to defeat LA 4-2. The two teams met prior to the current Decision Day format in 2011 and Houston earned a 3-1 victory at home over the LA Galaxy in the last match of the regular season at Robertson Stadium.
- GALAXY ON VERGE OF HOME PLAYOFF MATCH: The LA Galaxy enter Sunday’s game tied for fourth place and need three points to remain in contention to host a match in the opening round of the playoffs. The Galaxy have earned two victories in their last three games and enter Decision Day with a 5-7-4 (WLD) record away from home. Midfielder Riqui Puig recently joined the Galaxy and he has been key in their final push by scoring two goals and tallying five assists. The Dynamo backline will also be tasked with containing Javier Hernandez and Dejan Joveljic who combine for 27 goals this season.
