Houston Dynamo FC opened their final road trip of the preseason with a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC at St. David’s Performance Center in Austin, Texas this afternoon.
The win improved Houston to 3-1-1 in preseason play with one warmup match remaining before the Dynamo kick off the regular season on Feb. 27 against Real Salt Lake at PNC Stadium.
The Dynamo scored the opening goal of the game in the fifth minute following a 40-yard run down the right flank from defender Griffin Dorsey. The 22-year-old found Dynamo forward Sebastian Ferreira at the far post for his third goal of the preseason.
The Dynamo made 10 substitutions at halftime with an eye on Saturday’s preseason finale in Frisco against FC Dallas. Forward Tyler Pasher was among the players that entered the match in the final 45 minutes and he doubled Houston’s lead in the 61st minute. Rookie forward Thor Ulfarsson dribbled into the box to pull a defender away from the Canadian forward. The fourth pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft laid the ball off to an unmarked Pasher for the close-range finish.
Toronto pulled a goal back in the 74th minute after Ifunanyachi Achara capitalized on a rebound inside the box.
Ferreira nearly finished with a brace after he forced a save in the 29th minute. Defender Adam Lundkvist found the 24-year-old inside the box, but his effort hit the bottom corner of the far post. The rebound came back to him, but the Toronto goalkeeper was well positioned to make the save.
Dorsey forced a save of his own in the 41st minute after dribbling past two defenders into the penalty area.
The Dynamo backline denied Toronto twice in the opening portion of the second half and goalkeeper Michael Nelson made a save in the 52nd minute to keep the Dynamo up by a single goal.
Ulfarsson nearly scored his first goal with the team in the 63rd minute after he won the ball near midfield. The rookie forward took his chance and hit the crossbar, just missing the inside of the woodwork.
Dynamo Academy winger Andre Gitau earned his second appearance of the week and the 15-year-old forced a save in the 70th minute with a shot from the edge of the box.
The Dynamo return to action on Saturday in Frisco against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium. The match will kick off at 6 p.m. and fans can follow the action via a live stream at HoustonDynamoFC.com/Live.
Houston begins its 2022 regular season campaign on Opening Day presented by PNC Bank when they host Real Salt Lake on Sunday, Feb. 27. Kickoff for that match is set for 6 p.m. CST and tickets are available at https://www.HoustonDynamoFC.com/SingleGame.
