HOUSTON (Oct. 4, 2024) – Houston Dynamo FC wrap up a two-match week at St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, Oct. 5, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. Houston’s penultimate match of the regular season will stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Houston clinched their place in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs last weekend, marking the first time Houston has qualified for the postseason in consecutive years since 2013, while the Dynamo continue to push for a top four homefield advantage spot in the Western Conference.
The Dynamo currently sit fifth in the Western Conference with 51 points and a 14-9-9 (WLD) record, as Houston tied their points total from last season following their victory versus the New England Revolution on Wednesday. The team now finds themselves just two points behind fourth place and homefield advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series with two regular season matches remaining.
Notably, the Dynamo are undefeated in 15 of their last 18 MLS matches, while finding the back of the net 32 times over that stretch.
Additionally, Houston continues to boast one of the best defensive records so far this season. The team has allowed just 35 goals this season, which is the second fewest across MLS. Houston also leads MLS with 59.5 percent possession across the season, allowing the Dynamo to control matches and dictate pace of play.
The Dynamo are coming off a 2-1 home victory over New England on Wednesday behind two stunning goals from forward Ezequiel Ponce, his fourth goal of the season, and defender Erik Sviatchenko, his first-career MLS goal. Midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla was involved in both plays, tallying up his seventh assist of the season, which is one shy of the Panamanian international’s career high with the Dynamo.
Carrasquilla and Sviatchenko earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday selections for their strong performances, marking the second selection for both players this season. Additionally, midfielder Júnior Moreno made his debut with the Dynamo after entering the match in the 77th minute.
CITY currently sits 12th in the Western Conference standings with 34 points and a 7-12-13 (WLD) record. They enter Saturday’s fixture eliminated from playoff contention, most recently falling 1-0 to LAFC on the road this week, which broke a four-match away unbeaten streak. Denis Bouanga scored in first-half stoppage time to give the hosts the lead and the eventual victory. Three players currently lead the St. Louis attack, as Joao Klauss, Eduard Lowen and Cedric Teuchert each have five goals this season.
Houston took down St. Louis in the Round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup in February, advancing on a 2-2 aggregate score, with the Dynamo’s away goal serving as the tiebreaker. St. Louis won the first leg 2-1 at home, before a 1-0 Dynamo home victory in the second leg saw Houston through to the next round. The Dynamo’s goal scorers in the series were Sebastian Kowalczyk and Sviatchenko, who each scored their debut goals for Houston.
Saturday’s away match will mark the fourth league meeting between Houston and St. Louis, as 2023 marked CITY’s inaugural season that saw them finish first in the Western Conference regular season standings. Most recently, the two sides played to a scoreless draw at Shell Energy Stadium in May of this season. The Dynamo are still looking for their first MLS victory over CITY.
Houston returns to Shell Energy Stadium for a Decision Day matchup versus LA Galaxy on Saturday, Oct. 19 when the Club will host Fan Appreciate Night. Fans can purchase tickets for the last match of the season HERE.
