HOUSTON (Nov. 6, 2026) – Houston Dynamo FC return to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, to host St. Louis CITY SC in a crucial Decision Day matchup, as the Dynamo will look to determine their final seeding for the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs and secure home-field advantage Round One Best-of-3 Series. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT, and fans can secure their tickets to the high-powered match via Tixr HERE.
Houston clinched their place in the postseason last month, marking the third time in four seasons the Club has qualified for playoffs, and the Dynamo can clinch home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday through one of the following two scenarios:
- Houston win vs. St. Louis
or...
- Houston draw vs. St. Louis AND San Jose lose at Minnesota AND Houston win tiebreaker over San Jose
The team's 2026 playoff run is powered by Shell Energy, and fans can sign up to be the first to hear when playoff tickets go on sale by texting "PLAYOFFS" to 275-748.
To add additional intrigue to Saturday’s matchup, both Houston and St. Louis are tied on 51 points in the Western Conference Standings, with the Dynamo sitting fifth on tiebreakers, still just one point behind the third seed. Notably, Houston has remained above the playoff line since May and has avoided defeat in 15 of 19 matches since returning from the World Cup Break.
With a victory this weekend, Houston would tie their single-season points (54) and wins (15) records, while a clean sheet would set a new single-season Club record with 14.
The Club will also host Fan Appreciation Night, powered by Shell Energy, at the stadium on Saturday to celebrate and thank the fans that have fueled the team all season long. Festivities for the night include a wearable flag gate giveaway (while supplies last), special surprises and giveaways throughout the stadium, and post-match fireworks.
Saturday's match marks the third meeting between Houston and St. Louis this year, with the two sides previously meeting in May during the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and again in August for regular season action. In MLS play, this fixture marks the eighth matchup in the all-time regular season series, with Houston looking to even the series at three wins apiece. The Dynamo won last season’s two-match series, earning a 1-0 home victory in June before earning a 3-2 road victory at St. Louis in August. Notably, the result at Energizer Park marked a major career milestone for head coach Ben Olsen, earning him his 150th career MLS regular season win.
The Dynamo are coming off a two-match road trip to the Pacific Northwest where they split their results, including the team’s first-ever victory in Seattle and a loss in Portland. The first match saw defender Lucas Halter score his first Dynamo goal, while in Portland, midfielder AgustÃn Bouzat scored his second goal of the season.
From an individual perspective, attacker Guilherme has contributed to 26 of Houston's 43 league goals this season (60.4%), one of the highest rates in MLS so far, and recently became just the second player in Dynamo history to record 10 goals and 10 assists in the same season (Alberth Elis, 11 goals and 10 assists in 2018). He also became the second Brazilian player in MLS history to record at least 25 goal contributions in their debut season (Gabriel Pec, 2024). Additionally, he has recorded at least a goal and one assist in seven MLS matches this season.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond currently ranks among the league's top three in clean sheets this season with 12, tying Tally Hall (2012) and Steve Clark's (2023) single-season Club records. Earlier this season, Bond helped Houston tie a league-record with a five-match shutout victory streak and held opponents scoreless for an impressive 485 minutes, the second-longest run over the last decade for the Dynamo.
St. Louis is coming off four consecutive losses after recently setting an MLS record with a 21-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, most recently falling 1-0 at San Diego FC on Oct. 31. Last month, CITY captured their first-ever U.S. Open Cup title after defeating the Columbus Crew in a penalty kick shootout. This season, Rafael Navarro and Simon Becher lead the team in goals with nine each, while Conrad Wallem leads the team with nine assists.
Notably, two Dynamo players earned call ups for the November FIFA international window. Forward Lyle Foster was called up to join the South African national team for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where Bafana Bafana will face Kenya twice during the window. Homegrown midfielder Matthew Arana was called up to represent Mexico's U-17s for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 in Qatar. Mexico will compete in Group K versus Romania, Cameroon and Venezuela. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 32.
