HOUSTON (Sept. 20, 2024) – Houston Dynamo FC travel to the state capital on Saturday, Sept. 21 to face in-state rivals Austin FC for their third meeting of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT at Q2 Stadium, and fans can follow the action live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The Dynamo are looking to make history on Saturday, as a victory in Austin would mark Houston’s eighth road win this season to set a new single-season Club record. Houston tied its previous record of seven road wins from 2007 with a 2-0 victory at LAFC last month. The Dynamo boast a 7-5-2 (WLD) record on the road this season.
Houston currently sits seventh in the Western Conference with 45 points and a 12-8-9 (WLD) record. The Dynamo are undefeated in 13 of their last 15 MLS matches, while finding the back of the net 29 times over that stretch.
The Dynamo remain in the heart of playoff contention with five league games remaining in their push for the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, including two at home and two versus Western Conference opponents above the playoff line. Houston is looking to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013.
Houston looks to close a two-match week with three points at Austin after playing Vancouver Whitecaps FC to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston’s goal came in first-half stoppage time when Ponce converted a penalty kick with a powerful strike into the roof of the net for his third goal of the season.
The Dynamo continue to boast one of the best defensive records so far this season, even with a shuffling back line that has seen seven players start due to injuries. The team has allowed just 33 goals this season, which is the fewest in the Western Conference and tied for the second fewest in MLS. Houston also leads MLS with 59.7 percent possession across the season, allowing the Dynamo to control matches and dictate pace of play.
Earlier this week, Houston announced the signing of MLS veteran midfielder Júnior Moreno, who returns to the league after a short stint this year with Al-Hazem SC of the Saudi First Division League. Moreno spent six seasons in MLS between D.C. United (2018-21) and FC Cincinnati (2022-23), totaling seven goals and 12 assists over 153 regular season appearances (142 starts). Moreno also has extensive playoff experience, starting all eight matches (754 minutes) across four postseason runs. The Venezuelan international spent three seasons under current Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen while playing in the nation’s capital, helping D.C. make the playoffs twice. The midfielder has earned 40 caps at the international level with Venezuela, including appearing 17 times in FIFA World Cup qualifiers and eight times in the CONMEBOL Copa America (2019 and 2021). Moreno has tallied one goal and two assists for La Vinotinto so far.
Austin enters Saturday’s match sitting outside the playoff line in 10th in the Western Conference with a 9-12-8 (WLD) record and 35 points. In their most recent matchup, Austin played LAFC to a hard-fought 1-1 road draw behind a goal from Jáder Obrian. Obrian leads the team with six goals while Alex Ring leads with seven assists.
The Dynamo will be looking for their first win at Q2 Stadium since Austin FC joined MLS in 2021, while looking to right the wrongs of two defeats versus their in-state rivals earlier this season. Houston defeated Austin in both matchups last season, including a 2-0 victory in March (Amine Bassi 71’ and Héctor Herrera 86’) and a 2-1 victory in May (Hector Herrera 37’ and Iván Franco 87’).
The Dynamo have a former Austin FC player on their roster in forward McKinze Gaines, who started his MLS career with the club in 2021. Houston acquired the American attacker in late April this year, and the Texas native has so far made six appearances coming off the bench for the Dynamo. Gaines has scored three goals and tallied six assists across 61 MLS appearances (21 starts).
The Dynamo next travel to face Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, Sept. 28, before returning to Shell Energy Stadium to host New England Revolution on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Tickets for all Dynamo home matches are available via SeatGeek HERE.
