HOUSTON (July 19, 2024) – Houston Dynamo FC wrap a two-match road trip at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, July 20, with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT. The match will stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Houston enters Saturday’s match eighth in the Western Conference with a 9-7-7 (WLD) record and 34 points. The Dynamo have only lost once in its last nine matches, while finding the back of the net 18 times over that stretch.
The Dynamo are coming off a 1-0 road victory at the San Jose Earthquakes behind a late goal from defender Daniel Steres. Houston took the lead in the 86th minute when forward McKinze Gaines laid the ball off to forward Amine Bassi, who crossed the ball to the middle of the box where Steres fired the ball into the net on the volley. The goal marked the California native’s first of the season, while the play marked Bassi’s team-leading seventh assist. Steres’ performance earned him MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors. Additionally, Houston recorded their fifth clean sheet of the season and did not give up a shot on goal to the Earthquakes.
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 27 goals this season, which is tied for the second fewest in the Western Conference and third fewest across MLS. Houston also leads the Western Conference with 58.5 percent possession across the season, allowing the Dynamo to control matches and dictate pace of play.
Forward Ezequiel Ponce, who the Dynamo signed last month, will be available to make his MLS debut on Saturday now that the MLS Secondary Transfer Window opened on Thursday. Houston signed the 27-year-old Argentinian from AEK Athen in Greece on a club-record transfer fee. Ponce will occupy a Designated Player spot and joins the Dynamo on a full transfer through June 2027 with club options through December 2027 and 2028.
Additionally, Houston announced the signing of winger Lawrence Ennali on a full transfer from Górnik Zabrze in Poland on Thursday. The deal marks the largest U22 initiative signing in Club history for the Dynamo, and the 22-year-old is signed to a contract through 2026 with a club option through 2027. In three seasons in Europe, Ennali has made 70 professional appearances (40 starts), while scoring eight goals and recording two assists. The Berlin native made his professional debut with Hannover 96 in Germany’s Bundesliga in August 2021, before joining Rot-Weiss Essen on loan in Germany’s third division for the 2022 season and Górnik Zabrze in Poland’s first tier for the 2023 season. Ennali helped Górnik Zabrze finish sixth in the table during the most recent campaign, scoring five goals and recording one assist.
Vancouver enters Saturday’s match sitting fourth in the Western Conference with a 11-7-5 (WLD) record and 38 points. Like Houston, Vancouver is also in the midst of a hot streak, being undefeated in their last six matches. Most recently, the Whitecaps earned a 2-1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City behind a Sporting own goal in the 34th minute and a match-winning goal from Fafa Picault in the 76th minute.
The Dynamo will be looking for this first win at BC Place in Vancouver, while the Whitecaps hold a narrow 10-8-5 (WLD) record over Houston in all-time regular season matchups. However, in the most recent meeting in September last year, Houston defeated Vancouver 4-1 at Shell Energy Stadium behind goals from Héctor Herrera, Griffin Dorsey, Iván Franco and Ibrahim Aliyu.
Notably, Herrera was recently named to the roster for the 2024 Major League Soccer All-Star Game. The midfielder is one of two players selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, alongside Columbus Crew’s Darlington Nagbe. This will be Herrera’s second consecutive All-Star Game appearance after representing Houston in last year’s match versus Premier League side Arsenal FC. The MLS All-Stars will face a team of All-Stars from LIGA MX on July 24 in Columbus, Ohio. Dynamo fans can watch the game on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Houston kicks off Leagues Cup play next week, hosting LIGA MX side Atlas FC on July 27 and MLS side Real Salt Lake on August 5 in Group Stage play. Tickets for those matches are available HERE.
