HOUSTON (Feb. 19, 2024) - Houston Dynamo FC will open the 2024 campaign in less than 24 hours as they face St. Louis CITY SC at CITYPARK in the first leg of the Round One matchup of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
WHO: |
Concacaf Champions Cup – Round One (leg one) Houston Dynamo FC vs. St. Louis CITY SC
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WHEN: |
Tuesday, Feb. 20 – 7:00 p.m. CT |
STREAM/TV: |
FS2
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RADIO: |
SPANISH: TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Daniel Mejia and Cesar Procel)
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This is the eighth edition of the tournament to feature the Dynamo and Houston return to the regional competition for the first time since the 2019 edition. This is the first time the Dynamo will face an MLS opponent in the tournament and only the third meeting between the two teams.
Houston looks to build on a memorable 2023 campaign that saw the team lift the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The victory over Inter Miami CF also secured a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Dynamo closed the year with a trip to the Western Conference Final and that was their first postseason appearance since the 2017 campaign.
This is the first competitive match of the year for Houston and the team closed the preseason with a trip to Central Florida to face Orlando City SC in a closed-door friendly. The preseason also included a 10-day trip to Guadalajara, Mexico to face Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Leones Negros and Tecos FC.
The trip to Mexico featured goals from familiar faces like forward Sebas Ferreira, who tallied four goals in four games. The forward enters his third season with the team. The 25-year-old finished the 2023 season on loan in Brazil and looks to replicate his form from 2022 that saw Ferreira tally 13 goals in the regular season.
The trip also saw goals from players in different stages of the club pathway with contributions from Dynamo Academy forward Zeke Soto, Dynamo 2 midfielder Diego Gonzalez and Homegrown defender Kieran Sargeant. The trip featured seven Dynamo 2 players and two Dynamo Academy members.
The Dynamo return to Houston following Tuesday’s match to prepare for the regular season home opener against Sporting Kansas City this Saturday, Feb. 24 at Shell Energy Stadium. Tickets for the match are available HERE.
Here are three key points ahead of Tuesday’s match:
- OFFSEASON FOCUS ON CORE PLAYERS: The Dynamo secured contract extensions with four players following a run to the Western Conference Final. The team announced earlier today that midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla signed a contract extension through the 2025 season with a contract option for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Midfielder Artur signed a contract extension in the final weeks of the 2023 campaign, followed by defender Ethan Bartlow. The team also inked a new deal with defender Griffin Dorsey, who scored the opening goal of Houston’s 2-1 triumph in the final of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final victory.
- NEW FACES BRING DEPTH: The team added a mix of homegrown, domestic and international talent as part of the roster build for the 2024 season. Sebastian Rodriguez and Kieran Sargeant joined the team as Homegrown players at the start of the year. Rodriguez made his professional debut with Houston Dynamo 2 in 2023 as a 15-year-old and will transition to a first team contract in 2025. Sargeant joined the team after a three-year stint with Georgetown University, where he earned multiple individual accolades for his play as a defender. Midfielder Ján Greguš joined the team in Mexico as part of the 10-day trip and brings extensive MLS postseason experience to the roster. Forward Gabe Segal was the latest addition to the squad, and he joined the team following a trade with NYCFC. The team also added two attackers following the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, picking University of Virginia freshman forward Stephen Annor Gyamfi with the No. 26 overall pick and Clemson University senior midfielder Ousmane Sylla with the No. 55 overall pick.
- CITY BEGIN SEASON TWO WITH CCC PLAY: St. Louis CITY SC enters their second campaign in MLS and open the year with their first appearance in a regional international tournament. City finished with the best record in the Western Conference last season and ultimately fell to Sporting Kansas City in the Round One Best-of-3 series to open the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. The team faced five MLS clubs this preseason as part of a cross-country tour to prepare for their second league campaign.
