Houston Dynamo 2 Look to Sweep Season Series against Earthquakes II

July 1, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Houston Dynamo 2 News Release

HOUSTON (Friday, July 1, 2022) – Houston Dynamo 2 is back on the road after last week’s 1-0 home victory over Tacoma Defiance. The team is traveling to Northern California’s PayPal Park to take on Earthquakes II on Friday, July 1 at 9:30 p.m. CT.

This is the second matchup of the season between these two teams, with the first coming as the opening game in MLS NEXT Pro history. In that debut performance, Dynamo 2 came out victorious, with the only goal in the match coming from forward Papa N’Doye in the seventh minute.

During last weekend’s Dynamo 2 match against Tacoma, both teams put in a closely fought defensive battle. The teams found themselves level with just two minutes left to go in regular time.

However, midfielder Juan Castilla earned a free kick from just outside of the 18-yard box. Fellow Dynamo Academy alum Marcelo Palomino lined up and took a bouncing shot that beat the Tacoma goalkeeper at the far post to give Houston a 1-0 lead.

Dynamo 2 held on through a lengthy period of additional time to snap a three-game losing streak and extend the team’s dominance at AVEVA Stadium, as Houston improved to 4-0-0 at that venue.

Additionally, the team moved back into playoff position after briefly finding itself on the outside looking in. Dynamo 2 currently sits tied for fourth place in the Western Conference standings with 25 points and a game in hand over Whitecaps FC 2.

Houston goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg also played a crucial role in the closely fought contest, as he finished with his first clean sheet of the season. The Dynamo backline limited Tacoma to five shots and one shot on target that was saved by Pannenberg in the 24th minute.

After this week’s match, Dynamo 2 will be back at AVEVA Stadium to take on Real Monarchs on Sunday, July 10 at 7:00 p.m. CT.

WHO:

Houston Dynamo 2 vs Earthquakes II

WHEN:

Friday, July 1 – 9:30 p.m. CT

STREAMING:

www.MLSNEXTPro.com

Here are three key points ahead of Friday’s match:

SEASON BEST EXPECTED GOALS AGAINST: Houston’s defense came up big in last week’s 1-0 victory over Tacoma. With the offense unable to find the goal until the last minute of regulation time, the backline proved its mettle by completely silencing the Defiance’s attack. During the game, Dynamo 2 held Tacoma to just 0.15 expected Goals Against, five total shots and one shot on target. Both opponent shooting numbers tied previously standing season lows for Houston, while the team…