Dynamo returns to Houston with 2-1 deficit in 1st round of CONCACAF Champions Cup

In the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round match, St. Louis City S.C. scored a 90th-minute goal, putting the Houston Dynamo behind 2-1.

During the game in St. Louis, the teams were tied at one goal each in the second half when Hosei Kijima from St. Louis scored with a shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner, defeating Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark.

Houston’s only goal of the match occurred in the 72nd minute when Ibrahim Aliyu assisted Sebastian Kowalczyk with a center-of-the-box kick on a fast break. This goal answered the first goal of the match, a header by St. Louis’ Tim Parker on a set-piece situation.

Despite a potential second goal for the Dynamo, the Video Assistant Referee ruled no-score for Aliyu in the 26th minute.

The two teams will face each other again in the second and final leg at Shell Energy Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 9:30 p.m.

The winner will be determined by aggregate goals scored between the teams. Houston will need to score at least two goals while holding St. Louis scoreless to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which features 27 clubs from Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.

The Dynamo earned entry into this yearly event by winning the U.S. Open Cup in 2023, coinciding with Houston’s MLS regular season.

Despite playing their 2024 MLS opener against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Dynamo face a challenging schedule, playing three matches in seven days.

The Houston-St. Louis winner will compete against the Columbus Crew in the next round, with the Crew earning a bye into the round of 16 by winning the MLS Cup.

The tournament’s victor secures a spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. These two games do not count toward the Dynamo’s MLS record in 2024.

Tickets for the Houston-St. Louis second leg and the Dynamo’s MLS Season Opener are available for purchase on the Dynamo’s website.

Additionally, although Houston is not scheduled to play against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami during the MLS Regular Season, they could potentially face each other in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.

Here are the Dynamo’s next five matches:
– Saturday, Feb. 24: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m., MLS Season Opener
– Tuesday, Feb. 27: vs. St. Louis SC, 9:30 p.m., 2nd leg of first round, Concacaf Champions Cup
– Saturday, March 2: vs. Red Bull New York, 7:30 p.m.
– Saturday, March 16: vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.
– Saturday, March 23: at Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m.