HOUSTON (Oct. 10, 2025) – Houston Dynamo 2’s 2025 campaign came to a close on Sunday afternoon, capping off a season that showcased strong contributions from the Dynamo Academy and breakout performances from newcomers, including goalkeeper Pedro Cruz and defender Felipe Andrade, who became the seventh player to graduate from Houston’s second team to the first team.
Houston ended the MLS NEXT Pro season 11th in the Western Conference with 37 points and a 9-13-6 (W-L-D) record, snapping a streak of three consecutive playoff appearances and marking the team’s first time missing the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs since their inaugural campaign in 2022.
Dynamo Dos kicked off their fourth regular season under new head coach **Marcelo** **Santos**, the second Dynamo 2 head coach in Club history, and fielded the youngest team in MLS NEXT Pro this year, with an average age of just 18.9 years old. A total of 13 Dynamo Academy players made their professional debuts, while four of them scored their first professional goals, including midfielder Noah Betancourt, midfielder Enrique Correa, midfielder Lionel Gitau and defender Omar Flores.
Notably, the team opened the 2025 season in style, earning Santos’ first victory as Dynamo 2 head coach in a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City II, while starting three 15-year-olds in the match – defender Daniel Barrett, midfielder Mattheo Dimareli and former Dynamo Academy player Lukas Bruegmann. Dynamo 2 also saw record setting debuts from two 14-year-olds in midfielder Matthew Arana (14 years, 10 months and 28 days at Austin FC II on July 25) and forward Sebastiao Nzita (14 years, 5 months and 13 days vs. North Texas SC on March 23). Both became the youngest players to debut for Dynamo 2 in Club history at the time of their debuts, and Nzita became the third-youngest player to appear in an MLS NEXT Pro match.
Dos also signed three Academy products to MLS NEXT Pro contracts this season, including forward **David Garcia**, Betancourt and Correa.
Among individual highlights, Cruz earned the **2025 Goalie Wars** title during the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge, presented by AT&T, at Q2 Stadium in Austin. The 21-year-old Brazilian defeated Carlos Mercado (Orlando City B) 4-3 in the final after earning a 5-1 victory in the semifinal over Adias de Rosario (Toronto FC II). Cruz finished the season with 25 appearances and 101 saves (third most in MLS NEXT Pro), posting a 71.1 save percentage with four clean sheets. The shot stopper was named April’s MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month after helping the team to a three-game unbeaten streak with 14 total saves, an 87.5 save percentage, while only allowing two goals during that stretch. Barrett also represented the Dynamo Academy at the MLS NEXT All-Star Game in Austin, playing 45 minutes, while wearing the captain armband for the West. Additionally, midfielder Diego Gonzalez was named to the MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month for March after contributing to four goals in four matches (two goals and two assists) to start the season.
Andrade, a recent Dynamo 2 graduate, initially joined the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate on loan from Brazilian side Fluminense FC in February, starting all six of his appearances this season, while contributing to two clean sheets and recording one assist. The Club then extended him to a first team loan in May and exercised his purchase option in September. Since joining the first team, the Brazilian defender has made 28 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and registering one assist. Andrade netted his first goal for the Club in just his second appearance, netting the opener in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 match (4-1 victory) versus USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC. He made his first team debut with the Dynamo in a 2-1 friendly victory versus the El Salvador National Team in March. Notably, Andrade has earned two MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday selections this season.
Key contributions also came from forward Stephen Annor, who was drafted by Houston in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He led the team’s attack with six goals, followed by midfielder Sebastian Rodríguez and Dimareli, who each scored four goals. Defender Juan Viveros, who joined Dos on loan this season, and Dimareli led the team in distribution with three assists each. They were followed by Gonzalez, Correa and Gitau, who each recorded two assists each.
