BLAINE, Minn. (August 2, 2025) – Houston Dynamo 2 played Minnesota United FC 2 to a 2-2 draw on the road earlier this evening, with goals from forwards Stephen Annor and Tomás Romero. The home side won the ensuing penalty shootout 4-3 to claim the additional point.
Notably, the match saw Romero score his first goal in MLS NEXT Pro and marked first-team goalkeeper Blake Gillingham’s MLSNP debut.
Dos took the lead in the 27th minute when midfielder Mattheo Dimareli pulled a dummy move after receiving a pass from midfielder Lionel Gitau, which made its way to Romero in the middle box for a right-footed shot that bounced off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Annor doubled Houston’s lead in the 39th minute when Gitau found defender Juan Viveros at the far post, who then played a quick pass to Annor for his sixth goal of the season. The play also marked Viveros’s second assist of the year.
Minnesota pulled one back in the 41st minute after Luke Hille found the bottom left corner following a pass from Troy Putt. Hille then forced a penalty shootout for Minnesota after equalizing in second half stoppage time with a left-footed finish inside the box.
Gillingham was called into action in the third minute, diving low to his left to deny a Minnesota scoring opportunity inside the box. The shot stopper finished the night with seven saves.
Annor had Houston’s first dangerous chance in the 13th minute when Gitau found him making a run towards the box, which forced goalkeeper Kai Zeruhn to come off his line and make a quick reaction save following a chipped shot from the striker.
Gillingham was called into action again in the 24th minute when Curt Calov fired a long-distance shot, forcing the young goalkeeper to make a diving stop to his right.
Dynamo 2 nearly added to their lead in the 33rd minute when Gitau fired a left-footed shot from inside the box that just missed the near post.
In the 72nd minute, Gillingham and defender Micah Harris combined for two crucial stops. The 22-year-old goalkeeper came off his line to deny a close-range shot from Putt, and seconds later, Harris stepped up to block Putt’s follow-up effort on the goal line.
Defender Isaac Mwakutuya received his second yellow card in the 79th minute after he was deemed to have fouled a Minnesota forward just outside the box.
Gillingham stepped up again in the 81st minute, quickly diving to his left to deny a long-range strike from Alpah Kabia.
Houston returns to SaberCats Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 9, to host Real Monarchs. Fans can claim free tickets to the match and all Dynamo 2 home matches HERE.
