TUKWILA, Wash. (Oct. 5, 2025) – Houston Dynamo 2’s 2025 season came to an end earlier this afternoon with a 5-1 defeat on the road to Tacoma Defiance on Decision Day.
Midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez was Houston’s lone scorer today, pulling one back in the 72nd minute with a low-driven shot from the top of the box that was perfectly placed into the bottom right corner for his fourth goal of the season. Midfielder Enrique Correa assisted on the play, notching his second of the year.
Tacoma opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Osaze De Rosario found the back of the net with a header, following a cross from Sebastian Gomez. Yu Tsukanome doubled Tacoma’s lead in the 27th minute with a right-footed finish.
De Rosario extended Tacoma’s lead in the 32nd minute, finding the right side of the net. The hosts scored their fourth goal of the match three minutes later, following a header from Tsukanome.
Jackson Khoury scored Tacoma’s fifth and final goal of the match in the 71st minute with a left-footed strike from just outside the box.
Forward Stephen Annor had Houston’s first shot on goal in the sixth minute after Rodriguez found the 22-year-old in the box for a header.
Dynamo 2 came close again in the 25th minute when midfielder Lionel Gitau forced a save with a long-range shot.
Rodriguez took his chances from deep in the 44th minute, firing a powerful shot that forced a diving save from goalkeeper Noah Newman.
Notably, Dynamo Academy midfielder Samir Mohammad made his professional debut after coming on at halftime.
Rodriguez took his second shot on goal in the 86th minute, a long-range strike that found the hands of Newman.
Goalkeeper Pedro Cruz was called into action in the 89th minute when the Brazilian came off his line and denied a right-footed effort with his feet. The shot stopper finished the match with five saves.
The 2025 season for Dynamo 2 was highlighted by strong contributions from the Houston Dynamo Academy. A total of 12 Academy players made their professional debuts this year, with four of them scoring their first professional goals – including defender Omar Flores, forward Myles Gardner, Gitau and Correa, who recently signed with Dynamo 2. Dos also fielded one of the youngest teams in the league this season, with three 15-year-olds – midfielder Mattheo Dimareli, defender Daniel Barrett and former Dynamo Academy player Lukas Bruegmann – starting a match together earlier this year, and two 14-year-olds – midfielder Matthew Arana (14 years, 10 months and 28 days) and forward Sebastiao Nzita (14 years, 5 months and 13 days) – making their MLS NEXT Pro debuts this season.
Houston ended the regular season 11th in the Western Conference with 37 points and a 9-13-6 (WLD) record. Today’s result snapped a streak of three consecutive playoff appearances, marking the team’s first time missing the MLS NEXT Pro postseason since their inaugural campaign in 2022.
