ST. LOUIS (May 9, 2026) – Houston Dynamo 2 XXX
St. Louis 2 scored first in this one. Traveling in transition along the left side of the pitch in the 29th minute. Patrick McDonald received a ball over the top and slotted past MLS NEXT Pro reigning Goalkeeper of the Month Pedro Cruz for a 1-0 lead half an hour into the contest.
But Dos wouldn’t trail for long. Arthur Sousa dribbled up along the left side between defenders before squaring across the top of the box for a streaking Dimarelli. Dimarelli shimmied to buy a foot of space to the left of the defender and chipped the CITY goalkeeper to equalize in the 39th minute.
That level footing would remain through halftime, but 16 minutes later, it was Dos’s turn to take the lead. A terrific in-swinging corner from Diego Gonzales found the head of a streaking Noah Betancourt who headed down and past the keeper for his first goal of the 2026 season and a 2-1 advantage.
JJ Bell doubled the advantage in 69th minute with a terrific individual effort, taking a through ball along the left side and speeding past multiple defenders before cutting inside and cutting back to his left foot. Bell fired to the near post, past the keeper for a 3-1 lead.
The win extends Dynamo Dos’s lead at the top of MLS NEXT Pro’s Western conference. St. Louis CITY2 remains in second place after earning their first loss of the season. Dynamo 2 now stand as the last remaining unbeaten team in the Western Conference.
Houston next travels to face Minnesota United FC 2 on Saturday, May 16, at National Sports Center Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the match live via MLSNEXTPro.com and OneFootball.
