Houston Dynamo 2 bested previously unbeaten St. Louis CITY2 by a 4-1 margin to take over first place in MLS NEXT Pro’s Western Conference on Saturday evening. Dynamo Dos overcame an early deficit with four unanswered scores of their own for the victory.
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 Cruzfor a 1-0 lead half an hour into the contest. But Dos wouldn’t trail for long. Forward Arthur Sousa dribbled up along the left side between defenders before squaring across the top of the box for a streaking Mattheo Dimareli. The youngster 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 out-swinging corner from midfielder Diego Gonzalez 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. Forward Jahmani “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 to his right foot. Bell fired to the near post, past the keeper for a 3-1 lead. Striker Austin Brummett then scored Houston’s fourth and final goal in second half stoppage time with a right-footed finish towards the far post, following a pass from Gonzalez. The win extends Dynamo Dos’ 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.
