HOUSTON (April 19, 2026) – Houston Dynamo 2 continue their Club-record 10-match road trip out west at Real Monarchs on Sunday, April 19, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT at Zions Bank Stadium. Fans can follow the action live via MLSNEXTPro.com and OneFootball.
The fixture marks the first of two meetings between the sides this season, with Dynamo 2 set to host Real Monarchs on August 8. Houston holds the upper hand in the all-time series with five wins and one draw in seven regular season meetings.
The last time Dynamo 2 visited the Real Salt Lake affiliate, they earned a 1-1 draw on June 15, 2025, with former Dynamo 2 player Joshua Bolma scoring the lone goal and forward Exon Arzú providing the assist.
Dynamo 2 enters Sunday’s match undefeated to start the season under **March’s MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Month**, Jeremy Hurdle, and leads the league with just one goal conceded this season.
Houston drew 1-1 on the road against in-state rivals Austin FC II in their last outing and claimed the two points after a penalty kick shootout victory. **MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month for March**, Pedro Cruz, made a crucial save on the fifth penalty to keep the result alive, while defender Gavin Wolff converted what would be the match-winning penalty as Austin missed their sixth and final attempt high to the left. The match also saw defender Vinicius Silva make his first Dynamo 2 start, while forward Myles Gardner made his first start of the 2026 season.
Real Monarchs finished March with a 2-1-1 (WLD) record and are coming off a 2-0 road loss to Ventura County FC on April 12. The team currently sits fifth in the Western Conference standings with 10 points and a 2-1-2 (WLD) record.
On Friday, the Dynamo announced the signing of Dynamo Academy product Mattheo Dimareli to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through June 2027. The 16-year-old attacker will then join the first team on an MLS contract as a Homegrown Player starting in July 2027. Notably, the Cy-Fair (Houston) native is the 21st Dynamo Academy product to sign a Homegrown contract with the first team and the 10th signed by President of Soccer Pat Onstad since he took charge of soccer operations in February 2022. Additionally, Dimarlei is the 12th Dynamo Academy product to sign a professional contract with Dynamo 2.
Houston next travels to face Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday, April 26, at Victory Field at Swope Soccer Village, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.
