NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 27, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC fell on the road to Nashville SC by a 3-1 margin on Saturday night. Junior Urso scored his first goal in a Dynamo shirt, a 40th-minute equalizer from distance.
Notably, Houston played the final 81 minutes of the match with 10 men after defender Erik Sviatchenko was shown a red card by referee Sergii Boiko in the ninth minute after he was deemed to have fouled Hany Mukhtar on the edge of the box.
Nashville found the back of the net early when a loose ball in the box fell to Mukhtar, who turned on to the ball and slotted it into the back of the net in the second minute of the match.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond was called into action in the 16th minute when Mukhtar struck a powerful shot from just inside the box, but the veteran shot stopper had strong hands to deflect the danger away. The play marked his first of three saves on the night.
Houston earned an emphatic equalizer before halftime, as midfielder Júnior Urso found himself in space from outside of the box in the 40th minute, after forward Lawrence Ennali laid a ball off to him. The Brazilian veteran then wound up and fired a powerful shot into the top right corner of the net to mark his first goal for the Dynamo and Ennali’s third assist of the season, evening the score just before the half.
Nashville retook the lead early in the second stanza, as Sam Surridge flicked a crossed ball past Bond with the outside of his right foot for his 22nd tally of the season, good for third-most in Major League Soccer.
Two minutes later, Nashville doubled their advantage. Surridge rose high for a header on-goal which required a terrific parry away from Bond. Unfortunately for Houston, Andy Najar controlled the rebound and fired from a tight angle into the far-side netting for a 3-1 lead early in the second period.
Late on, Sergio Santos made his debut in Orange, subbing in for Ethan Bartlow in the 84th minute. The Brazilian signed for Houston in early September.
Houston returns to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, to host San Diego FC on Fan Appreciation Night, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the match are 20 percent off and selling fast, while purchases can be applied as credit for 2026 Season Memberships. Fans can purchase tickets and take advantage of the offer HERE, via SeatGeek.
