HOUSTON (Oct. 3, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC continue their playoff push at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, hosting conference-leading San Diego FC in their final regular season home match. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT, and limited tickets remain available for the match HERE.
The Dynamo find themselves in a must-win situation on Saturday, currently sitting just two points outside of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs line with two regular season matches remaining, including one home match and one road match.
This weekend marks just the second meeting between Houston and MLS newcomers San Diego. In the first matchup back in July at Snapdragon Stadium, the Dynamo earned a thrilling 4-3 victory behind a brace and stoppage-time winner from forward Ezequiel Ponce. Forward Lawrence Ennali, who made his first start in orange that night, pulled Houston level in the 36th minute after an early San Diego goal, while defender Franco Escobar also found the back of the net with a long-range strike just before halftime. Both head coach Ben Olsen and Ponce earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors for their performances.
The Club will also host **Fan Appreciation Night** on Saturday, presented by Coushatta Casino Resort. Fans can expect a night of giveaways, surprises and non-stop energy as the team thanks them for their incredible support all season long. Surprise giveaways include seat upgrades, signed jerseys, signed match balls, limited edition merchandise and much more. Additionally, the official FIFA World Cup 26™ Mascot Tour will be onsite on matchday to bring the excitement of the tournament directly to Houston. Fans will have an opportunity to meet the trio of official mascots on the concourse, Maple™ (CAN), Zayu™ (MEX), and Clutch™ (USA), who embody the unity, diversity and shared passion for the world’s game across North America.
One lineup note for this weekend is that defender Erik Sviatchenko will be suspended for Saturday’s match after receiving a red card last weekend in Nashville. Additionally, the team announced this week that midfielder Jack McGlynn underwent a successful surgery to repair a foot injury he sustained during Saturday’s match versus Nashville SC and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season.
Ponce leads the team’s attack with 12 goals across all competitions, including 10 in regular season play, while McGlynn sits second with seven goals in all competitions. McGlynn also leads the team in distribution with eight assists, followed by defender Griffin Dorsey with six assists.
Houston is coming off a 3-1 road defeat to Nashville SC, however, the match saw midfielder Júnior Urso score his first goal for the Dynamo with a magnificent shot from outside of the box, following a pass from Ennali. Notably, the Dynamo played 81 minutes of the match with 10 men after Sviatchenko was shown a red card in the ninth minute. Additionally, forward Sérgio Santos made his first appearance for Houston, coming on in the 84th minute after the Dynamo claimed his off waivers last month.
San Diego enters Saturday's match sitting atop the Western Conference with 57 points and a 17-9-6 (WLD) record. The expansion side is coming off a 1-0 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 27. Anders Dreyer leads the team’s attack with 15 goals and 18 assists, followed by Milan Iloski with 10 goals and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano with nine goals and 10 assists. Saturday’s contest marks San Diego’s first-ever visit to Shell Energy Stadium.
Notably, Homegrown midfielder Brooklyn Raines remains on international duty with the U.S U-20 Men’s National Team, competing in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The 24th edition of the tournament is being hosted in Chile from Sept. 27 through Oct. 19. Raines has started the first two group stage matches of the tournament so far, while registering a goal and assist. The 20-year-old recorded an assist during the team’s 9-1 victory over New Caledonia on Sept. 29 with a cross delivery to Frankie Westfield, who headed the ball inside the far post, before netting his first goal of the tournament in 3-0 victory versus France on Oct. 2. The U.S. will close group stage play against South Africa on Oct. 5.
Houston wraps the regular seasons with a Decision Day trip to historic rivals Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 18, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT at Children's Mercy Park. Fans can follow the action live via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
