Saturday, February 28, 2026

Houston Dynamo FC fall to LAFC 2-0 in heartbreaking loss

Dynamo MF Ondrej Lingr (9) and LAFC MF Mark Delgad0 (9) battle for the ball.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved
 
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2026)  The Houston Dynamo FC fell by the score of 2-0 to Los Angeles FC on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston ended the match with just nine players after two red cards changed the game.

Defender and captain Antônio Carlos was sent off in first-half stoppage time. He was ruled to have fouled Son Heung-Min just outside the box. Down a man, Houston tried to hold off LAFC’s attack. In the 76th minute, midfielder Agustín Bouzat was also shown a red card after another foul on Son during a breakaway. That left the Dynamo with nine players for the final stretch.

LAFC broke through in the 56th minute. Marco Delgado scored with a strong shot from outside the box to make it 1-0. Stephen Eustaquio added a second goal in the 82nd minute, placing his shot into the bottom left corner.

Despite the loss, Houston had some bright moments. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made four saves, including two big stops in the 37th minute. He first denied Denis Bouanga and then quickly blocked a shot from Son. Bond also made a brave save early in the second half to keep the score close.

The Dynamo goalkeeper stated after the match:

We are disappointed with the result. It is always difficult when you go down to 10 players and even more difficult when you go down to nine. It is always disappointing to lose at home, but in these circumstances, I believe we put in a good effort to stay in the match and there were some plays we can be proud of.

Houston nearly scored in the 47th minute when Bouzat fired a shot from near midfield that hit the crossbar. Later, Lawrence Ennali forced a diving save from Hugo Lloris in the 86th minute.

The night also featured key debuts. Fifteen-year-old Matthew Arana became the youngest player in club history to appear in a match. Rookie defender Agustin Resch made his first-team debut as well. Club legend Héctor Herrera returned to action for the first time since 2024, drawing loud cheers from the home crowd.

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