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| Photo byDarla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved |
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved
HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 7, 2026) the Houston Dynamo FC closed the 2026 regular season with a tough 1-0 loss to St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium. Despite the defeat, Houston secured the fifth seed in the Western Conference and earned a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Dynamo (14-11-9, 51 points) will now turn their attention to the playoffs, where they will face the San Jose Earthquakes in a Round One Best-of-3 Series. Game 1 will take place in San Jose, while Houston will host Game 2 on either November 27 or 28. If needed, Game 3 will return to California. The complete playoff schedule is expected to be announced Sunday.
Houston had several chances to find the back of the net but could not get past St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt.
In the 11th minute, Lawrence Ennali nearly opened the scoring after receiving a through ball from Lyle Foster. However, a St. Louis defender made a sliding block to stop the attempt.
Guilherme tested Lundt twice, first in the 21st minute with a shot from outside the box and again in the 55th minute after receiving a pass from AgustÃn Bouzat. Both attempts were turned away by the St. Louis goalkeeper.
The Dynamo continued to push in the second half. Aliyu Ibrahim had a shot deflected just wide in the 72nd minute, while Duncan McGuire had a chance two minutes later but could not finish.
St. Louis finally broke through in second-half stoppage time when Lukas MacNaughton found space in front of goal and sent a shot into the bottom-right corner for the game-winner.
Despite the loss, goalkeeper Jonathan Bond reached an important milestone, making his 150th MLS appearance. He also finished the season with 12 clean sheets, tying the club's single-season record set by Tally Hall in 2012 and Steve Clark in 2023.
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