Houston Dynamo FC face Vancouver Whitecaps FC in playoff push

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved

VANCOUVER BC, CANADA (August 16, 2025)  Houston Dynamo FC is gearing up for a big match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday, August 17, at 8:00 p.m. CT at BC Place. This is the last of two road games for the Dynamo, who are fighting to make the playoffs with only nine games left in the regular season.

Last time these teams met at BC Place, Houston won a thrilling 4-3 game. Defender Griffin Dorsey scored twice, including the winning goal in the 87th minute. Former Dynamo players Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla and Brad Smith also scored, and forward Ezequiel Ponce made his debut that night. The Dynamo hope to repeat that exciting performance.

Head coach Ben Olsen is close to a huge milestone. He needs just one more win to reach 150 career MLS regular season victories. 

After this road trip, Houston returns home to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, August 23 to face the San Jose Earthquakes. 

Houston Dynamo shut out 3-0 by Vancouver Whitecaps

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 16, 2025)  The Houston Dynamo FC fell 3-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday night at Shell Energy Stadium. Despite several promising chances, the Dynamo couldn’t find the back of the net and suffered a tough loss in front of their home crowd.

The match saw a special moment for forward Lawrence Ennali, who made his first home start since returning from a season-ending knee injury last September. The 23-year-old looked sharp and created a few chances, but the Dynamo came up short.

Vancouver opened the scoring early in the 4th minute. Emmanuel Sabbi took advantage of a rebound in the box after Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made an initial diving save. The Whitecaps added a second goal in the 42nd minute when Sebastian Berhalter fired in a long shot off a pass from Brian White.

The final goal came in the 56th minute. After Felipe Andrade was called for a foul inside the box, White stepped up to take the penalty. Bond saved the first shot, but White followed it up and scored on the rebound.

Bond had a busy night in goal, making four saves to keep Houston in the match. He stopped strong shots from Tate Johnson and Daniel Rios early in the first half, including a one-on-one play in the 13th minute.

Houston had chances to score. Ezequiel Ponce headed a cross just wide in the 26th minute. Ennali nearly scored twice in the first half, and Jack McGlynn also forced two diving saves from Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, one in the 67th minute and another in stoppage time.

Despite their efforts, Houston couldn’t close the gap.

The Dynamo will look to bounce back on Saturday, July 19, when they host the Philadelphia Union in another home match at Shell Energy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Houston Dynamo FC shines in latest victory, Head Coach Ben Olsen and players earn honors

By Chris Price

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 21, 2023) Houston Dynamo FC is on fire, and their recent victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC is proof of their determination and skill. The team, led by head coach Ben Olsen, captain Hector Herrera, and defender Griffin Dorsey, secured an impressive 4-1 win at Shell Energy Stadium, landing them in fourth place in the Western Conference.

This victory extends Houston's unbeaten streak to an impressive seven league matches, marking their best performance since August 2012. Furthermore, the Dynamo's presence in the top five of the conference standings through at least 25 games is a significant achievement, not seen since 2017.

Captain Héctor Herrera played a pivotal role in the win, opening the scoring in the 13th minute with a cleverly executed free-kick, which deflected off the Vancouver wall into the net. This goal marked Herrera's fourth of the season, and he also recorded his 14th assist, elevating him to second place in MLS for assists.

Griffin Dorsey, a standout defender, showcased his versatility by netting his first goal of the season in the 44th minute. His precise strike from the right side found the top far corner of the net, leaving Vancouver's defenders helpless. Dorsey also contributed defensively, winning possession four times and tallying two clearances.

Remarkably, Coach Ben Olsen was recognized for his leadership, becoming the second Dynamo coach to be named to the Team of the Matchday. This honor came after assistant coach Brendan Burke led the team to a 4-0 victory over LAFC while Olsen served a one-game suspension.

This season, eleven Houston players have been named to the Team of the Matchday, underscoring the team's depth and talent. With Herrera, Dorsey, and many other standout performers, the Dynamo are poised for a strong finish in the league.

The Dynamo's next challenge takes them to Children's Mercy Park, where they will face Sporting KC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT. Following that, they will travel to South Florida to compete against the formidable Inter Miami CF in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday, September 27.

Houston Dynamo FC gain three points in 2-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Photo credit: Trask Smith / Houston Dynamo FC

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 22, 2021) Houston Dynamo FC scored two goals in the first half and raised their season record to 3-2-2 in their 2-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a cloudy Saturday evening at BBVA Stadium.

The match was the first meeting between the two teams since 2019, with Houston coming into the match with a 5-1-1 home record against the Caps.

It did not take long for Houston to get on the scoreboard. Midfielder Fafa Picault kicked the ball from the left side which was deflected by Vancouver goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. Midfielder Memo Rodriguez recovered the defection and drilled the ball into the net from 12 yards (in the eighth minute) out for his second goal of the season.

The Dynamo gave Vancouver a chance in the midfield, costing midfielder Derrick Jones a yellow card for a professional foul in preventing the goal from the Whitecaps attack. 

Forward Maxi Urruti got his third goal of the season in the 42nd minute when Rodriguez fed him the ball for the score to give the Men in Orange a 2-0 lead at the halfway mark.

Vancouver cut Houston's lead to one in the 80th minute when forward Deiber Caicedo nailed a close shot as a result of a turnover from midfielder Boniek Garcia.  The Caps tried to even the score late in the game, but left Houston with a 2-4-1 record.

The match saw the return of Dynamo legend Ricardo Clark to BBVA Stadium o for the first time since he retired in February, 2020. The two-time MLS Cup champion returned as an assistant coach for the Vancouver after beginning his coaching career with the Houston Dynamo FC Academy in 2019 and spending time with the U-20 US Men’s National Team. 

Clark played for the Dynamo for nearly a decade and finished his career with the second most games in club history with 304 matches played and 25,139 minutes played in all competitions for the Dynamo.

Houston had 14 shots during the match, with three shots on target. Vancouver countered with 11 shots and two on target. 

Houston downs Vancouver 3-2 in hard-fought match

Photo by
Darlla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Jennifer Edwards
Special Correspondent for Soccer
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

(click here to follow Jennifer on Twitter)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 16, 2019) The Houston Dynamo welcomed the Vancouver Whitecaps to BBVA Compass Stadium for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, downing their MLS opponent by the score of 3-2. While the cannon didn’t fire on cue to open the match; the Dynamo defense came out swinging. Early in the game the Dynamo defense was challenged but showed their dominance in keeping the shots on goal at one. The offense was on fire, hammering Vancouver’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, eight times in the first 25 minutes of play. Crepeau allowed only one Dynamo goal by Memo Rodriguez ,on a pass from Alberto Elis. A penalty kick awarded to Vancouver was taken by Fredy Montero and was successful in putting the Whitecaps on the board. Later, in the 37th minute and after a video review, Alberto Elis scored putting the Dynamo up 2-1.

At the end of the first half of play. the Dynamo found themselves up by one goal up. The defense and offense ramped things up by showcasing extraordinary skills to keep the Whitecaps at bay during the three minutes of stoppage time, as shown by the fourth official.

At the start of the second half, a yellow card was issued to Memo Rodriguez in the 49th minute. The Dynamo had sparks of life early in the second half, but failed to capitalize on several attempts, causing a turnover to allow the Whitecaps to even the score up at two in the 54th minute. There was a corner kick, taken by Lundquist, that the Dynamo could not connect into the goal, sending the ball over the top of the crossbar. The offense shows a few sparks of life, but was having a hard time putting the ball in the back of the goal. The Vancouver defense was proving to be a big problem for the Dynamo in the second half and the Houston was having  problems getting through them. After the offense hammered the goalkeeper, Rodriguez broke through the defenses and scored again in the 74th minute. An injury happened when a Whitecaps player Andy Rose collided with Manotas and was helped off the pitch by the staff. Manotas returned to the game after being patched up. Vancouver would continue to play a man down due to using all of their substitutions. Mauro Manotas was substituted in the 88th minute and the crowd thanked him for his service to the game and his club. This match was his 100th appearance in an MLS match. Romell Quioto received a yellow card after a hotly contested penalty call. Both sides had tempers flaring and the referees were giving the whistles a workout trying to get the game back under control. From this call to the end of the game, both sides were fired up trying to hammer at the other’s goal, but neither connecting. The game ended with a corner kick being called, but not completed.

Dynamo remain undefeated at home with 2-1 win over Vancouver

Photo by Jeremy Fletcher, Bigshots Snapshots
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 12, 2017) The Houston Dynamo jumped to the top of the Western Conference standings on Friday night (May 12) with a 2-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BBVA Compass Stadium. The win kept Houston undefeated at home this year and improve their home record to 6-0-1. It also allowed them to surpass the team’s total wins at home from 2016. The Dynamo went 5-5-7 a year ago at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The duo of Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis (shown above right, No. 17) secured the first goal for Houston in the 15^th minute. Quioto crossed to Elis for the header. The goal extended Elis’ home scoring streak to 15 games. Quioto recorded his second assist of the season, and second in as many games. Elis was quoted after the game:

“The truth is that I’m glad we won today. This is what we wanted, we worked all week for this and we hope to remain consistent throughout the year. I felt my leg tighten up, so to prevent any further injury I preferred to leave the game and now I have to wait for the test results.”

Photo by Jeremy Fletcher, Bigshots Snapshots
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

Erick Torres (shown left, No. 9) doubled the Dynamo’s score when he converted a penalty kick in the 67th minute. His eight goals on the season are the second-most in his career, behind a 15-goal season in 2013. The score was his league-leading eighth goal of the season along with his third game-winning goal of the season. The goal was Torres’ fourth from a penalty kick this season, which is the most in a single season in Dynamo history. Brad Davis had three penalty kick goals in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Torres talked with the press, after the match, about the Dynamo’s home-game success in 2017.

“We have validated our home stature, the fan base has supported us and that made the opponent feel uncomfortable. Now we have to get points on the road, play with the same intensity, have personality, have the same attitude, character that we demonstrate. That way we will be able to get points on the road because we have a streak of away matches and we have to get points."

Brek Shae came off the bench and scored for the second consecutive week for Vancouver in the 85^th minute to close out the scoring for the evening.

Houston and Vancouver battle to scoreless draw in MLS action

Photo by Darla Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016
All Rights Reserved.

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 23, 2016) After battling for 90-plus minutes, the Houston Dynamo and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC battled to a scoreless draw in front of 16,465 fans at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Saturday, July 23, 2016. With the draw, the Dynamo move to 4-9-7 (19 points) in 2016 while the Whitecaps post an 8-8-6 (30 points) record.

Both teams used a strong and stingy defense in the match which saw 26 shots (17 for Houston, 9 for Vancouver) with four shots on target for both teams. The Dynamo extended their home shutout streak to 491 minutes and have not conceded a goal at BBVA Compass Stadium under interim head coach, Wade Barrett.

When questioned in the post-game press conference about if there is anything in particular the team can work on to help their recent scoring issues, Barrett responded.

“You got to keep working at it. There’s no easy answer to it. Teams go through periods like this. There are other teams in the league that have gone through the same thing, where they’re having a hard time scoring. We just kind of can’t seem to find the back of the net. But again, Will (Bruin) makes a great near post run. Makes a great chance on the ball and (Vancouver GK David) Ousted pulls it out of the top corner. Boniek (García) makes a great run across. Great shot! Goes off the inside of the post and comes back out. It just kind of seems like a couple things aren’t going our way. We had a couple good looks from the top of the box that we put off target. Will had a great chance with his right foot. We’re just a little bit off on the set pieces. Especially even when Chaco came in, he serves in a really, really dangerous ball. So we maybe have missed a couple chances there, but there’s no magic pill. Believe me, if there were then we’d have an order of them in already. We’ll just keep working at it.”

Next up for the Dynamo will be a  Sunday, July 31 matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:15 p.m. CDT. Houston fell 3-1 at San Jose on May 11 and will be looking to even the season series against former manager Dominic Kinnear.