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September 10, 2022 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS Next Pro) – Houston Dynamo 2 News Release
HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo II travel to Denver this weekend for their final road trip of the regular season. Sunday’s game against Colorado Rapids II will be the first game for interim coach Daniel Roberts, who moved into the role after head coach Kenny Bundy joined the Dynamo’s first team earlier in the week.
Dynamo II earned their 10th shutout of the season last weekend with a 1-0 win over St. Louis City II at Aviva Stadium. Defender Mujeb Murana rose above the St. Louis City 2 defense to head past former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki. Striker Beto Avila scored a free kick for Dynamo and the Dynamo Academy alum lofted the ball high from the left.
Defenseman Andrew Pannenberg made five saves against St. Louis and earned his second clean sheet of the season. Dynamo 2’s back line limited St. Louis to zero big scoring chances, while Mikel led the team with 12 clearances and nine interceptions.
World Health Organization:
Houston Dynamo 2 vs Colorado Rapids 2
When:
Sunday, September 11 – 7:00 pm CT
Where:
University of Denver football stadium
Stream
www.MLSNEXTPro.com
Houston looked set to win the series after tying the game at home on August 14. Houston won the first meeting of the season 2-0 at home on May 8 with goals from Talen Maples and Diego Gonzalez.
It looks like the Rapids will finish strong, failing to qualify for the postseason. The Rapids come in ninth in the Western Conference with a 3-3-5 record. They lost 5-0 in their last match against Sporting KC II at the Merseyside Stadium on 5 September.
Dynamo 2 will return to AVEVA Stadium on September 18 to host North Texas SC for the final match of the regular season. More information about the inaugural MLS Next Pro postseason will be announced in the near future.
Here are three highlights ahead of Sunday’s game.
DYNAMO 2 BACKLINE DENY TOP CONTENDER: Dynamo 2 recorded their 10th shutout of the season last Saturday and have scored few goals this season in MLS Next Pro, entering the weekend tied with 21 goals. At home, the team has conceded just four times in 900 minutes. That’s a goal every two and a half games. Houston will look to carry that momentum into Denver when they face a Rapids team that has scored its fourth fewest goals this season. Mikel and Talen Maples have been key to the team’s success in the second season as the two players have limited the team to just seven big chances in their last six games. The attacking central defender duo have scored four goals this campaign. The outside back duo of Mujep Murana and Esaih LeFlore have combined for five goals and six assists this season.
Roberts takes on new role: Roberts has been named interim head coach as the team prepares to close out the regular season and compete in MLS’ next pro postseason. The former Houston Dynamo Academy U-15 coach has been with the Dynamo since they were members of the first class of Dynamo Academy players in 2007. The English-born Reading graduated from Clement High School in Sugar Land before playing college football. North Carolina-Wilmington. Roberts was drafted by the Dynamo in the 2012 MLS draft and played for the Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL from 2012-14.
West teams play for playoff seeding: The Western Conference playoff field is now set with Houston, Tacoma Defiance, St.Louis City 2 and North Texas SC. Tacoma sits atop the conference with 49 points with one game remaining on the weekend. St. Louis sits one point behind Tacoma with two games remaining. Houston and North Texas are currently tied for third and fourth with two games remaining in the regular season. Both teams will conclude their opening campaign on September 18 at the AVEVA Stadium. North Texas is in action tomorrow when they host St. Louis at noon CDT.
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