Written by Juan Pereira

Photo from Houston Dynamo FC

Entering their third season in existence, Dynamo 2 have revamped their roster and are entering this 2024 season with high hopes. There were only 7 returning players to the team this year; the rest of the roster slots were filled with academy players, internationals, and some first team players looking for minutes.

Even though this game ended with a loss, there were some really promising moments in this game which should make Dynamo fans very excited for the future of this team.

The first 15 minutes didn’t have much action from both sides, but in the 18th minute, Exon Arzu forced the first save of the entire game. In the 25th minute, Arzu won a free kick. Gonzalez took the free kick and found Isaiah Reid inside the box. Reid’s header found Stephen Annor, but the ensuing shot was saved.

For large stretches of this game, Exon Arzu was controlling the match with his impressive speed. This should come as no surprise to anyone following the team. Kenny Bundy has relentlessly praised the 19 year-old as one of the fastest players he’s ever worked with.

In the 35th minute, Xavier Valdez made a save to deny Ethan Bryant. The Dominican international and academy product will represent his home country in two friendlies against Peru and Aruba.

Exiting the second half, Exon Arzu took matters into his own hands in the 48th minute. Sylla commenced a counter attack from the Dynamo’s own box. Then, he passed it forward to Exon, who had a lot of space to run, and once he was close enough, Exon smashed the ball into the left corner. The Dynamo had a 1-0 lead, and they would hold onto it until the last 10 minutes, in which all hell broke loose for the men in orange.

In the 82nd minute, a rebound found former Dynamo player Beto Avila. He was able to smash it in and tie up the game for the visitors. Then, in the 87th minute, Xavier Valdez saved a shot from Roberto Hategan, but the loose ball was scored by Pau Vidal.

A couple of minutes later, the game ended with Dynamo 2 losing their 2024 season opener. Like I said, however, there were a lot of positives. Exon Arzu was stellar, and the team’s defensive shape looked good until the last 10 minutes. If Dynamo 2 can figure out an offensive strategy that gets things clicking, we could be looking at the winners of the 2024 MLS Next Pro Cup.