HOUSTON (July 16, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC fell 3-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Shell Energy Stadium tonight.
Notably, the match saw forward Lawrence Ennali make his first home start for the Dynamo, adding another milestone in his return from a season-ending knee injury in September last season.
Vancouver took an early lead in the fourth minute when Emmanuel Sabbi capitalized on a rebound inside the box following a diving save from goalkeeper Jonathan Bond on a previous scoring attempt from the Whitecaps.
Sebastian Berhalter doubled the lead for Vancouver in the 42nd minute with a shot from outside the box following a pass from Brian White.
The Whitecaps netted their third and final goal in the 56th minute when White converted off a rebound when his penalty shot was saved by Bond. The penalty was given after defender Felipe Andrade was deemed to have fouled a Vancouver forward inside the box.
Bond was called into action in the eighth minute when a powerful left-footed strike from Tate Johnson forced the Englishman to stand his ground and block the shot away. The shot stopper finished the night with four saves.
Bond delivered another crucial save in the 13th minute, quickly coming off his line to deny a one-on-one opportunity from Daniel Rios.
Andrade found forward Ezequiel Ponce in the center of the box in the 26th minute for a header that missed the far post by inches.
Houston nearly leveled the match in the 31st minute when midfielder Jack McGlynn played a ball to Ennali on the left side of the box, allowing the German winger to put up a shot towards the bottom right corner that went just wide.
Ennali created another dangerous chance in the 34th minute when a give-and-go play between the 23-year-old and forward Amine Bassi saw Ennali in open space inside the box for a shot that forced goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka to get low for the save.
McGlynn tried his chance from deep in the 67th minute with a right-footed strike that forced the Vancouver goalkeeper to make a diving save to his right.
Houston’s last chance on goal came in second half stoppage time when an outside the box shot from McGlynn nearly found the bottom left corner.
During Wednesday’s match, the entire Dynamo team wore special jersey patches and black armbands to recognize the tragic loss of life during the recent devastating floods. These match-worn jerseys will be auctioned by Dynamo & Dash Charities, with all proceeds benefiting Central Texas Flood relief efforts by providing short-term and long-term assistance to impacted communities. That auction can be found HERE. A moment of silence was also held before the match.
Additionally, the Club has designed shirts that will be sold in the stadium Team Store and MLSStore.com, with 100 percent of the proceeds also going to relief efforts. Finally, all money raised through the in-stadium 50/50 Raffle on match nights in July will go towards relief efforts.
Last week, the Dynamo made a joint $500,000 donation in collaboration with Austin FC, FC Dallas and Major League Soccer. Fans can continue to support by donating to Dynamo & Dash Charities HERE.
Houston next hosts the Philadelphia Union in a cross-conference matchup on, Saturday, July 19, at Shell Energy Stadium on what will be H-Town Night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT, and fans can purchase tickets for the match HERE.
