HOUSTON (April 11, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC hit the road this weekend, heading west to face the LA Galaxy on Saturday, April 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park, with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT. Dynamo fans can support the team from the Club’s official watch party at Social Beer Garden in Houston, presented by Corona Premier, or follow the action live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
This weekend’s fixture will feature a rematch from Decision Day last season when the Dynamo defeated the LA Galaxy 2-1 at Shell Energy Stadium behind a late-stoppage-time goal from defender Daniel Steres. The victory secured Houston’s new single-season Club record with 54 points and the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Forward Ezequiel Ponce scored the match’s opening goal in the 43rd minute for his fifth goal that season.
Notably, Saturday’s match in Los Angeles will mark head coach Ben Olsen’s 100th match in charge of the Dynamo in all competitions, making him just the third coach in Club history to reach that milestone (Dominic Kinnear and Wilmer Cabrera).
Houston is coming off a 1-0 home victory over LAFC last weekend behind midfielder Jack McGlynn’s first goal of the season, which was assisted by a backheel from defender Griffin Dorsey for his second assist of the season. Each of their performances earned them MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors. Houston also earned their third clean sheet of the season, helped by two saves from rookie goalkeeper Blake Gillingham. Notably, the Dynamo are the only MLS team to hold LAFC scoreless in five consecutive regular season matches and are undefeated in their last five regular season matches versus LAFC, outscoring their Western Conference rivals 8-0 over that stretch.
Los Angeles is coming off a 3-2 loss to LIGA MX side Tigres UANL in the second leg of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals on Tuesday night. Joseph Paintsil and Emiro Garcés were the two goal scorers for Los Angeles in the midweek clash. In regular season action, the Galaxy are still searching for their first win of the season, holding a 0-5-2 (WLD) record, while losing three of their five matches, including a 2-0 road loss to Real Salt Lake most recently. Los Angeles currently sits at the bottom of the Western Conference with two points through seven matches.
The Dynamo hold the upper hand in the all-time regular season series against the Galaxy, with a 15-14-11 (WLD) record. The two sides met twice in 2024, with each team earning a home victory. Houston fell 2-1 in Southern California in May, before securing the 2-1 Decision Day victory in Houston during the last match of the season. The win, combined with LAFC’s 3-1 victory versus the San Jose Earthquakes, ultimately denied the Galaxy from finishing first in the Western Conference last season.
On Friday morning, the Dynamo announced the signing of veteran goalkeeper Jonathan Bond from Watford FC in England. The shot stopper joins the Dynamo after making 214 appearances in all competitions across his career in England and the United States, after stints with several English clubs, including Watford FC, Reading FC and West Bromwich Albion, while starting for three seasons with the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (2021-23). In his second season with the team, Bond helped lead Los Angeles to the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs with a fourth place Western Conference finish and a run to the Conference Semifinals. He was named the Galaxy’s Defender of the Year that season after earning eight clean sheets and being one of six goalkeepers in MLS to appear in all 34 regular season matches. The 31-year-old is signed to a contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027 and will occupy a domestic roster spot as a season-ending injury replacement player for Andrew Tarbell.
Steres, who re-signed with the Dynamo in January, spent eight seasons in Los Angeles, earning 140 appearances (127 starts) and recording nine goals and four assists. Since joining the Dynamo in 2021, the Burbank, California native has made 71 appearances (49 starts) in regular season play, while scoring six goals and recording five assists.
Houston returns to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, April 19 to host the Colorado Rapids when the Club will host Space City Night. Fans can find additional information about the theme night festivities and purchase tickets for the match HERE.
