In the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round match, St. Louis City S.C. secured a 2-1 lead over the Houston Dynamo with a 90th-minute goal.
The game in St. Louis saw both teams level at one goal each during the second half. Hosei Kijima’s strike from the left side of the box found the bottom right corner, beating Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark.
Houston’s solitary goal came in the 72nd minute when Sebastian Kowalczyk converted Ibrahim Aliyu’s center-of-the-box kick during a fast break. This leveled the score after St. Louis’ Tim Parker netted a header from a set-piece situation.
Although the Dynamo appeared to score a second goal through Aliyu in the 26th minute, the Video Assistant Referee ruled it out.
The two teams will meet again for the second leg at Shell Energy Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 p.m. The matchup will be decided by aggregate goals, giving Houston the chance to advance by scoring at least two goals while keeping St. Louis scoreless. Alternatively, the Dynamo can progress based on their lone away goal by scoring just one and preventing St. Louis from scoring.
Houston’s entry into the CONCACAF Champions Cup came after winning the U.S. Open Cup in 2023. Despite their cup commitments, they must also fulfill their MLS opener against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, Feb. 24, followed by the clash against St. Louis.
The winner of the Houston-St. Louis tie will face the Columbus Crew in the next round. The tournament winner secures a berth in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Tickets for the second leg against St. Louis and the Dynamo’s MLS Season Opener are available on the Dynamo’s website.
While Houston won’t face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami during the MLS Regular Season, a potential encounter could occur in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
Here are the Dynamo’s next five matches:
– Saturday, Feb. 24: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m., MLS Season Opener
– Tuesday, Feb. 27: vs. St. Louis SC, 9:30 p.m., 2nd leg of first round, Concacaf Champions Cup
– Saturday, March 2: vs. Red Bull New York, 7:30 p.m.
– Saturday, March 16: vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.
– Saturday, March 23: at Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m.
