Dynamo aim for first-ever win at Seattle to open playoffs

ByField Level Media

The Houston Dynamo will try to make some history when they travel to Seattle on Monday for the opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

The Dynamo have never won at Lumen Field, going 0-13-3. That includes a 1-0 defeat on Sept. 28 as the Sounders' Paul Rothrock scored the lone goal to help Seattle clinch a Western Conference playoff berth.

The Dynamo, who set a franchise record for most points in regular season (54), earned the conference's fifth seed into the playoffs with a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Decision Day, Oct. 19, with Daniel Steres scoring the winner in second-half stoppage time.

"Those are the great nights, those are the ones you remember," Dynamo coach Ben Olsen said. "It had a playoff atmosphere; it was a great dress rehearsal for the playoffs because we're playing a talented team.

"We wanted to win that game, but the other side was to get some rhythm and form because it's been choppy over the last month. That, for me, was the most important thing. We needed to get those minutes together before going to Seattle."

Ibrahim Aliyu is Houston's leading scorer with six goals and five assists. Midfielder Adalberto "Coco" Carrasquilla, the 2023-24 CONCACAF men's player of the year, added three goals and seven assists.

Designated player Ezequiel Ponce has five goals in 10 matches since arriving during the summer. The Dynamo allowed just 39 goals this season, second in the West to Seattle's 35.

The fourth-seeded Sounders went 12-2-3 in the second half of the season after getting off to the worst start in club history, with just one win in their first nine matches.

Jordan Morris leads the Sounders with 13 goals, with midfielder Albert Rusnak adding 10 goals and tying a franchise record with 16 assists. Jackson Ragen is one of three finalists for MLS defender of the year.

The Sounders have won two MLS Cup titles (2016 and 2019) and one CONCACAF Champions Cup (2022) under coach Brian Schmetzer, who signed a multi-year contract extension last week.

"There's no easy games in the playoffs, and so we're excited for the challenge," Sounders defender Alex Roldan said. "I know, in years past, just our record in the playoffs has been really good, and so we're looking to continue that and hopefully get past some tough opponents."

--Field Level Media