Hector Herrera’s goal was the difference in one of the least memorable games at Inter&Co Stadium, as the Houston Dynamo leave the City Beautiful with a 1-0 victory over Orlando City. The Lions (1-6-1, 4 points) continued their dreadful start to the season with a better defensive performance that was helped by poor finishing by Houston (3-4-0, 9 points), but the attack is as toothless as it’s been in years.

Orlando rarely looked threatening, and when it was, the ball went anywhere except in the net — off the woodwork, off the goalkeeper, or off bodies in front.

“The defeat hurts even more at home, where we want to win always,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Other than that, everybody saw what happened in the game. I think there was almost one team on the field dominating. We couldn’t score, and they found that goal in transition, and that’s the game.”

Perelman’s starting lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Zakaria Taifi, as both David Brekalo and Griffin Dorsey were unavailable. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield with wingers Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer with Martin Ojeda and Tiago leading the attack.

Neither team could seize control in a back-and-forth first half that saw the Lions and Dynamo squander both squander chances, combining for one shot on target in 14 total attempts. While Houston wasted more opportunities, Orlando City botched the best scoring chance of the opening 45 minutes.

Mateusz Bogusz wasted no time getting involved, firing a shot from the top of the box in the game’s first minute that Jansson blocked. Houson’s early attack continued, with Marin blocking Guilherme’s attempt at the top of the area in the fourth minute. The follow-up shot from distance by Diadie Samassekou was way off target to the right.

The first threat from Orlando came 10 minutes in when Tiago sent a cross in from the left for Spicer on the backside. The Trinidadian went up to head the shot but sent it over the bar.

Both teams won a few set pieces in the middle section of the half but couldn’t pay them off. Ojeda came closest, missing the upper left corner on a free kick from distance on the right in the 30th minute.

With chances hard to come by, Guilherme tried his luck from extreme distance in the 38th minute but his attempt was always rising over the bar.

Orlando then survived a series of set pieces, with Crepeau making the game’s first save, going up to palm away Felipe Andrade’s header on the recycle of a corner in the 40th minute. A minute later, Andrade was left alone near the top of the area and sent a low shot just wide of the left post.

As the half wound down, the Lions had the best scoring chance of the opening period but muffed it. Spicer got down the left channel and sent in a great ball across to Tiago on the right. The young Brazilian had almost the whole net to shoot at but he hit the goal frame, wasting the chance.

That was the final look of the half and the teams went into the break scoreless. Houston held the advantage in shots (9-5), shots on target (1-0), and passing accuracy (88.2%-87.3%), while both teams won three corners.

Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond must have picked up a knock, as he was subbed off for Jimmy Maurer at halftime. Maurer had a busier half than Bond did, but the two allowed the same number of goals, which was none.

Angulo fired off target from outside the area three minutes after the restart with the first shot attempt of the second half, but Houston started the half better as it had in the opening 45 minutes.

Jansson did well to track back in transition to break up a three-on-three Houston attack on the counter in the 49th minute. Guilherme and Bogusz fired over the bar from similar spots in the 54th and 55th minutes as the Dynamo opened the half with more energy.

But Orlando City settled into the game and had good spells of possession, even if the Lions couldn’t make them pay off. The best opportunity to do that came in the 66th minute.

Martin Ojeda’s corner kick into the box fell for Braian Ojeda, who fired a shot that Agustin Resch blocked in front. Iago’s follow-up shot was blocked off the line by former Lion Antonio Carlos. Maurer made a save on the third Orlando City attempt in quick succession, as Martin Ojeda’s shot found the target but could not beat the substitute goalkeeper.

Houston nearly made Orlando pay quickly for failing to finish. In the 68th minute, the Dynamo countered and Bogusz sent in a great back-post cross from right to left to Ezequiel Ponce. The forward’s header went just wide of the right post as he tried to send the shot back against Crepeau’s movement.

The previous counterattacks should have served as warning signs, but Houston scored on one in the 75th minute. Angulo lost the ball in the attacking third and Lawrence Ennali broke down the right channel. Jansson ran with him, but as he neared the goal line, the Dynamo man faked a shot and Jansson went to ground. Ennali then picked out Ponce, who was all alone out front. Iago blocked Ponce’s shot off the line, but the reprieve didn’t last long. Herrera was completely unmarked and slotted it home for the game’s only goal.

Héctor Herrera with the punch in from close and the @HoustonDynamo strike first in Orlando 😤

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/NMNilOpVtN pic.twitter.com/HSKTCH8sPI

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 19, 2026

“We lost the ball outside of their box, which I think we could have taken care of the ball a little bit more, but then they got the transition,” Jansson said. “I ended up to coming too close to Max, and then he dribbled me. And then we weren’t able to catch up on the rebound. I think it was Iago that saved it on the goal line. Herrera has an open goal and put it in, similar to what we had. Almost an identical situation. We don’t score. They score.”

Orlando kept pushing for an equalizer, but struggled to create clear-cut chances down the stretch. Harvey Sarajian and Ignacio Gomez each made their MLS debuts, coming on to add energy and fresh legs.

Second-half sub Justin Ellis took a pass just inside the area in the 81st minute, spun, and fired a shot. However, his effort was right at Maurer. Five minutes later, after Houston blocked several cross attempts, Iago tried an ambitious shot from distance, but he too sent his shot at Maurer, who wasn’t troubled by it.

Houston had a couple of late chances to put the match to bed, but Crepeau did well to deny Guilherme in the third minute of stoppage time.

Iago sent a header into the seats two minutes later in what turned out to be City’s last shot attempt. Braian Ojeda committed a foul in transition at the other end and Houston saw out the 1-0 road win.

Houston finished with the advantage in shots (19-17) and shots on target (6-3), while the Lions passed more accurately (88.1%-84.3%) and won more corners (4-3).

“We are building this team, coordinating the team again,” Perelman said. “I think the team is competing, and I have no doubt that goals are going to come again for sure.”

“In truth, I think the game tonight, we deserved to win,” Braian Ojeda said. “I come here sad tonight, because I feel like the group did everything that we needed to do to win. But at the end of the day, football is like that.”

“Super frustrating,” Jansson added. “I think we were playing a quite good game. We’re trying to become more playing with the ball than we’ve been doing in the beginning of the season, and yeah, we’re creating some chances, having some scoring opportunities, (hit) a post, and something similar to what they scored on, they have most likely their only big chance, they score on (it). And it’s super frustrating, of course, and we’re not happy with the loss. We’re here to compete for Orlando City. And to be completely honest, it hasn’t been good enough.”

---

It will be another quick turnaround for the Lions as they will host Charlotte FC on Wednesday.

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (1-5-1, 4 points) and the Houston Dynamo (2-4-0, 6 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. It’s the only meeting scheduled for 2026 in this cross-conference series between two sides that haven’t met since the 2023 Leagues Cup group stage.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando City is 2-2-2 in the all-time series (1-0-2 at home) in league play and 2-2-3 (1-0-3 at home) in all competitions.

The last time these sides faced each other came in Leagues Cup play in Orlando on July 21, 2023. The Lions fell behind 1-0 as current Orlando City and former Houston fullback Griffin Dorsey took a dive in the box, drawing a highly questionable penalty on Rafael Santos deep in first-half stoppage time. Amine Bassi scored from the spot to put the Dynamo ahead just before the break. Duncan McGuire equalized just seconds into the second half and the teams played to a 1-1 draw before the Lions won 5-4 in penalties to claim the extra point in the competition. Pedro Gallese stopped Houston’s Hector Herrera on the first shot and no one else missed their penalty, including both Dorsey, Santos, and former Lion/current Dynamo defender Antonio Carlos.

The last time these teams met in MLS play was on June 18, 2022 at Exploria Stadium with Orlando City winning 2-1 on an Ercan Kara brace. One of the goals deflected in off of him, but that still counts. Sebastian Ferreira got Houston on the board but the visitors could not complete the comeback. It was Orlando’s first win in the series since the Lions’ first ever road game back in early 2015 provided the first MLS victory for the club.

Due to the quirky scheduling since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the previous meeting between the teams took place on Sept. 21, 2019 in Houston, with the Dynamo winning, 2-1. Dom Dwyer struck just six minutes in, but goals three minutes apart by Alberth Elis and Christian Ramirez in the 70th and 73rd minutes, respectively, turned that match around.

The teams met in Orlando on Sept. 22, 2018, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. That was a memorable match for former Orlando City goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, who made his MLS debut that night.

The Lions went to BBVA Stadium in 2017 and were wiped off the field, 4-0. A leggy Orlando team flew directly to Houston from Toronto after a hard-fought game against the Reds and saw the rested Dynamo’s speed on full display. Elis, Mauro Manotas (twice), and Romell Quioto provided the goals and it could have been worse.

The 2016 match in Orlando was another 0-0 draw, in what was a forgettable game under Bobby Murphy, who was serving his first stint as Orlando City’s interim coach following the firing of Adrian Heath.

In the first meeting, back in 2015, the Lions went to Texas and came home with a 1-0 victory in Houston. Goalkeeper Tyler Deric — under extreme pressure from Pedro Ribeiro — punched the ball into the back of his own net for the only goal of the match. That was Orlando City’s historic, first MLS victory.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 1-1 draw at Columbus on Sunday and a 1-0 road U.S. Open Cup win on Wednesday at FC Naples. The Lions weren’t great in either match, but they managed to get results on the road as they continue to try to figure things out in a nightmare start to the 2026 season. Orlando is 1-2-0 at home this season and has scored all but one of its six goals on the season in the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium.

Both Tyrese Spicer and Robin Jansson returned to the lineup over the last week and made big impacts. Jansson was a rock in the middle of the OCSC defense in Columbus, and it was not surprising that the Crew only managed to level the game after he subbed off. Spicer scored on a rocket shot Wednesday for the only goal in a game that saw Orlando badly outplayed over the last 30 minutes by USL League One competition. Only a controversial no-goal call prevented what could have been a quick exit from the U.S. Open Cup. Dorsey also returned from injury against the Crew after missing time with a lower back issue.

Houston, like Orlando, is on short rest. The Dynamo were put on full blast a week ago in Colorado, losing 6-2 to the Rapids on the road. Houston took that beating out on USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC on Wednesday, winning 4-1 at home in U.S. Open Cup action. The Dynamo are 0-2-0 on the road in 2026.

The Dynamo attack added Designated Players Mateusz Bogusz, who scored in Wednesday’s game, and Guilherme Santos in the off-season. Guilherme leads Houston in goals (5) and assists (4), easily earning his DP tag in a quick start. Bogusz has started more slowly with just one goal and an assist, but his goal in USOC play Wednesday will have him more confident entering tonight. USMNT midfielder Jack McGlynn has three assists so far on the year despite being limited to four games due to injury. However, McGlynn is nearing a return and could be back tonight.

Orlando City will have to continue improving upon last week’s mostly solid defensive game, while trying to find improvements in the attacking end.

“Houston is a strong team, they have a good roster, and we respect them like we respect all of our opponents,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “We are thinking about us, and working on our ways and strategies, and preparing for the game like always.”

Orlando City will be without Wilder Cartagena (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), and McGuire (lower leg), while David Brekalo (lower leg), Dorsey (thigh), and Iago (concussion protocol) are listed as questionable. Houston is much more healthy but will be without Lucas Halter (lower body) and Artur (lower body), while McGlynn (yep, lower body) is questionable.

Match Content

• Our Intelligence Report provides more insight about the Dynamo with the help of Dustyn Richardson from Houston site Bayou City Soccer.
• The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions.
• Our David Rohe outlined his three keys to victory for Orlando City in tonight’s game.

---

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tyrese Spicer.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Tiago.

Bench: Javier Otero, Tahir Reid-Brown, Nolan Miller, Colin Guske, Luis Otavio, Ignacio Gomez, Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, Justin Ellis.

Houston Dynamo (5-2-3)

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Bond.

Defenders: Felipe Andrade, Antonio Carlos, Franco Negri, Augustin Resch, Lawrence Ennali.

Defensive Midfielders: Hector Herrera, Diadie Samassekou.

Forwards: Guilherme Augusto, Ezequiel Ponce, Mateusz Bogusz.

Bench: Jimmy Maurer, Sam Vines, Erik Sviatchenko, Artur, Duane Holmes, Augustin Bouzat, Ondrej Lingr, Ibrahim Aliyu, Nick Markanich.

Referees

REF: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
AR1: Nick Uranga.
AR2: Rhett Hammil.
4TH: Abdou Ndiaye.
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez.
AVAR: Craig Lowry.

---

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

---

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Orlando City managed to pick up its second positive result in a row on Wednesday when it scraped past FC Naples 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup. The Lions will now turn their attention back to MLS play and try to make it three good results on the spin when they welcome the Houston Dynamo to the City Beautiful.

In preparation for Houston’s visit, I took the time to speak with Dustyn Richardson. He’s the managing editor of Bayou City Soccer, an excellent independent outlet that is dedicated to covering the Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash, and the general soccer scene in the Houston area. He was kind enough to help bring us up to speed on this year’s Dynamo squad, and I also answered some of his questions about Orlando City, which you can find over at their place.

Talk me through Houston’s off-season moves. Who left, and who has been brought in to replace them?

Dustyn Richardson: The Dynamo went through a bit of a re-tooling this off-season. They retained most of their core of players from last season but added a number of new pieces. Houston brought in two new Designated Players in Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz. They also brought in two more players from South America, Brazilian defender Lucas Halter and Argentine midfielder Agustin Bouzat. Perhaps their most surprising move was the return of Hector Herrera. Of course, their biggest departure happened on the eve of the season with the sale of Griffin Dorsey to Orlando.

Former Orlando City player Antonio Carlos is in his first full year with the Dynamo. How has he been doing this year?

DR: Antonio Carlos has been solid. He stepped in mid-season last year and gave the Dynamo some stability that they were lacking in the back. This season, outside his red card against LAFC, he has been their most consistent defender. Felipe Andrade missed the first few games with an injury and Halter is currently injured. Antonio Carlos and Erik Sviatchenko, the two veterans of the group, have been key this season for Houston. He has also worn the captain’s armband for the Dynamo in the games he has started, showing what Head Coach Ben Olsen and the rest of the team think about his leadership qualities.

Houston has had a fairly up-and-down start to the 2026 season, as strong wins over Chicago and Portland have been offset by four losses. What needs to happen for the team to find more consistent form?

DR: They’ve been poor defensively, flat out. The offense can score with anyone but they can’t keep teams from scoring, and in bunches. Olsen has shifted the Dynamo to a much more pronounced back three this season and it has come with its growing pains. If Houston can get its preferred three center back grouping of Andrade, Sviatchenko, and Carlos in the lineup consistently, this should help. Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond has also struggled this season, giving up a lot more goals than xG. If they can get things right on the defensive end, this team should be able to compete for a playoff spot.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting lineup and score prediction?

DR: Halter is likely still out and club captain Artur remains out after being injured in preseason. Jack McGlynn has missed the last two league matches after picking up an injury and it will probably be a game-time decision again for this match.

The Dynamo will likely line up in a 3-4-2-1 of Jonathan Bond; Felipe Andrade, Antonio Carlos, Erik Sviatchenko; Lawrence Ennali, Agustin Bouzat, Diadie Samassekou, Duane Holmes; Guilherme Augusto, Mateusz Bogusz; Ezequiel Ponce.

Houston can score and Orlando has given up a ton of goals. With that being said, the Dynamo also concede a bunch as well. I’ll predict a 2-2 draw in this one. 

---

Thank you to Dustyn for the excellent primer on the Dynamo. Vamos Orlando!