If you’re a regular Storylines reader, I’m sure you know by now that we love hopping in the time machine and digging through stats from as many years as any opposing club has to offer us. Imagine my joy in writing about the Houston Dynamo, then, a club that’s spent nearly 21 seasons in Major League Soccer. So many numbers! So many rosters! These guys go all the way back to 2006, so that’s where we’re going to start.
Since ‘06
2006 was a year of glory for Major League Soccer’s new kids on the block. In their inaugural season, they won MLS Cup and made it to semifinals in the U.S. Open Cup. I remember it like it was yesterday. (No I don’t. I was four.) But it’s truly been a rollercoaster since then.
Houston has been around so long that their conference (both East and West at different points in time) has been as small as six clubs and as large as 15. In that time, it’s been a constant ebb and flow of success and rough patches; in 10 of their 20 full seasons, Houston finished in the bottom third of the table. In the other 10, they finished in the top five. This year — season 21 — is the tie-breaker.
Even in the past five seasons, it’s been up and down. The Dynamo finished dead last and second to last in 2021 and 2022, but then really found their groove, finishing fourth and fifth in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, they set a record with 54 points in a single season. Then in 2025, they crashed and burned again, finishing in 12th and missing the playoffs. Listen, there’s not a single team out there that’s put out the same level of performance every single season. But Houston does things in extremes; the highs are very high, and the lows are very low.
That said, it looked like the boys were back in 2026. They started the season off strong with a win against the Chicago Fire, made it to the Open Cup quarterfinals, and went on a five-game winning streak coming back from the break. At the end of that stretch, they were at the very top of the West for a week after beating the ‘Caps on their home turf.
Then something shifted.
Houston Does Not Necessarily Have a Problem
… yet. But they will if they don’t start logging results soon. Something’s gone wrong since their five-game winning streak. Fifth in the conference (13-5-9 record, 44 points) is nothing to scoff at, but the Dynamo’s recent performance is a far cry from their midsummer run.
The club made a handful of moves in the secondary transfer window, most notably the transfer of midfielder Jack McGlynn to EFL Championship side Stoke City. Anyone who’s read my writing knows I am a huge fan of McGlynn. I recognize my bias. And no, I can’t attribute all of Houston’s early success to one player, but there’s a pretty strong correlation between McGlynn’s departure and the Dynamo’s recent lapse. Since his transfer, the Dynamo have only won a single game. They’ve also parted ways with forward Ezequiel Ponce and midfielder Ondřej Lingr, both of whom played 17 games this season. Between those three moves, there’s been some upheaval in the lineup.
Houston built up enough goodwill and momentum across this season for their string of winless games to be written off at first, especially against the likes of St. Louis and San Jose. But much like the Loons, a real low point was a loss to bottom-of-the-table Sporting Kansas City. That’s cause for concern.
Guilherme Santos has scored five times in his last 10 starts and still leads the club in goals (14), shots on target (33), and assists (8). Mateusz Bogusz is close behind with six goals, two assists, and 31 shots on target. Every goal in Houston’s last five games has come from that dynamic duo. And overall, the Dynamo still have the fourth-lowest goals-against tally in the whole league.
Plus, they have new blood up front. Striker Lyle Foster has joined from Burnley, and though he’s only had the chance to play one game so far, he could be instrumental in filling the playmaking gaps left by Ponce and McGlynn.
The gist of this whole dive into the archives is that Houston’s only real consistency has been in its inconsistency — both in 21 seasons, and within the 2026 season. They are not predictable. You never know where these guys are going next, and that can be a real strength. They’re almost certainly headed to the 2026 playoffs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a fairly deep run. But nothing is set in stone, and your Loons have a chance to keep Houston a little more consistent by extending La Naranja’s winless streak this weekend.
