ORLANDO, Fla. – When the Portland Timbers’ group draw for the MLS is Back Tournament was set, the Houston Dynamo game looked like the reprieve. Los Angeles FC finished last season with Major League Soccer’s best record. The LA Galaxy had won a playoff game on the road last fall. They were the other members of the group. The Dynamo, however? After missing the playoffs in 2019, changing coaches, and undergoing significant changes to their roster, Houston seemed like Group F’s “other.”
Monday night told us otherwise. Though LAFC eventually came back to earn a 3-3 draw in the teams’ tournament opener, the Dynamo took a two-goal lead into the evening’s second half, building their lead through something that’s become tried and true.