HOUSTON DYNAMO v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. April showers bring May flowers and its time to visit the Walker Street ground, for a Saturday night fixture against Houston Dynamo. Dear, Planet Texas, please do not take us to your leader, and remember the Alamo…beer.

What: MLS league match Houston Dynamo v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: Walker Street, Houston, Texas.

When: 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 4 April 2026 CE.

At Stake: Sounders are currently 7th place in the league table, three points adrift of leaders Nashville. Looks like a victory at Houston has a decent chance of vaulting us into the top five.

Where to Watch: Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 950 AM and El Rey 1360 AM.

The last time we played this lot, Referee Victor Rivas booked four Sounders players, booked two Houston players and sent off a third. So…you know, this one could get a bit dicey.

We’ve never shied away from a challenge, and this Houston team that has added seven or eight impact players seems more than capable of providing a stern test to our lads.

All in all, I have a gut feeling that this is going to be a wooly one, with many unexpected turns.

It’s Sounders football under the Saturday night lights at Walker Street. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

Attention MLS shoppers, all Seattle Sounders FC players are for sale, whilst supplies last.

Yu Tsukanome and Stuart Hawkins now 50% off for a limited time!

The Good News

Sounders defence is tied for 3rd best in the league conceding an average of 0.43 goals/match in all competitions. Houston concedes an average of 2.25 goals/match. Edge: Sounders.

Sounders haven’t lost a match since 28 Feburary at Salt lake. Whereas Houston’s form has been a bit more spotty, in a win-one lose-one kind of way.

Friday saw Sounders FC sign Sounders FC Reserves midfielder Peter Kingston to a first-team contract. Given the severe injury to Petkovic, and with Leyva (Necaxa) and Vargas (Atletico Madrid) both sold, Kingston stands to provide cover at a position that we were rapidly thinning at. A smart and rather necessary signing by Craig Waibel.

Rothrock has four goals in all competitions and currently leads us in scoring. Ferreira leads the club with four assists in the league. Overall our scoring has been pretty balanced, and that makes us difficult to contain and defend.

With two first choice players suspended in Sviatchenko and Markanich, Houston may have opened the door a crack for us. With effort, resolve, and a bit of good luck, we might just barge that door down.

The Bad News

The weather in Houston looks like it's not going to be particularly favourable for technical football. Thunderstorms, winds from the north at 10-20 m.p.h. with a 50% chance of rain and temperatures around 60ºF are predicted for Saturday night. We’re quite accustomed to the rain and wind, but thunderstorms could delay or suspend the match.

When Ismail Elfath is Referee, the Sounders’ record is 6-7-13. Sooooo, that’s not good.

All-time Sounders away at Houston, we have a record of 5-5-5. Although we’re currently in a rock-solid patch of form, I wonder how long we can sustain it.

Petkovic’s injury makes us even thinner at holding midfield, and we didn’t get to really see much of him, before he got hurt. This is bad for us, as it makes it difficult to evaluate whether or not he would be a good add for the club, and also for Charlotte FC, the club that pays his wages, who may have sent him on loan for developmental reasons.

Houston outspent us in the off-season, and it’s not even close (€11.2M to €0). Guilherme leads Houston with four goals (in four matches) and also has three assists. Having previously played for Gremio, Botafogo, and Santos, he will likely be extremely difficult to defend. Throw Ponce, Polish international forward Bogusz, Yanks starlet McGlynn (3 assists), English league veteran Holmes, German and Polish league veteran Ennali, A veteran English league goalkeeper in Bond, Felipe Andrade who played for Fluminense, and Antonio Carlos who played for Corinthians, Palmeiras, and Fluminense, you begin to see what Houston are attempting to build. A fluid, dynamic, technical side with massive potential.

I liked Sounders and Burkina Faso forward Georgi Minoungou. I thought he had a mad bag of dribbling tricks that made opposing defenders miserable. I get that maybe he wanted to move to get more playing time, and that we have plenty of depth at forward, but it’s one more sale of a promising footballer. With this move so close to the recent sales of Leyva, Vargas, and Baker-Whiting, I sense the hand of private equity here, and I don’t much care for it.

The Side I Would Select

With three days safely between the league fixture in Houston and the midweek cup tie in Mexico, I’d choose this side:

Rationale:

Antino Lopez has shown he can more than hold his own at the right centre-half position. This allows Alex to return to his right-back role. Although Brunell and Cristian played for their national teams over the international break, they should both be plenty rested for Saturday night. De Rosario played for Guyana during the break, but he should be good to go for Sat.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Lopez

RB     Alex

LDM   Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I think the Gaffer will continue with Alex at centre-half, and use Kossa-Rienzi at right-back. Outside of that you would expect the usual selection.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Alex

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Ferreira

CF     De Rosario

Intangibles

The Referee for Saturday afternoon’s match will be Ismail Elfath.

Houston record with Elfath as Ref: 7-5-4

Sounders FC record with Elfath as Ref: 6-7-13

Houston 2026 transfer fees paid: €11.21M

Sounders FC 2026 transfer fees paid: €0

Last time we played Houston, on 10 May 2025, Referee Victor Rivas handed out six bookings and sent off Houston’s Awodesu. It was a chippy, ill-tempered affair. Will the events of that match impact Saturday’s fixture?

General notes on personnel

Houston transfers IN:

Erb - reserves

Miller - reserves

Halter (Botafogo) €1.35M

Bouzat (Velez Sarsfield) €643,000

Guilherme (Santos) €1.8M

Herrera (Toluca) free

Markanich (CD Castellon) loan

Negri (San Diego FC) free

Bogusz (Cruz Azul) €5.5M

Arana - academy

Ibrahim (Columbus Crew SC) €215,000

Resch - draft

Vines (Colorado Rapids) free

Houston transfers OUT:

Annor (Forward Madison) free

Awodesu (Helsingborgs) free

Bartlow (Sporting Kansas City) free

Bassi - released

Duenas (Queretaro) free

Escobar (Penarol) free

Halliday - retired

Kowalczyk (Zaglebie Lubin) free

Lowe (Dewa United) free

Ortiz (Dunajska Streda) end of loan, later sold by Streda to Ostrava for €500,000

Sergio Santos (Atlanta United FC) free

Segal (DC United) draft (re-entry?)

Steres - released

Tarbell - retired

Junior Urso (Sao Bernardo) free

Sargeant (San Diego FC) undisclosed

Raines (New England Revolution) €1.35M

Arzu (Real Espana) loan

Olusanya (Aberdeen) loan

Rodriguez (Monterrey) loan

Dorsey (Orlando City SC) €500,000

Quinones - waived

Comparison against common opponents

n/a

Know Thine Enemy

Dinamo Houston as they lined up in their 4:3 defeat suffered at the hands of the Dallas at Hunt Way on  21 March.

GOALKEEPER

Jonathan Bond, 32

England

Notable Clubs: Watford (31/0), Reading (14/0), Los Angeles Galaxy (91/0), Houston Dynamo (30/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €500,000

Notes: Developed by Watford. No known honours.

DEFENCE

Felipe Andrade, 23

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Fluminense (22/0), Houston Dynamo (25/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Full name: Felipe de Andrade Vieira. Developed by Fluminense. Won a Copa Libertadores and Recopa Sudamericana with Fluminense.

Antonio Carlos, 33

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Corinthians (3/0), Avai (61/3), Ponte Preta (14/1), Palmeiras (36/1), Orlando City SC (88/4), Fluminense (24/0), Sport Recife (12/0), Houston Dynamo (11/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Full name: Antonio Carlos Cunha Capocasali Junior. Developed by Fluminense, Sendas, Audax-SP, and Corinthaians. Won a Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A and a Recopa Sudamericana. with Palmeiras. Won a US Open Cup with Orlando City.

Erik Sviatchenko, 34

Denmark (5/1)

Notable Clubs: Midtjylland (254/25), Celtic (42/1), Houston Dynamo (67/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Developed by Viborg FF, Houlkaer IF, Sondermarken, FK Viborg, and Midtjylland. Won 3x Danish Superliga titles and 2x Danish Cups with Midtjylland. Won 2x Scottish Premierships, a Scottish Cup, and 2x Scottish League Cups with Celtic. Named Danish Superliga Player of the Year 2019-20. Won a US Open Cup with Houston Dynamo.

Duane Holmes, 31

United States (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Huddersfield Town (103/10), Derby County (72/5), Preston North End (64/5), Houston Dynamo (22/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Huddersfield Town.

MIDFIELD

Lawrence Ennali, 24

Germany

Notable Clubs: Hannover 96 (8/0), Gornik Zabrze (26/5), Houston Dynamo (24/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by DJK Allersberg, DJK Schwabach, 1. FC Nurnberg, Hertha BSC, Tennis Borussia Berlin, Viktoria Berlin, Schalke 04, and Hannover 96.

Hector Herrera, 35

Mexico (105/10)

Notable Clubs: Pachuca (52/2), Porto (164/26), Atletico Madrid (58/0), Houston Dynamo (65/5), Toluca (34/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €900,000

Notes: Developed by Pachuca, Cuautla, and Tampico Madero. Won a Portuguese league title and two Supertacas with Porto. Won a La Liga title with Atletico Madrid.  Won a US Open Cup with Houston Dynamo. Won 2x Liga MX, Campeon de Campeones, and Campeones Cup with Toluca. Won CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF Cup with Mexico. Twice-named to Portuguese league Team of the Year. Named to CONCACAF Best XI three times. Named to CONCACAF Nations League Finals Best XI. Won CONCACAF Cup Golden Ball. Named to CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI. Named to MLS Best XI 2023.

Jack McGlynn, 22

United States (13/2)

Notable Clubs: Philadelphia Union (99/7), Houston Dynamo (30/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by Blau-Weiss Gottschee and Philadelphia Union. Won a CONCACAF U20 Championship with United States. Has played for United States at youth levels (37/2).

FORWARD

Mateusz Bogusz, 24

Poland (5/0)

Notable Clubs: Ruch Chorzow (32/5), Leeds United (1/0), Los Angeles FC (60/18), Cruz Azul (27/2), Houston Dynamo (4/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Developed by Gwiazda Ruda Slaska, and Ruch Chorzov. Won a EFL Championship with Leeds. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC. Won a CONCACAF Champions Cup with Cruz Azul.

Ezequiel Ponce, 29

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (27/5), Granada (25/2), Lille (32/2), AEK Athens (56/31), Spartak Moscow (59/19), Elche (47/5), Houston Dynamo (45/15)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by Newell’s Old Boys.

Guilherme, 30

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Gremio (36/1), Botafogo (32/4), Chapecoense (10/1), Coritiba (13/2), Sport Recife (49/21), Al-Faisaly (59/15), Al-Dhafra (13/5), Fortaleza (31/3), Santos (92/27), Houston Dynamo (4/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Full name: Guilherme Augusto Vieira dos Santos. Developed by Cotia and Gremio. Won a Copa do Brasil with Gremio. Won a Kings Cup with Al-Faisaly. Won a Brazilian Serie B title with Santos. Won the 2019 Serie B golden boot (17 goals).

Familiar Faces

Houston Coach Ezra Hendrickson was a Sounders FC Coach, and Sounders Reserves Manager from 2009-2014.

Houston Goalkeeping Coach Preston Burpo played for the Sounders (143/0) during the APSL/A-League/USL iterations of the club from 1997-2005.

Squads

Houston from:

Maurer, Gillingham, Bond, Erb, Antonio Carlos, Vines, Negri, Miller, Resch, Felipe Andrade, Lingr, Holmes, Herrera, Samassekou, Bogusz, Guilherme, Arana, Bouzat, Quinones, Ponce, Ennali, Ibrahim.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Brunell, Cristian, Dotson, Gomez, Kingston, Rusnak, Arriola, De Rosario, Ferreira, Morris, Musovski, Rothrock, Tsukanome.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Houston -

OUT: Artur (lower body, we’ll say gonorrhea), Halter (lower body, we’ll say ingrown pubic hairs), McGlynn (lower body, we’ll say clubfoot).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Petkovic (knee), Gomez Andrade (hamstring), de la Vega (knee), Hawkins (quadriceps), Sailor (knee), Kim (calf).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Houston: Markanich and Sviatchenko are both out this match due to suspension.

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Academy U-15 and U-16 teams are apparently doing quite well in the 2026 Generation Cup. The U-15s defeated Bayern Munich 4:0 in the Quarter-Finals, whilst the U-16s defeated Boca Juniors 1:0. The U-15s will play the winner of Cedar Stars Academy v. LAFC in their Semi-Final. The U-16s will face the winner of New York RB v. Vancouver Whitecaps in their Semi-Final. Well done, lads! Keep cracking on!