Houston Dynamo conquered a 4‑3 victory at Snapdragon Stadium, turning in a nail‑biting performance against San Diego FC. Argentine forward Ezequiel Ponce once again showed up when it mattered, scoring twice, including the dramatic winner far into stoppage time, and cementing his role as a clutch player in MLS.
This setback marked San Diego’s second home loss of the year, and with it they lost the chance to widen their gap atop the Western Conference. They remain pinned at 39 points, just a single point clear of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Houston, meanwhile, climbed to 26 points and now sits eighth in the standings.
First half sparks, comeback and big moment for Ennali
San Diego grabbed the lead in the 25th minute when Onni Valakari nodded the ball nicely toward Milan Iloski, who calmly converted with his right foot from inside the box. Despite a hard-fought half, Houston had already shown signs of danger.
Early on, Lawrence Ennali burst down the left, cut into the box and laid a low ball to Ponce, whose shot skimmed just wide. Not long after, Felipe Andrade missed a clear chance by sending the ball over the bar.
Around the 17th minute, Bassi floated in a set piece that found Ponce for a header, prompting CJ Dos Santos to make a solid save. Houston stayed on the attack, and their persistence paid off.
In the 36th minute, Bassi picked out Ennali near the top of the area. The German forward brought it down cleanly and fired a low shot into the far corner — his first of the season, and a symbolic statement after returning from a knee injury last September.
Right before the break, Houston stole it. Ethan Bartlow fed Franco Escobar out wide. Escobar shook off his defender and unleashed a powerful shot from range that curled into the top corner, giving Houston a 2‑1 lead heading into halftime.
San Diego fightback falls short, Ponce delivers late
San Diego came out firing after the break and equalized in the 54th minute. Jeppe Tverskov’s header found Luca Bombino, who unleashed a clean volley past Jonathan Bond — tying the match at 2‑2.
They took the lead again in minute 67. Anders Dreyer hammered a shot from the edge of the box and Valakari knocked it past the keeper. San Diego looked up at 3‑2.
Houston didn’t flinch. In the 71st minute, Duane Holmes sent in a pinpoint cross to Ponce at the back post. Ponce tapped it in, but it was ruled offside after a VAR review. No goal, and the tension crept back in.
Bond continued to shine, making a key save from Dreyer at minute 51 and another late stop on Iloski’s strike. But defensive errors crept in for San Diego’s backline, and they paid dearly.
Late in the 87th minute, CJ Dos Santos rushed out, missed his mark and clipped Ponce inside the box. Penalty awarded. Ponce calmly smashed it high into the net, knotting it at 3‑3.
Deep into stoppage time, all the way at the 100th minute, Bartlow picked out Ponce again. Ponce steadied himself and drilled a low shot into the left corner, sealing Houston’s comeback win.