Houston Dynamo: Road win lifts club into Western Conference top four

Houston Dynamo FC supporters have a new standing to track after Wednesday night's 1-0 road result at Seattle. The win gave Houston three points, a 13th clean sheet of the season matching the club record set in 2007 and 2023, and a place in the top four of the MLS Western Conference table. Houston sits level with St. Louis in third place, three points behind second.

The match turned on one sequence. In the 26th minute, defender Lucas Halter redirected a cross into the net after a corner kick delivered by forward Mateusz Bogusz. Bogusz picked up his fifth assist of the season. The goal was the 1,552nd of the MLS season, tying the all-time single-season record.

Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond handled the workload from there. Cristian Roldan tested him from outside the box in the 13th minute, and Bond dove to his right for the save, the first of six on the night. He stopped a Jesus Ferreira attempt with his chest in the 41st minute, denied Albert Rusnak with a diving save to his right, and gathered a shot from Dejan Joveljic shortly after. In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, a deflected spinning ball headed for the corner and Bond moved across goal to parry it, preserving the shutout. Bond's 12th clean sheet of the season ties the single-season club marks held by Tally Hall and Steve Clark.

Halter nearly added a second goal in the 65th minute. A dipping free kick from Bogusz landed near the Seattle penalty spot, and Halter reached the ball first, but it was cleared just before he could shoot.

The timeline of the season's scoring record and Houston's position in the standings runs through this match. Houston's 13th clean sheet matched the club record. The Dynamo's 1-0 result moved them into the top four of the Western Conference table, even with St. Louis in third and three points out of second. The 1,552nd goal of the MLS season tied the all-time single-season record.

Houston stays on the road for a match at Portland Timbers on Nov. 1, with kickoff set for 8:45 p.m. CT.