In the 25th week of the MLS, Houston failed to take advantage of their home advantage, falling 2-1 to San José Earthquakes. San José demonstrated superiority throughout the match, establishing a solid 2-0 lead thanks to two well-constructed goals. Cristian Arango opened the scoring in the 27th minute of the first half, followed by a goal from Ian Harkes in the 63rd minute. Although Houston managed to narrow the gap with a goal from Antônio Carlos in the 71st minute via a header, it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
The standout moment of the match was Cristian Arango’s goal in the 27th minute. After receiving a pass from Daniel Munie, Arango skillfully placed the ball into the bottom left corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Houston’s Mark-Anthony Kaye hit the post in the 40th minute, missing an opportunity to extend San José’s lead.
Antônio Carlos was a key player for Houston, earning the title of man of the match with his goal and crucial defensive contributions, clearing four dangerous balls from his area.
Defensively, Daniel Munie from San José was also instrumental, successfully clearing two threatening balls from the box.
Houston’s coach, Benjamin Olsen, opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Jonathan Bond in goal, a defensive line of Griffin Dorsey, Antônio Carlos, Pablo Ortiz, and Felipe Andrade, and a midfield featuring Artur de Lima, Sebastian Kowalczyk, and Júnior Urso, while Ezequiel Ponce, Ondrej Lingr, and Jack McGlynn led the attack.
Conversely, Bruce Arena’s San José Earthquakes adopted a 5-3-2 approach with Daniel as the goalkeeper; the defense comprised Jamar Ricketts, Dejuan Jones, Daniel Munie, Dave Romney, and Reid Roberts; while the midfield had Ian Harkes, Cristian Espinoza, and Mark-Anthony Kaye; and up front were Preston Judd and Cristian Arango.
The match at Shell Energy Stadium was officiated by referee Sergii Boiko.
Looking ahead, Houston will welcome LA Galaxy for their next fixture, while San José Earthquakes will visit Austin FC.
Substitutions for Houston
11’ 1H – Pablo Ortiz out for Ethan Bartlow
56’ 2H – Sebastian Kowalczyk out for Lawrence Ennali and Júnior Urso out for Duane Holmes
81’ 2H – Ondrej Lingr out for Amine Bassi and Griffin Dorsey out for Toyosi Olusanya
Yellow cards for Houston:
21’ 1H Jack McGlynn (Unsporting behavior) and 35’ 1H Ezequiel Ponce (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for San José Earthquakes
45’ 2H – Mark-Anthony Kaye out for Ronaldo Vieira
64’ 2H – Preston Judd out for Ousseni Bouda
77’ 2H – Cristian Arango out for Josef Martínez and Cristian Espinoza out for Noel Buck
84’ 2H – Jamar Ricketts out for Bruno Wilson
Yellow cards for San José Earthquakes:
30’ 1H Mark-Anthony Kaye (Unsporting behavior), 9’ 2H Cristian Espinoza (Unsporting behavior) and 47’ 2H Reid Roberts (Unsporting behavior)