HOW TO WATCH: MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball.com
LAFC2 opens the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs on the road against Houston Dynamo 2 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday, October 18 at Shell Energy Stadium. The Black & Gold enters the postseason as the No. 6 seed after finishing the regular season with 45 points and an 11W-8L-9D record, while fourth-seeded Houston finished with 52 points at 14W-8L-6D.
The matchup was set through MLS NEXT Pro’s Pick-Your-Opponent process. Austin FC II, Timbers2, and Ventura County FC each selected their quarterfinal opponents, leaving Houston, the No. 4 seed, to host LAFC2 in the remaining Western Conference matchup. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.
BACK TO HOUSTON
LAFC2 and Houston met once during the regular season, with the Black & Gold earning a 3-1 victory at USC’s Rawlinson Stadium on June 28. Liam Lambert scored in the opening minute before Houston equalized through Gustavo Dohmann just before halftime. Luke Goodman restored LAFC2’s lead in the 68th minute, and DeCarlo Guerra converted a late penalty to seal the win.
That result came under unusual circumstances, with LAFC2 playing down a man after Christian Díaz was sent off in the 35th minute, followed by Houston being reduced to ten men when Myles Gardner received a second yellow early in the second half. LAFC2 ultimately finished with a 16-11 advantage in shots, with eight attempts on target.
Houston holds a 3W-2L-1D advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, but the October 18 matchup will mark their first meeting in the postseason.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston was among the Western Conference’s strongest teams for much of 2026, opening the season with a club-record 11-match unbeaten run and going unbeaten through its first nine home matches. Dynamo 2 ultimately finished fourth in the West setting team records for most wins and most points.
Houston’s early-season success was built in part on its defense. During its opening 11-match unbeaten streak, Dynamo 2 allowed just four goals from open play while scoring 28 times. The club also scored in each of its first 20 matches before being held scoreless for the first time in mid-August. Dynamo 2 cooled somewhat down the stretch, finishing the regular season with one victory in its final five matches, but did enough to secure a home quarterfinal.
LAFC2 ENTERS THE POSTSEASON
LAFC2 clinched its playoff berth emphatically, defeating Sporting KC II, 5-1, on September 13 behind goals from Marius Aiyenero (above), Tommy Mihalić, Sebastian Nava, and a brace from Charlie Kosakoff.
The Black & Gold finished sixth in the Western Conference, level on 45 points with fifth-place MNUFC2. Mihalić led LAFC2 with nine goals during the regular season, while the club showed throughout the year that it could compete with the conference’s top teams, including its June victory over Houston.
LAFC2 enters the playoffs having shown an ability to produce goals from throughout the lineup. Kosakoff, Aiyenero, Nava, Guerra, Lambert, and others contributed key goals during the second half of the season, giving head coach Fabian Sandoval several attacking options heading into the team’s first-round matchup in south Texas.
The winner on Oct. 18 advances to the Conference Semifinals, where the Pick-Your-Opponent process will be used again, with the highest remaining seed selecting an opponent from the two lowest remaining seeds.
LAFC2 WINS IF
The Black & Gold can recreate the efficiency it showed against Houston in June. LAFC2 did not need prolonged stretches of possession to hurt Dynamo 2, scoring three times and finding ways to create opportunities despite going down to 10 men.
Houston’s excellent home record would make an early LAFC2 goal especially valuable. If LAFC2 can remain organized defensively, limit Houston’s transition opportunities, and get Mihalić, Kosakoff, Aiyenero, and its other attacking players into dangerous areas, the Black & Gold has already shown it can break down Dynamo 2.
HOUSTON WINS IF
Dynamo 2 can establish the rhythm that made it one of the West’s most difficult teams to face during the first half of the season. Houston was particularly strong at home in 2026 and built its best stretches on defensive solidity and quick attacking play.
If Houston can force LAFC2 to defend for extended periods and prevent the Black & Gold from attacking in transition, the hosts will have an opportunity to turn their home-field advantage into a spot in the Western Conference Semifinals.
