Segal’s Bronx Return Spoils NYCFC’s Streak in 3-0 Dynamo Win
New York City FC vs Houston Dynamo FC Match Recap
May 28th, 2025, Yankee Stadium
By: Kian Silva
Introduction
It was a cold rainy Wednesday night in the Boogie Down Bronx. The boys in blue came into the game with back to back home wins looking to make it three in three, while Houston’s last win was three games ago vs their local rivals FC Dallas. Both teams were eager to secure the three points last night to strengthen their playoff positioning.
Pascal Jansen’s Starting XI; Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak, Risa; Shore, O’Neill, Fernandez, Moralez, Wolf; Martinez.
Ben Olsen’s Starting XI; Bond; Escobar, Bartlow, Awodesu, Andrade; Raines, Urso, Dueñas; McGlynn, Segal, Lodeiro.
First Half Recap
Houston kicked off the game, and the first 10 minutes consisted of short spells of possessions for both sides, but lacked attacking threat. The first major action came in the 10th minute, where Hannes Wolf broke in behind the back line and was tackled in the box, but the referee decided there was no penalty. Four minutes later, Wolf and Jonathon Shore link up on the left side of the box, Shore takes it down the line past the defender and attempts to square it across the box but the defender blocks it and it goes out for a corner. Maxi Moralez swings in a corner, Houston fails to clear it and it lands to Tayvon Gray whose shot is well wide of the goal.
In the 24th minute, Nico Lodeiro won a corner off a cross from Franco Escobar. Jack McGlynn takes the corner and finds Femi Awodesu who heads it back across the goal. It fell to Gray whose clearance lands right back to McGlynn who puts a cross back into the box, and unfortunately for NYCFC, it goes off the head of Justin Haak and into the goal. Houston Dynamo takes the lead 1-0.
Following the goal NYCFC had a good stint of possession. Gray plays a long ball over the top to Alonso Martinez, who controls it well, but his second touch around the keeper is too hard to control and it goes out for a goal kick. NYCFC wins the ball back after the goal kick and maintains possession well. In the 35th minute, NYCFC continued to play well out of the back, eventually leading to a foul on Julian Fernandez by Erik Dueñas stopping a promising attack. Dueñas received a yellow card as a result of the foul.
In the 40th minute, following a promising NYCFC attack, Houston won the ball back with Nico Lodeiro playing a looping ball over the top in an attempt to find Gabe Segal. Thiago Martins misreads the bounce and Segal bodies him off the ball putting him one on one with the keeper, Matt Freese. Freese makes himself big and makes a crucial save which Gray eventually heads out for a corner.
After the regulation time, 4 minutes of added time were given before the referee blew for halftime. Although NYCFC dominated in possession for the half, it was Houston Dynamo who came out with more shots, 8-3, as well as the 1-0 lead. NYCFC struggled to create threatening attacks, often relying on long balls which didn’t work in the rain, and when they did attempt to build through possession, their movement was stagnant and congested rather than fluid and expansive.
Second Half Recap
NYCFC kicked off the second half, but it was Houston who had the first major chance of the half. Just 4 minutes in, Nico Lodeiro lays off Dueñas whose shot to the lower right corner is saved by Freese, but spilled to Segal who is there to tap it in. Freese stayed down injured on the initial shot and unfortunately couldn’t get back up to save the shot by Segal. Segal, a former NYCFC player, puts his hands up and doesn’t celebrate the goal out of respect.
In the 56th minute, Freese dished out a long throw to Martinez, which was laid off to Moralez who played it over the top to Wolf, and Wolf was able to win a corner out of it. The corner was cleared out and landed to Birk Risa, he took it past one defender before laying it off to Aiden O’Neill. O'Neill takes a strike from outside the box, but it is saved by Jonathon Bond and cleared out by Awodesu.
Another long throw in the 61st minute puts Martinez in behind, but he loses control ultimately leading to the ball being cleared out by the Dynamo defense. The following play, Fernandez has the ball just outside the box and is pushed from behind by Felipe Andrade. The referee awards a free kick as well as showing a yellow card to Andrade. Wolf stepped up to take the free kick and curled it just over the bar onto the roof of the net.
The first window of substitutions came in the 65th minute by NYCFC. A bold choice from Jansen, who decided to use 4 out of his 5 substitutions in the same window, in an attempt to find more of an attacking threat. Moralez, Haak, Martinez, and Wolf were subbed out for Maximo Carrizo, Nico Cavallo, Mounsef Bakrar, and Agustin Ojeda respectively.
In the 66th minute, NYCFC received their first card of the game. Gray is shown a yellow card for a hard foul on Lodeiro.
Ben Olsen’s first substitution came in the 72nd minute, where Andrade and Dueñas, both of whom had yellow cards, were subbed out for Griffin Dorsey and Ondrej Lingr respectively.
In the following substitution window, Shore came off and Keaton Parks was subbed in for NYCFC.
In the 79th minute, NYCFC won back to back corners. The first Ojeda received the ball on the half turn and was tackled forcing the ball out for a corner. The play following the corner, Bakrar had the ball crossed into him at the front post, but Houston Dynamo captain, Artur, was first to it, kicking it out for a corner.
Houston’s second substitution window came in the 82nd minute, where McGlynn was subbed off for Duane Holmes.
NYCFC’s second yellow card was shown to O’Neill in the 85th minute, for a foul on Segal, in NYCFC’s defensive half.
Late in the match, NYCFC had a chance to claw one back when a corner, taken by Fernandez, found the captain, Martins, whose header was well wide of the target.
Houston Dynamo’s last substitution came in the 88th minute. The Uruguayan, Nico Lodeiro, came off for the Colombian, Pablo Ortiz.
In added time, Artur wins a header in the box which is played towards Holmes, who looks to strike it, but gets cleated by Cavallo. Cavallo tried to get the ball but his follow through strikes the forward in the foot. The referee called a penalty and showed Cavallo a yellow card. Segal stepped up to take the penalty, and with the crowd booing, he smashed the ball into the top corner to seal the 3-0 victory for the Houston Dynamo.
Post Match Recognitions
After a stellar two goal performance on his return to Yankee Stadium, Gabe Segal took the match ball home as the Man of the Match. He also featured in the MLS Team of the Matchday, alongside Houston Dynamo head coach, Ben Olsen, and defender, Femi Awodesu.
Post Match Interview W/ USMNT Call-up: Jack McGlynn
Q: How was your homecoming? How has Houston been treating you?
A: “It is good to be home, lots of friends and family in the stands so definitely felt the love, and good to get the win. Houston’s been good so far, so let's keep it going.”
Q: Talk us through what was going through your mind leading up to the goal, and did you ever play against Haak in the youth system?
A: “Yeah growing up I played against him all the time. That's my boy off the field so it was good to see him. And good to get a goal like that. I mean it's a good ball I put in, I know the quality I have, and it was dangerous, and we got a goal out of it which is good.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in June of next year?
A: “Hopefully playing in a big team, or playing here in Houston and winning championships. I don’t know where it would take me, but hopefully I'm still with the national team and can make an impact there and we will see where it goes.”
Contributed by Kian Silva