Guilherme powers Houston Dynamo to 3-3 draw vs. San Diego FC as Newcomer of the Year case grows

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Houston Dynamo FC’s bid to stay firmly in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs race received a major lift from Guilherme on Wednesday night as the Brazilian Designated Player drove a 3-3 draw with San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium. According to MLS match coverage, Guilherme contributed to all three Houston goals, recording two goals and one assist in the result, helping the Dynamo respond after conceding the first two goals early in the match.

The game swung quickly after San Diego FC opened a 2-0 lead. MLS reported that Guilherme answered for Houston by opening the scoring, narrowing the gap before he then set up Mateusz Bogusz for an acrobatic bicycle-kick finish to level the match. With the score still on the edge, Houston continued to push for momentum late in the half.

Before halftime, Guilherme completed Houston’s first-half turnaround with a long-range strike from outside the box, giving the Dynamo a lead that would not hold. MLS coverage credited San Diego FC with a late equalizer as Gabriel Pirani found the net to make it 3-3, ensuring Houston would leave with a point instead of all three.

While the draw was not ideal for Houston’s standings, MLS said the result kept the club’s quest to clinch a playoff berth alive. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Dynamo sit in fifth place in a congested Western Conference, and Wednesday’s showing emphasized why Guilherme has become central to Houston’s attack at this stage of the year.

The performance also strengthened Guilherme’s case for MLS Newcomer of the Year. MLS noted that the 31-year-old has climbed to 16 goals and 9 assists in 28 games played this season, with those totals described as the most among players eligible for the award. Guilherme joined Houston from Santos FC ahead of the 2026 campaign, and MLS pointed to his rapid impact in his debut season with the club.

The recognition narrative within the league also highlighted how rare Guilherme’s production is for a first-year MLS player. MLS said he joined Gabriel Pec as only the second Brazilian in league history to reach at least 25 goal contributions in their debut MLS season. MLS added that Pec—then with LA Galaxy—claimed Newcomer of the Year honors in his 2024 campaign.

Houston head coach Ben Olsen addressed Guilherme’s importance immediately after the match, speaking postgame. Olsen said he believed the performance represented “Guilherme’s best performance in a while,” adding that the club needs that “fire” because “in some ways, we go as he goes.” Olsen also referenced how defenders are increasingly physical with Guilherme, saying that requires him to work more and bring more to games to be successful, while indicating he felt Guilherme did that in Wednesday’s match.

Alongside Guilherme’s all-around impact, MLS singled out Bogusz’s bicycle kick as the standout goal of the night. The league noted that Bogusz, a former LAFC midfielder, has seven goals in his first season with the Dynamo and that Wednesday’s strike helped send a highlight to the top of the club’s goal list for the year.

Looking ahead, MLS reported that Guilherme, Bogusz and Houston will continue their playoff push when the Dynamo return to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday to host FC Dallas in the Texas Derby, with kickoff listed at 8:30 pm ET and broadcast on Apple TV. The match follows Wednesday’s result as Houston aims to keep pace in the Western Conference with limited regular-season games remaining.

Additionally, while the specific award outcome is still to be determined, MLS’s framing of the Newcomer of the Year race underscores the stakes of Houston’s remaining matches. With Guilherme producing at a level that MLS describes as leading the eligible group in goal contributions, the Dynamo’s final stretch may hinge on maintaining that form as they try to convert results into a playoff berth.