Houston Dynamo vs Mazatlan Prediction and Betting Tips

Houston Dynamo will face Mazatlan at the Shell Energy Stadium on Friday in the second round of the 2025 Leagues Cup group stages. The home side have struggled for results in their domestic league of late and have now begun the regional showpiece in similar fashion.

They were beaten 4-1 on their home ground by Tigres UANL in their opening game on Tuesday with a catalogue of errors in possession ultimately costing La Naranja. Houston now sit second-from-bottom in the MLS table of the Leagues Cup and can afford no more slip-ups if they are to advance past the group stages.

Mazatlan meanwhile faced Los Angeles FC in their Leagues Cup opener and played out a 1-1 draw, falling behind midway through the first-half before Fabio Gomes levelled things up minutes later. With the scores level after 90 minutes, the game went on penalties which the Cañoneros ultimately won after a lengthy shootout.

The visitors sit sixth in their table with two points from a possible three and will be targeting a positive result here as well.

Houston Dynamo vs Mazatlan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Friday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Cañoneros have scored two goals in Liga MX Apertura this term. Only Queretaro (1) have managed fewer.
Houston were one of three Major League Soccer sides to pick up no points on Tuesday alongside San Diego and New York City FC.
Mazatlan have had seven competitive meetings with American opposition since their establishment in 2020. They have won four of those games and lost the other three.
La Naranja are without a clean sheet in their last five games across all competitions and have managed just one in their last 12.

Houston Dynamo vs Mazatlan Prediction

Houston have lost three of their last four games and six of their last nine. They have won just one of their last five games at the Shell Energy Stadium but will remain hopeful of a positive result this weekend.

Mazatlan were second-best for much of their game against LAFC last time out, but ultimately came away with a positive result and will hope they can find similar luck this weekend. They are, however, underdogs heading into Friday's game and could lose this one.

Prediction: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Mazatlan

Houston Dynamo vs Mazatlan Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Houston

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Four of Orange Crush's last six home matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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