Chicago Fire allow pair of secondhalf goals and lose to Houston Dynamo 21 in season opener
Feb 21, 2026
HOUSTON — Guilherme Santos scored two goals in the second half of his MLS debut to rally the Houston Dynamo to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire in a season opener on Saturday night.
Santos found the net for the first time in the 67th minute — with assists from Jack McGlynn and Ezequiel Ponce
— to tie it 1-1. He scored the winner unassisted 11 minutes later off a deflection.
Chicago Fire look to build on last season’s success under Gregg Berhalter: ‘Progress really motivates us’
Santos joined the Dynamo after scoring 95 goals in 429 appearances for Brazilian Série A side Santos FC.
Hugo Cuypers picked up where he left off last season, scoring unassisted in the 31st minute to stake the Fire to a 1-0 lead. Cuypers had 17 goals in 33 appearances last season and scored 10 times in 31 appearances in 2024 — his first season in the league.
Jonathan Bond totaled two saves for the Dynamo, while Chris Brady saved two shots for the Fire.
Coach Gregg Berhalter last season led the Fire to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and first playoff win since 2009.
Up next
Fire: vs. CF Montreal in home opener Saturday.
Dynamo: vs. Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
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