Houston was rightly praised by media types like me for his work in the summer window. We’ve all gotten used to their place in the MLS ecosystem over the last two years under Ben Olsen. They use the ball well, prevent plays from getting out of hand and every now and then they put together a team goal that you watch on repeat several times. That identity led them to fourth place in the West, the American Open and the Western Conference Finals last season.
This year, that has resulted in a team that is a little less exciting offensively but about as effective. They are currently tied for first in the West in goals allowed per game and third in xG allowed per game. Last year they scored 1.5 goals per game, this year they are down to 1.35. This combination of great defense and less offensive efficiency has them scoring 1.54 points per game, which is slightly better than 2023’s 1.5 points per game.
Even last year, though, when the team found the back of the net more often, it became clear that to be a contender, it lacked offensive talent that could at least compete with the league’s best. Then, midway through this season, they signed DP forward Ezequiel Ponce for a club-record $8 million.
That alone might have been enough to convince people of Houston’s status as a high-quality dark horse for the MLS Cup, but then they went out and made another club-record deal. In mid-July, they signed winger Lawrence Ennali from Polish top team Górnik Zabrze as the most expensive U22 player in the club’s history. According to reports, the 22-year-old’s transfer fee was around $3 million, and it became easy to see why this weekend in Houston’s 2-0 win over LAFC.
In the first half, Ponce found the back of the net for his first MLS goal. In the second half, Ennali did the same when he ran past literally everyone in the LAFC defense (including Hugo Lloris) for a tight, hopeful goal that sent everyone in the West off guard.
Seventeen minutes later, Ennali broke his throat.
I can’t think of an injury in recent MLS history that has been as cinematic as it is bad. As everything went right for their biggest win of the year, they suddenly lost their newest and electric key. I swear that was a bad Ted Lasso plot.
Now, Houston needs to regroup and see if they still have enough juice to challenge for a trophy without Ennali. My initial thought is that Ennali coming good seemed to be the key to all of this. His presence with Ponce could have tipped the scales. Now it’s up to Ponce to tip them off himself. It’s a big ask, but it’s not impossible to sign a club record.