Houston Dynamo II saw off Real Monarchs 3-0 in the MLS Next Pro group stage on August 8, 2026. The hosts took all three points at home, extending their winning habit while the visitors' struggles continued.
D. Kropp went off in the 5th minute with a red card, and the game shifted before the Monarchs could settle. R. Miller opened the scoring in the 16th minute, and M. Dimareli added a second three minutes later. By then the visitors were reduced to ten and never really got going.
Half-time brought changes on both sides, with D. Herrera and C. Rios coming on for the Monarchs. L. O'Gara, L. Moisa and S. Mohammad followed in the first half of the second period. Houston tightened things up after the break rather than chasing the scoreline.
N. Silva's red card in the 74th minute left the Monarchs with eight men, and Gustavo Dohmann picked up a yellow card shortly after. J. Bell made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute, and V. Silva came on for the visitors in the closing stages.
Houston sit second in the table with 48 points from 25 games, while Real Monarchs are sixth with 29. The gap between them has grown, and the visitors are staring at the drop rather than pushing for promotion spots.
The hosts have shown resilience recently, bouncing back from a 2-3 defeat to Swallow Park Rangers with wins over Colorado Rapids II and St. Louis City II. Their form has been uneven, but they know how to close out matches.
Real Monarchs have lost four of their last five, including a 0-3 hammering at St. Louis City II. They were out of sight by half-time on this occasion, and cup football has its own rules when you're playing with numbers.
