Open at home, won’t face Lionel Messi

Coming off a season that saw them reach the conference finals and make their first postseason appearance in six years, the Dynamo will open the 2024 MLS season with three straight home games.

The Dynamo’s season-opener is Feb. 24 against Sporting Kansas City, the team it eliminated in the second round of the playoffs in November. That will be followed by two more games at Shell Energy Stadium — March 2 against the New York Red Bulls and March 16 against Portland — before the team finally hits the road the following week at Colorado.

Perhaps more noteworthy about Wednesday’s MLS schedule release is who is not on the Dynamo’s docket: Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi.

The Dynamo and Miami are in separate conferences. The MLS regular season consists of 34 games with the Dynamo playing Austin FC three times and the other 12 teams in the Western Conference twice each. That leaves the Dynamo with seven games against Eastern Conference teams. Teams from the East facing the Dynamo this season will be New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire FC, Atlanta United FC, D.C. United, Charlotte FC, Toronto FC and New England Revolution.

Inter Miami CF became a huge draw throughout the MLS when it signed Messi in July. The Dynamo hosted Miami in April last season. They also beat Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final in September, but Messi didn’t play.

The MLS regular season will open with a standalone match when Inter Miami CF faces Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The season will open for everyone else three days later.

The Dynamo also qualified for the 27-team Concacaf Champions Cup, which they will open against St. Louis City SC on Feb. 20 in St. Louis and Feb. 27 back in Houston. If the Dynamo advance past St. Louis, it would play MLS’s Columbus Crew in the round of 16.

HOUSTON DYNAMO’S 2024 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb, 24: vs. Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2: vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 16: vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 23: at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 30: vs. San Jose, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 6: at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13: at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 20: vs. Austin, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27: at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 4: vs. St. Louis, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 11: at Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15: at Austin, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 18: vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 25: at LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 29: vs. Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 1: at Portland, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 15: at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 19: vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 22: at DC, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 29: vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 3: at Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 7: vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 13: vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 17: at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 20: at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 24: vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 31: at LAFC, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14: vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 18: vs. Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21: at Austin, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept 28: at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 2: vs. New England, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5: at St. Louis, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. LA Galaxy, 8 p.m.