HOUSTON, Texas — Center back Lukas MacNaughton waited until the last attack of the MLS regular season to deliver, scoring in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time Saturday night as St. Louis CITY SC edged the Houston Dynamo 1-0 at Shell Energy Stadium and locked up third place in the Western Conference.
Substitute Alex Matan set up the goal, breaking down the right side and cutting the ball back for MacNaughton, who finished low into the bottom right corner with his right foot. It was the only St. Louis shot on target all night, and the club says it is the latest goal in its history, topping a 96th-minute strike against New York City FC earlier this year.
Houston carried most of the attacking play, outshooting St. Louis 23 to 13 by the club box score and earning nine corners to three. St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt turned away six shots to keep the match scoreless until the late winner.
Both clubs had already secured playoff spots and entered the finale tied on 51 points, so the game decided seeding and home-field advantage for the opening best-of-three round. St. Louis finishes 15-10-9 and will meet sixth-seeded LAFC, with dates and kickoff times still to be announced. The result also ended a five-match winless run for St. Louis.
Houston drops to fifth at 14-11-9 and opens the postseason on the road against fourth-seeded San Jose. The defender now has three goals this year and five across his MLS career, and St. Louis won the season series against Houston.
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