Jack McGlynn Scores Twice as Houston Dynamo Stun LAFC 4-1 at BMO Stadium

Jack McGlynn didn't bother with a settling touch. Lawrence Ennali found him at the edge of the area in the 25th minute, and McGlynn hit it first time with his left foot, whipping the ball into the top right corner at BMO Stadium. By the time he added a second 30 minutes later, LAFC's Sunday night had gone from frustrating to flat-out humbling.

Houston Dynamo FC beat LAFC 4-1 on Sunday night in Los Angeles, scoring twice in each half while holding just 33.5 percent of the ball. McGlynn scored twice, Guilherme converted a free kick and Mateusz Bogusz finished on the break, and the Dynamo turned a supposedly tough road date into their most lopsided win of the season.

Possession for LAFC, Goals for Houston

LAFC came out pressing and owned the opening 20 minutes. David Martínez had three shots blocked in the first 21 minutes, Mark Delgado and Son Heung-Min had efforts blocked too, and Ryan Porteous headed wide off a corner at four minutes. The pressure was real. The finishing wasn't.

Then Houston punched back. McGlynn's opener at 25 minutes came out of almost nothing, and nine minutes later Guilherme stood over a free kick at the edge of the area and drove it past Hugo Lloris into the top right corner. Two shots on target, two goals, 2-0 Houston.

LAFC lost Sergi Palencia to an injury at 42 minutes, Ryan Raposo replacing him, and McGlynn hit the left post moments before the hosts finally found a reply. Right on 45 minutes, Jacob Shaffelburg slid a low ball across and Nathan Ordaz poked it in from the center of the box. The LAFC recap credits Stephen Eustáquio with a second assist after a flick-on; ESPN lists only Shaffelburg. At 2-1, LAFC had life.

It lasted six minutes after the restart. Bogusz had his first shot saved by Lloris at 51 minutes, followed up on the break and finished left-footed through the middle. Four minutes later, Ennali found McGlynn again and the midfielder slotted a low shot into the bottom left corner. 4-1, game over.

McGlynn Made His Case

Jack McGlynn had two goals on three shots, and the third hit the post. MLSsoccer.com says the brace brought him to two goals and three assists in seven regular-season appearances, after he returned from a lower-body injury in late April. He rated his own work honestly, calling the second a routine finish before adding that "the first one was definitely a banger," per MLSsoccer.com.

The site also noted that a U.S. men's national team assistant coach, Jesús Perez, was at BMO Stadium, and McGlynn didn't hide what that meant to him. "It's on your mind. The No. 1 objective for any player to play in the World Cup," he said. MLSsoccer.com notes he has two goals in 13 caps for the U.S.

Lawrence Ennali assisted both McGlynn goals from his left back spot, which is a wild line for a defender on a night when his team barely had the ball.

Mateusz Bogusz was Houston's busiest attacker with five shots and three on target. LAFC's recap notes he is a former LAFC attacker, so the goal had a little extra spice.

Jonathan Bond made four saves, including stops on Porteous, Tyler Boyd and Mathieu Choinière after LAFC had already fallen behind by three.

For LAFC, David Martínez took six shots and put one on target. The hosts were also without leading scorer Denis Bouanga, who was serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation, per the club.

The Restart That Ended the Comeback

LAFC went into halftime with momentum after Ordaz's goal, and the first few minutes of the second half were the hosts' window. Instead, Bogusz's goal at 51 minutes and McGlynn's at 55 slammed it shut. LAFC responded with a triple substitution at 59 minutes, sending on Timothy Tillman, Choinière and Boyd, and Bond still had to make three of his saves after that. None of it mattered against a 4-1 deficit. Houston, meanwhile, managed the finish with fresh legs, bringing on Agustín Bouzat for McGlynn at 76 minutes and Héctor Herrera at 82 before a triple change at 87.

Houston head coach Ben Olsen called LAFC "one of the best teams in this league," per MLSsoccer.com. That's what made the result so jarring.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: LAFC 66.5 percent, Houston 33.5 percent.
• Shots: LAFC took 19 to Houston's 12, but Houston put six on target to LAFC's five.
• Blocked shots: LAFC had 10 of its shots blocked. Houston made 43 clearances.
• Corners: LAFC earned 10. Houston earned three.
• Saves: Bond made four, Lloris two.

What It Means

Houston moves to 6-0-5 with 18 points and, per MLSsoccer.com, up to eighth in the Western Conference after winning four of its last five. It also flips the script from Feb. 28, when LAFC won 2-0 in Houston. The Dynamo visit Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.

LAFC falls to 6-3-3 with 21 points. Its own recap said the club was tied for third in the Western Conference with three games left before the World Cup break. It was also the second time in three home league games that LAFC has lost 4-1, after San Jose did it on April 19. MLSsoccer.com noted LAFC was trying to bounce back from a Concacaf Champions Cup elimination against Toluca. There's no rest: LAFC visits St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday.

There was one milestone for the hosts: defender Eddie Segura made his 153rd regular-season appearance for LAFC, which the club says moved him past Carlos Vela as its all-time leader in games played.

Hollywood Ending, Wrong Script

LAFC wrote the first act with possession, corners and pressure. Houston wrote the rest with four clinical finishes. McGlynn summed up the bigger picture for the Dynamo afterward. "I think that we can run up the table, be a contender and make a run at the playoffs," he said. On Sunday, in Los Angeles, they looked like a team ready to audition for that role.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com; additional notes from LAFC's official match recap.