Guilherme Stars but Gabriel Pirani Rescues San Diego FC in 3-3 Draw With Houston Dynamo

Some matches build slowly. This one went from 2-0 San Diego to 3-2 Houston in the space of 15 minutes, featured a bicycle kick that will live on every highlight reel in Texas, and still had one more plot twist left four minutes from time.

San Diego FC and Houston Dynamo FC drew 3-3 on Wednesday night at Snapdragon Stadium. Guilherme had a hand in all three Houston goals, scoring twice and setting up Mateusz Bogusz's acrobatic equalizer, before substitute Gabriel Pirani poked home in the 86th minute to rescue a point for San Diego.

San Diego Come Out Swinging

The hosts were the sharper side early. Jonathan Bond had to save from Cédric Bakambu in the 10th minute, and Alejandro Alvarado Jr. hit the crossbar from the middle of the box in the 16th.

A minute later, Bond brought down Bakambu in the area. VAR confirmed the penalty, Bond was booked, and Anders Dreyer converted with his left foot into the bottom left corner in the 20th minute. Two minutes after that, San Diego broke at speed. Onni Valakari found Bakambu, who drilled a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. It was 2-0, and Houston looked rattled.

Thirteen Minutes of Guilherme

It took Houston all of two minutes to respond. Lawrence Ennali slipped the ball to Guilherme at the top of the box, and the Brazilian took a touch inside before ripping a left-footed shot high into the net. Houston said it was his 15th goal of the season.

Then came the moment of the night. In the 33rd minute, Guilherme picked out Bogusz in the middle of the box. The Polish playmaker cushioned it on his chest and, per both the Dynamo and MLSsoccer.com, finished with a bicycle kick. That is the kind of goal you watch nine times in a row on your phone in bed. It was Bogusz's seventh of the season.

Four minutes later, Houston completed the turnaround. A San Diego clearance dropped to Guilherme outside the box, and he volleyed it into the bottom right corner for his second goal of the night. According to the club, it was the first time Houston had scored three goals in a half since a 3-0 home win over Austin on July 25.

Guilherme was booked in the 44th minute, the fourth official added eight minutes to the half, and Bond made a diving save on a Dreyer drive from distance in stoppage time to send Houston in up 3-2.

The Siege

Houston brought on Duncan McGuire for Lyle Foster at halftime, but the second half belonged to San Diego. Dagur Thórhallsson hit the right post in the 50th minute, and in the 58th minute San Diego emptied part of the bench, sending on David Mimbang, Pirani and Marcus Ingvartsen.

The hosts piled on corners, five of them between the 63rd and 70th minutes alone, and Houston spent long stretches defending deep. Guilherme came off for Ibrahim Aliyu in the 77th minute. Nine minutes later, the dam broke. Off a corner, Houston's account says, Manu Duah's backheel attempt hit the post and fell to Pirani, who tucked it into the bottom left corner from close range.

Pirani nearly won it three minutes later but dragged a shot just wide. In stoppage time, Bond grabbed a Duah header to preserve the point.

Who Stood Out

Guilherme finished with two goals, an assist and two shots on target. "I thought this was Guilherme's best performance in a while. It was nice to see him with a fire in his belly," Houston head coach Ben Olsen said. MLSsoccer.com said he is up to 16 goals and nine assists in 28 games, the most of any player eligible for Newcomer of the Year, and became just the second Brazilian in MLS history with at least 25 goal contributions in a debut season, after Gabriel Pec in 2024. Houston added that he is the first Dynamo player to record three goal contributions in a half more than once in a single season.

Mateusz Bogusz scored the goal of the night and has now scored in the same match as Guilherme five times this season, per the club.

Gabriel Pirani came off the bench and scored with one of his two shots.

Jonathan Bond made three saves but also conceded the penalty that started all of this.

The Turning Point

San Diego's triple change in the 58th minute flipped the second half. Before it, Houston had survived a shot off the post and were holding on. After it, San Diego won corner after corner, and one of the substitutes, Pirani, finished the equalizer. Credit Ingvartsen and Mimbang too: fresh legs kept the pressure on until Houston finally cracked.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: San Diego held 61.4 percent of the ball.
• Shots: San Diego 17, Houston 10. On target, it was 6-3.
• Ruthless efficiency: Houston scored on all three of its shots on target.
• Corners: San Diego won 10, Houston three.
• Clearances: Houston made 28 to San Diego's 11.

What It Means

Houston moved to 13-7-9 (wins, draws, losses) with 46 points, which the club called the third-highest total through 29 matches in team history. The Dynamo said they sit fifth in the Western Conference with five matches left, and that they have now avoided defeat in 12 of 15 matches since returning from the World Cup break. Next is a Texas Derby at home against FC Dallas on Saturday.

San Diego moved to 8-9-12 with 33 points. The draw extended their league run without a win to seven matches, dating to a 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Aug. 29.

The Closing Take

Olsen said the quiet part out loud after the match. "We need his fire. In some ways, we go as he goes," he said of Guilherme. On Wednesday, Guilherme went as hard as anyone in the league, and Houston still left with only a point. That is the thing about summer blockbusters, even in October: the twist always comes in the final act.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and additional details as reported by Houston Dynamo FC and MLSsoccer.com.