Houston Dynamo 2023 MLS schedule: rivalry matches and kickoff times

The Houston Dynamo will start the season on the road for the first time in over a decade. The club's home opener will feature a Texas rival for only the second time ever.

Major League Soccer released its 2023 regular season schedule on Tuesday, pairing the Dynamo on the road against FC Cincinnati on opening day. Houston will open at home against Texas rival Austin FC on March 18.

With PNC Stadium currently undergoing renovations, a few away matches to kick off the season were not out of the question. The Dynamo last started the season on the road in 2012 against the now-folded Chivas USA, the same year they opened their stadium and the last season that saw them advance to an MLS Cup Final.

Full Schedule

The full 34-match schedule features 7:30 p.m. local start times due to the league's Apple TV deal. Houston will be away for its first two matches before playing at home for six of nine matches into mid-May.  

Copa Tejas and Texas Derby matches

Regular season matches against Austin FC and FC Dallas count towards the Copa Tejas, an intra-state trophy contested between the three Texas MLS clubs, with all encounters this season taking place on a Saturday. Dallas won the first edition in 2021 with Austin taking the cup in 2022.

• Saturday, March 18 vs. Austin FC
• Saturday, May 20 at FC Dallas
• Saturday, May 27 vs. Austin FC
• Saturday, June 24 at Austin FC
• Saturday, Sept. 30 vs. FC Dallas

The direct encounters with FC Dallas will decide the Texas Derby. The winner of the series takes yearly ownership of the El Capitan cannon.

Other notable matches

Mexican stars Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Carlos Vela will visit PNC Stadium with their respective LA teams by June 10, making those highly coveted encounters earlier in the season as opposed to being on the latter part of the schedule.

Matches against rival Sporting KC are separated by two months, in July and September, for closer contested dates on the calendar. The Dynamo will face expansion side St. Louis City SC for the first time on June 3.

The schedule also includes some popular travel destinations with Eastern Conference foes, including New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal. The Dynamo will visit every Western Conference team at least once with two trips to Los Angeles.

Popular U.S. destinations

• Boston area: Saturday, March 4 at New England Revolution
• New York City/New Jersey: Saturday, April 15 at NYRB
• Bay Area: Saturday, April 1 at San Jose
• Los Angeles: Saturday, April 29 (at LAFC) and Saturday, September 2 (at Galaxy)

Non-TX road trips under 1,000 miles

• Saturday, June 3 at St. Louis City SC
• Saturday, September 23 at Sporting Kansas City

International travel to Canada

• Wednesday, May 31 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
• Wednesday, October 4 at Club de Foot Montreal  

Key MLS dates

• Rivalry Week will be May 13-20 (Sat. May 20 at FC Dallas)
• 2023 MLS All-Star Game: Wednesday, July 19 at Audi Field in Washington D.C.
• Leagues Cup break: July 15 to August 20
• Decision Day 2023: October 21 (at Portland Timbers)

Ticket Information

Fans can guarantee access to all Dynamo home games by becoming a Houston Dynamo 365 Member. Membership includes benefits such as concessions and merchandise discounts, behind-the-scenes access, and year-round experiences including access to purchase additional seats for individual matches before tickets go on sale to the public. 

Individual-match tickets for all home matches will go on sale Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. CT through SeatGeek.