A 13-year wait will end for Houston Dynamo fans when the club reignites its rivalry with Liga MX club Pachuca on Wednesday night.
The two clubs are drawn together in international competition as part of the 2023 Leagues Cup. The two face off in the Round of 32 as the Mexican side enters the tournament by way of their Apertura 2022 championship.
This next match will also have a special sentiment for Dynamo captain Hector Herrera. A product of the Pachuca Academy, El Zorro will face his former team for the first time since departing for Europe a decade ago.
Ahead of the next chapter in the Dynamo-Pachuca rivalry, we take a look at the prior meetings that made these matches so special:
March 15, 2007
Houston Dynamo 2, Pachuca 0
Something special was in the works on this night, but this first encounter was put off due to a power outage. Dynamo President Oliver Luck was transparent about the postponement of the match as the imminent rivalry was on hold for one more day.
It was on that March 15 afternoon that these two sides met for the first time in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Second-half goals from Brian Ching and Chris Wondolowski gave the Dynamo a 2-0 lead in the first leg of the series that would set up an epic second encounter.
Zach Wells was the goalkeeper in place of Pat Onstad while the rest of the lineup featured usual starters Eddie Robinson, Craig Waibel, Wade Barrett, Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching and Paul Dalglish. Wondolowski and Dwayne De Rosario were the lone substitutions off the bench.
April 5, 2007
Pachuca 5, Houston Dynamo 2 (ET)
Needing to win the second leg, Pachuca offered free entrance to any and all fans that wanted to cheer their Tuzos on to victory. The capacity crowd made for a raucous environment and perhaps the more legendary of the matches between the two clubs.
Gabriel Caballero and Christian Gimenez, two of the key players that took Pachuca to the 2006 Copa Sudamericana title, were on their A-game that night and the Dynamo still took Pachuca the distance. Caballero scored in the 4th minute and Gimenez converted a PK in the 15th minute to even the aggregate but Brian Mullan would take the lead back to start the second half.
Pachuca would get another penalty and "Chaco" Gimenez converted once more in the 58th but not before Brian Ching came in with one of his signature clutch headers in the 78th minute to tie the score. Had the away goal rule existed for that tournament, Houston would've been through, but extra time decided the series.
Right at the end of the first 15-minute interval, Gimenez completed his hat trick with one of his best goals in a Pachuca shirt. The Dynamo were unable to get the goal that would force a penalty shootout and fell to the eventual champions.
- Rápido, lo primero que recuerdas cuando dicen "Houston Dynamo"
— Club Pachuca 🌟 (@Tuzos) July 31, 2023
- Sí @chaco_81... pic.twitter.com/36gwqKlN8s
August 14, 2007
Houston Dynamo 2 (3), Pachuca 2 (4)
The Dynamo and Pachuca meet for a third time in six months thanks to the inaugural SuperLiga tournament. This was a one-off at Robertson Stadium with the winner heading to the final and the $1 million purse. The animosity carried over from the series earlier in the year; the teams combined for three red cards throughout regulation and extra time.
After goals from De Rosario, Juan Carlos Cacho, Andres Chitiva and Eddie Robinson during the ninety minutes, the teams played an extra thirty minutes with no clear winner. That allowed for a penalty shootout starring legendary goalkeepers Pat Onstad and Miguel Calero.
Both teams were perfect through the third round until Brian Ching and Damian Alvarez both missed in the fourth round. Joseph Ngwenya tried to be clever with his kick which would make for a deciding conversion from Rafael Marquez Lugo.
Pachuca went on to beat David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. Dynamo fans again, after losing to the eventual champions, were left with a feeling of what could have been.
July 29, 2008
Houston Dynamo 2, Pachuca 0
A rematch in the SuperLiga semifinals made for the opportunity to finally exact revenge. It was mostly a deadlock, decided late in the second half as Bobby Boswell and Corey Ashe, off a header no less, gave Houston a 2-0 win.
The Dynamo went on to lose to New England on penalties after drawing 2-2. Considering the Dynamo had beaten the Revs in back-to-back MLS Cups, the loss wasn't felt as bad.
September 16, 2009
Pachuca 2, Houston Dynamo 0
The change in format and rename of the Concacaf Champions Cup to the Champions League pitted Houston and Pachuca once more. This time they were drawn together in the group stage of the 2009–10 edition.
As new faces were introduced into the rivalry, Édgar Benítez and Paul Aguilar scored for the Tuzos on this occasion. Pachuca took the three points at home as the group was up for grabs with Arabe Unido having their own say.
September 30, 2009
Houston Dynamo 0, Pachuca 1
Just over two weeks after their encounter at the Estadio Hidalgo, the teams met at Robertson for the penultimate matchday in the group. Benitez scored again as Pachuca took its first win in Houston and made qualification to the next round difficult for the Dynamo.
A loss to Isidro Metapan in El Salvador eliminated the Texas club from the competition. Pachuca went on to win its fourth Concacaf club championship of the decade as they secured another trip to the FIFA Club World Cup.
July 15, 2010
Houston Dynamo 2, Pachuca 0
The final edition of the SuperLiga included another Dynamo-Pachuca encounter. The two clubs were once again group opponents as they kicked off the action in Group A.
Joseph Ngwenya redeemed himself for the missed penalty years prior with one goal in each half. Damián Manso tied the game in the 51st minute prior to Ngwenya completing his brace.
Houston and Puebla moved on from the group as Pachuca finished last. Miguel Calero was among the few faces remaining for Pachuca from the prior encounters. Jose Francisco Torres and Herculez Gomez featured for the Liga MX side after representing the United States a few weeks prior in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Hector Herrera would get his first minutes in Pachuca's final SuperLiga match against Chivas USA, just missing out on playing against the Dynamo. Houston fell in the semis to eventual champions Monarcas (now Mazatlán FC), who ironically featured former Pachuca star Luis Gabriel Rey.
