Walsh and Nzita unstoppable as Dynamo U17 beat Solar Academy 09

The club soccer season is just about to start, and preseason matches continue to pop up around Texas every weekend. These matches are great opportunities to watch teams in the early days of the new season and also offer an interesting perspective as clubs from different leagues go against each other.   On Saturday, August 23, Prep Soccer Texas covered one of these matches, involving two of the top teams in their respective leagues, as the MLS Next side [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] U17 team hosted ECNL opponents Solar SC Academy B09 at the Houston Sports Park. It was an exciting match, which had the Dynamo coming out on top 6-4.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2025/08/tx-preseason-houston-dynamo-u17-vs-solar-sc-academy-09-photos/">Photos: [program_tooltip program_id='283657' first='Houston' last='Dynamo'] U17 vs. Solar SC Academy B09</a></li> </ul>   Solar scored the first goal of the match, at the 31st minute, when defender Osvaldo Osorio Parra sent a long pass into the final third and saw forward Mason Leslie beat the defenders and finish it into the back of the net. Six minutes later, the visitors got another one, with forward Andres Moya infiltrating in the box and scoring with a first-time finish. The Dynamo got one back before the halftime break when midfielder William Avila fed forward [player_tooltip player_id='149383' first='Kian' last='Walsh'], who calmly found the back of the net with a well-placed low shot.   Walsh tied the match in the fifth minute of the second half, getting a pass inside the box and finishing it, but Solar responded quickly, scoring twice in two minutes - midfielder Peyton Perez scored at the 8th minute, picking up a rebound almost over the goal line, and midfielder Mario Dominguez Jr. got another one in the next minute. Walsh got his hat-trick in the 16th minute, getting the rebound of a free kick taken by forward [player_tooltip player_id='280126' first='Sebastiao' last='Nzita'] and finishing it in an open net. In the next minute, he drew a free kick at pretty much the same spot and Nzita buried it, leveling the score. The two worked together again in the Dynamo's go-ahead goal, with Walsh sending a perfect through ball to Nzita, who got into the box and scored with a left-footed finish in the 20th minute. Six minutes later, he got a hat-trick of his own, picking a rebound inside the box and finishing it with another left-footed shot.   Solar will start their ECNL campaign on the weekend of August 30-31, facing [program_tooltip program_id='283397' first='[program_tooltip program_id='278668' first='Lonestar' last='']' last='SC'] Red and [program_tooltip program_id='283397' first='[program_tooltip program_id='278668' first='Lonestar' last='']' last='SC'] Black in back-to-back road matches in Austin. The Dynamo will play their first MLS Next match of the season on September 6, at home, against [program_tooltip program_id='283612' first='Austin' last='FC'].   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players of the Match</h2>    Walsh had an outstanding performance in the match, getting directly involved in five of his team's six goals and scoring three of them. The forward showed great calm and composure in front of the goal and converted the three chances he had with well-placed shots. Walsh had been very active up top for the Dynamo since the start of the match, consistently making runs behind the backline and moving in the final third to get on the ball and create space for his teammates. He was especially successful when he dropped deeper to get on the ball, using his vision to find teammates in great positions, like he did when assisting for the team's fifth goal. Walsh also kept his intensity level high during the entire match, doing a good job of pressing opposing defenders and chasing long passes.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0138_75b0d1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317927" /></figure>    Nzita caught fire during the second half and had a key role in his team's comeback, scoring three goals and getting involved in another one. The forward spent time in the three positions up top and did a good job of adjusting to each of them. His ability in set pieces made a big difference for the Dynamo, as it generated situations that resulted in two goals for the team. After the Dynamo got the lead, Nzita's pace and ability to play directly in transition helped the team create more chances. He engaged in good plays and moved very well in the final third, also showing the commitment to track back and help on defense when needed.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0175_98d590.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317941" /></figure>    Playing his first match with the Dynamo in quite a few months, Pagani was one of the team's most dangerous attacking players. The winger spent time on both sides of the attack and was arguably his team's most dangerous player in the first half. Very aggressive on the ball, he was very successful at going at defenders in 1v1 situations and created good chances by getting the ball to the end line and crossing it. Pagani was able to keep his intensity level high the entire time and also did well when he brought the ball inside and connected with his teammates.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0097_e9a63a.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317906" /></figure>    Hinds was the Dynamo's defensive anchor, and his solid game helped his team navigate difficult moments in the match. He started the match in midfield and was very good at covering ground and winning duels. In the second half, the Dynamo switched to three in the back as they wanted to push forward and relied on him to play in the center of their backline. Hinds performed very well there, using his excellent positioning and his ability to cover ground to stop many Solar transition plays. He also did great work on the ball, making smart moves to create space in the center of the field when under pressure and distributing the ball well - one of his passes set up the play that resulted in the team's fifth goal.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0089_b170ae.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317904" /></figure>    Leslie had a good performance off the bench for Solar and brought great intensity to the field when he came in during both halves. He played on the left side of their attack and created problems for the Dynamo backline with his aggressiveness and ability to beat defenders off the dribble. The forward showed great determination to score the team's first goal by chasing a long pass and beating Dynamo defenders for the ball, and firing a low shot into the back of the net.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0120.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317917" /></figure>    Even though his team conceded six goals in the match, Osorio Parra had a good performance for Solar, winning most of the individual duels he got into and containing the opposing forwards as well as he could. The left-sided center used his good positioning and quickness to beat opponents for the ball when he could, but also played hard when he had to. A lefty, Osorio Parra was heavily involved in his team's buildup and connected good passes out of the back, including the long one that found Leslie up top to score the team's first goal in the match.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/08/2J4A0112.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-317913" /></figure>

The club soccer season is just about to start, and preseason matches continue to pop up around Texas every weekend. These matches are great opportunities to watch teams in the early days of the new season and also offer an interesting perspective as clubs from different leagues go against each other.