Hector Herrera powers the Houston Dynamo past rivals Austin FC | OneFootball

The Houston Dynamo bounced back from a two-game winless streak at the start of the season with a 2-0 victory over rivals Austin FC, as goals from Amine Bassi and Hector Herrera saw the men in Orange take all three points.

Though MLS is a league where teams can have a slow start to the season and still make the playoffs, head coach Ben Olsen doesn’t see it this way. Getting the first win of the season is essential not only for the coaching staff but also for team morale.

“Coaches can say whatever they want, but you want to get your first win. It helps quite a bit. The mood in there is very good, and the message now is to grow and get better and make sure that we can put this type of performance on at home consistently, because I do believe it's a recipe for getting into the postseason.”

For the Dynamo, this win was important for many reasons. It cemented themselves as competitors against a hated rival, showed the fanbase they intend to be the best team in Texas, and gave them confidence heading into future matches. Defender Daniel Steres said as much in the post-game conference. He spoke about Houston’s goal to be the premier Texas team in MLS and how they wanted to show the fans that they’ve improved over the offseason.

"We didn't do well last year and we wanted to come out and show that we deserve to be back at the top in Texas here and do it for the fans because we know what it means to them and we want to see them cheering like they were tonight and have something to cheer for."

Olsen also had high praises for several players including Designated Player and Mexico national team figure Hector Herrera.

"Héctor was our internal man of the match. For [him] to score a goal and to get on the board and also Bassi is a big deal. One out of the run of play, another a set-piece PK. So all in all, good night. We're going to enjoy it because it's our first one and it's nice to get that monkey off our back and then get back to work and hopefully get better."

The Houston Dynamo will look to continue to add to their win column this weekend as they take on NYCFC at home.