Jack McGlynn makes USMNT case as Houston Dynamo stun LAFC | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

Jack McGlynn isn’t scared of Hollywood – and he wants to be back in the City of Stars in just a few weeks.

The USMNT midfielder scored a brace in Houston Dynamo FC’s dominant 4–1 victory at LAFC that concluded MLS Matchday 12 with an impressive performance on the Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire stage.

With the Black & Gold looking to bounce back from Concacaf Champions Cup elimination midweek against LIGA MX's Toluca, McGlynn took over.

His outstanding left-footed, first-touch strike from distance opened the scoring, then he scored a second 10 minutes after the halftime break. The brace brought him to 2g/3a in seven regular-season appearances this season. 

“I think the second one was a pretty normal [goal], just to pass it in, but the first one was definitely a banger,” said McGlynn, who returned from a lower-body injury in late April.

“Coming back, I've kind of shown what I can do in the minutes I've been playing, building up my fitness and building up strength back in the muscle. It's definitely been a process."

World Cup dreams

Sticking his left foot through his opening strike, McGlynn’s finish from distance wasn’t too far off the goal he scored for the USMNT against Türkiye ahead of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

With Sunday's performance, he's arguably made a late push for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad. The USMNT play two Group D games in Los Angeles next month, their opener vs. Paraguay and finale against Türkiye. 

“It’s on your mind. The No. 1 objective for any player to play in the World Cup,” said McGlynn, who has two goals in 13 USMNT caps.

“You definitely think ‘how can I show,’ but most importantly, show for Houston and help Houston out, and that'll get me there.” 

McGlynn's performance came in front of the right eyes, too. USMNT assistant coach Jesús Perez was in attendance at BMO Stadium. 

“Being in [LA], seeing all the signs and everything, kind of gets you up for it and gets you in the mood to have a performance like tonight," McGlynn said.

"I hope I can just keep doing that until the World Cup, and hope that I'm there.”

Steps forward

While eyes turn to the upcoming World Cup, the importance of stacking points before the break is critical for every MLS team. And Houston, now up to eighth in the Western Conference, have won four of their last five games.

With a big win over what head coach Ben Olsen called “one of the best teams in this league," they’re only dreaming higher. 

“I think that we can run up the table, be a contender and make a run at the playoffs,” McGlynn said, looking ahead to Houston’s next match at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday (9:30 pm ET | Apple TV).

“We started the year pretty well," he added. "And I think if we keep doing this, and the solid foundation we have, we can go far.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Los Angeles Football Club vs. Houston Dynamo FC | May 10, 2026