Houston Dynamo FC goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell was voted the 2023 TheCup.us Player of the Tournament.
Tarbell played every minute of the Dynamo’s run to the club’s second Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title. He had three clean sheets and only allowed three goals, including just a late goal in a 2-1 win in the 2023 US Open Cup Final against Inter Miami on their home turf at DRV Pink stadium, helping bring the trophy back to Houston for just the second time in tournament history.
Tarbell narrowly edged FC Cincinnati’s Alvaro Barreal for the award, with his Dynamo teammate Amine Bassi finishing third.
The award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers from TheCup.us Patreon members.
The Houston Dynamo backup goalkeeper came in with plenty of Open Cup experience. Having played in seven cup games previous to his arrival in Houston, including the 2017 US Open Cup semifinal match with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2017, the 30 year old was certainly up to the task throughout the tournament. He capped off a memorable run with a three save performance in the Dynamo’s victory in the Final.
After being drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes with the 8th overall selection in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, Tarbell was one of the first signees with Houston after general manager Pat Onstad began to rebuild the club following the 2022 season. At Tarbell’s signing, Onstad’s words now seem prophetic, “Andrew is an experienced MLS goalkeeper who brings a winning mentality to our locker room and adds competition to our goalkeeping position. We talked about adding more quality and depth to our roster this offseason and Andrew’s signing aligns with that intention. Plus, his experience on three different MLS Playoff clubs will be invaluable as we restore a winning mentality at our club.”
Tarbell put together six wins en route to the US Open Cup title. His experience and winning mentality may have been at its peak when facing Sporting Kansas City when the Dynamo were down a man for nearly an hour. Sporting the captain’s armband, Tarbell was peppered with 17 shots and tallied four saves officially as Houston won 1-0.
Andrew Tarbell with ???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? in Open Cup play! #HoldItDown #USOC2023 pic.twitter.com/sOzR2LjfnN
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) May 24, 2023
Following that effort in the Round of 32, Tarbell refused to talk about his performance but was not bashful about his team.
“Everyone is working together and at the end of the day if we work together, good results will come if we keep doing that. We are a great unit. We have a good collective mentality about the team and he (Dynamo HC Ben Olsen) was just encouraging that.”
In the Round of 16, the Dynamo benefited from an early red card when Minnesota United had to play a man down starting in the 38th minute. Houston would prevail at home, 4-0.
Houston hit the road in the Quarterfinals and pick up a 4-1 win over the four-time champion Chicago Fire. Tarbell made four saves to earn the win. In the Semifinals, the Dynamo returned home and needed extra time to beat Real Salt Lake, 3-1. Tarbell was only forced to make one save that night.
Including the Final, Tarbell posted 11 saves while conceding just three goals, totaling 300 minutes of play. In the end, without Tarbell who knows if Houston would enjoyed the sweet fruits of victory on a warm summer night in Miami.
Tarbell becomes just the fourth goalkeeper to be named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament. He joins Chris Eylander (Seattle Sounders, 2008), Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC, 2009), Tim Melia (Sporting KC, 2017).