Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Adnan Basic

2023 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Houston Dynamo win in Chicago following offensive explosion

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Photo: Houston Dynamo
Photo: Houston Dynamo
Going into Tuesday night, the focus was mainly on the Chicago Fire. They were the ones at home at SeatGeek Stadium. They were the ones going after a historic fifth US Open Cup title. They were the ones who really needed a win. The Houston Dynamo did not care for any of that. They rocked up and outplayed the hosts for most of the contest, ultimately coming away with a 4-1 victory to book their spot in the Semifinals of the competition. “I’m super excited to just keep moving in this tournament,” said Houston head coach Ben Olsen. “We’ve advanced in an important competition, one we’ve taken seriously from the start, and we’re looking forward to being in the Semifinals and trying to create a culture of winning.” After a back-and-forth start to the contest, Houston opened the scoring. Arnaud Souquet tripped up a streaking Nelson Quiñónes, and the referee decided that it was enough contact to point to the spot. Amine Bassi stepped up to take the spot-kick, and he calmly converted it with a powerful strike down the middle. “It took a little sting out of the crowd. They’re a good team, and it was a good atmosphere,” Olsen said. Bassi had a big chance to double the advantage about five minutes later, as a loose ball fell perfectly to him on the edge of the penalty area. His first-time effort was decent, but Spencer Richey was able to make the important save. It was 2-0 at the half hour mark, though. Hitting on the break, the Dynamo had two men flying forward. Ibrahim Aliyu was on the ball, and he smartly went for goal himself, passing the ball towards the near post and into the back of the net. Things were looking bad for the hosts, but they found a lifeline before the break. A corner picked out Arnaud Souquet, and his header was perfect, as he redirected the ball into the bottom corner to halve the deficit. The Fire came out hot to start the second half, and they were robbed of a clear penalty. Brian Gutiérrez was brought down by an onrushing Andrew Tarbell, who missed the ball completely. However, the referee saw otherwise, giving a corner kick instead of a penalty, showing the need for VAR in this part of the USOC. Despite their spell of dominance, it was the Dynamo who scored next. A mazy run from Quiñónes led to him getting a strong shot off, and even though his attempt was saved, the rebound fell right to Aliyu for an easy tap-in. “We dodged a couple of bullets in the first half, and we did a better job in the second half in terms of fixing things,” Olsen said. “It was a scrappy game. The field wasn’t perfect, and that led to more duels. It becomes more of a true cup game, a true fight. We had to make sure we were up for that.” Chicago sent bodies forward in search of a goal, but that cost them. Houston hit on the break once again, with Héctor Herrera blowing by his marker before setting up Quiñónes for a simple finish at the back post. “The goal was a reward for a really good performance,” Olsen said when asked about Quiñónes. “He’s simplified his game and boiled it down to the areas where he can have success. Offensively he’s got real pace and quality and technical ability. His talent is scary. He also gave a real shift on the defensive end, constantly getting back in the right spot, constantly helping match the numbers down the flank.” “Our transition was good,” Olsen said. “Seeing out goals in the run of the play has been better as of late, but scoring goals and that final ball has haunted us, so it was nice to score a bunch tonight.” That killed off the contest, and the Dynamo held on to secure the victory. They now await the winner of Wednesday’s Quarterfinal between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. “When we came here we wanted to change the culture. Wins help change that,” Olsen said. “It’s nice to advance, get to the Semifinals, put yourself in a spot to be two games away from a trophy. It won’t be easy, every round gets more difficult, but we’re thrilled to be one of the remaining four teams.”

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Frank Klopas returns to lead Chicago Fire to win over St. Louis CITY

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Maren Haile-Selassie of the Chicago Fire FC celebrates after scoring a goal against St. Louis CITY SC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago FIre FC
Maren Haile-Selassie of the Chicago Fire FC celebrates after scoring a goal against St. Louis CITY SC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago FIre FC

It was a historic night at Bridgeview on Tuesday as the Chicago Fire beat St. Louis CITY SC 2-1 in the first-ever meeting between the two sides to book their place in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Chicago took the lead after just two-and-a-half minutes. A long ball bounced over the opposing backline, and it fell right into the path of Maren Haile-Selassie. It seemed like the angle was too tight, but he had a bit of luck on his side as his strike deflected off a defender before looping over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. 

“We started the game very well, and that set the tone for the full 90 minutes,” said Chicago defender Wyatt Omsberg. “Our start was very important, and we won a lot of first and second balls to set the tone.

They continued to control proceedings early on, but St. Louis started to grow into the game. They really should have tied things up in the 15th minute when Jared Stroud was left unmarked on a corner, but he scuffed his first-time attempt from close range.

The contest ebbed-and-flowed until the end of the first half, and that pattern continued to start the second. A big chance came as Miguel Navarro broke free on the counter, but his attempt was hit too close to the goalkeeper.

St. Louis then had their best opportunity soon after. Célio Pompeu danced into the area, and he set himself up for a superb shooting opportunity. However, he was denied by Mauricio Pineda, who heroically got across to make the block.

The next goal finally came with 15 minutes to go, and it was scored by the hosts. Goalkeeper Ben Lundt lost control of the ball at his feet, which allowed Brian Gutiérrez to poke it to Fabian Herbers. From there it was all too easy, as the German converted from close range to double his side’s lead.

“It was kind of a messy ball in,” said midfielder Fabian Herbers. “They played it under pressure to their goalkeeper, who took a bit of a longer touch. Guti was able to steal it and pass it to me, and I didn’t have too much work left to do, just pass it into the empty net.”

St. Louis tried to respond, and they even pulled a goal back through Miguel Perez in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough. Chicago held on to secure the win, booking their spot in the next round of the competition as a result.

“The team played great today. There was a team spirit, they fought to the end, we grew stronger toward the end, and we found a way,” said head coach Frank Klopas, who scored the golden goal in the 1998 US Open Cup Final for the Chicago Fire. “So, this was a really difficult match. We came out ahead and we’re not going to expect any of the other ones to be any easier.”

“We didn’t play super pretty today, but we put in the work and showed the fans what the team is about and that we still have a little fire left in us,” said Herbers.

The contest was also the first match for interim-head coach Frank Klopas, who returned to take over the team following Ezra Hendrickson’s firing on Monday morning. 

“It was difficult because when you’re in this business, you know, I’ve been there on the other side, so I know what it feels like,” said Klopas, who will patrol the sidelines for the Fire for the third time. “And for me, the only thing that I really focused on was being very clear with certain things to the team. Give them confidence, give them belief, and let them come out and show that on the field. And the most important thing was just to compete and leave everything on the field.”

“Frank is super passionate. He loves the club, he wants the best for the club. It was more about his motivation and less about his tactics,” said Herbers. “It was about our fight, and I think he did a good job transmitting his passion.”

“In some ways it was kind of nice to just be like ‘alright we’ve got a game, let’s just turn the page and focus on the game,’” said Omsberg. “I think all the players at the club are so comfortable with Frank and the rest of the staff that we know we’ll be in safe hands.” 

Chicago has often stated how much they care about the Open Cup, and they proved it tonight by naming a first-choice starting lineup for the contest. It was enough to earn a spot in the Round of 16, and now everyone at the club has their eyes set on continuing their run in the tournament.

“We’ve always put, as a club, a big emphasis on the Open Cup. You know, I talked to the team a little tactically but I also had the video team put together a little video for the players to understand what this means to us,” said Klopas. “I told the guys the journey has started already, this is the second game. I said, ‘Hey, let’s make history and lift one cup together.’”

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Chicago Fire blank Chicago House AC in Windy City battle

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Federico Navarro of the Chicago Fire dribbles against Chicago House AC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire FC
Federico Navarro of the Chicago Fire dribbles against Chicago House AC in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire FC

The US Open Cup is known for its wild upsets and magical moments, but the host Chicago Fire made sure that none of that took place on Wednesday night as they soundly defeated Chicago House Athletic Club 3-0 at SeatGeek Stadium in their Third Round tie.

Two goals in the span of 11 minutes gave the Fire a comfortable lead going into the break, and they kept their foot on the gas pedal. They grabbed a third with about 20 minutes to go, and that final goal allowed them to coast to a comfortable victory.

“It’s been a long time since this organization won a trophy. Tonight was an opportunity for us to start changing that,” said head coach Ezra Hendrickson. “This tournament is a way to reconnect with our fans. It’s something that supporters are really up for, and it can ignite and energize a fanbase, and that’s something we need to do. What better tournament to do it in than the Open Cup?”

“It’s a big tournament for us,” said defender Kendall Burks, who scored twice on the night. “We talk about it in the locker room all the time. It’s something we want to win, and it’s something we think we can win, and tonight was just the first step in doing that.”

Their starting lineup was a real signal of intent, as the likes of Federico Navarro, Maren Haile-Selassie, and Mauricio Pineda all got the nod from the opening whistle.

Things were still pretty even to open up the contest, and the House actually had a fair share of the ball early on. The Fire eventually grew into the game and slowly took control of proceedings.

Neither side created much of anything until the 25th minute, when the hosts struck first. Miguel Navarro was given too much space out wide, which allowed him to hit a quality cross into the area. The goalkeeper missed it, and Kacper Przybylko was at the right place at the right time to slot home from close range.

It was 2-0 about 10 minutes later. A corner from Alonso Aceves picked out Kendall Burks, and he rose highest before finding the bottom corner with an excellent header. That’s how simple the goal was, and it gave the Fire some much-needed breathing room in the matchup.

They almost killed the game off with a third goal right after. Youngster Alex Monis broke past the opposing backline, but he dragged his shot just wide of the far post. That was the end of the action in terms of the first half. The Fire didn’t create too many chances, but converted the ones that came their way.

The hosts came out strong following the break, trying to grab that match-sealing third goal. It came in the 69th minute, and again it came via Burks and a corner. This one had an added wrinkle, though, as the corner from Aceves first found Wyatt Omsberg, who cleverly flicked it towards the backpost. That’s where Burks was, and he reacted quickest to convert from just a few yards out.

It was another wonderful moment in what proved to be a dream night for the centerback, who scored twice, secured the clean sheet, and came away with the victory. 

“Being a centerback, you don’t expect to score a lot of goals, let alone two in one game. It was definitely good to get on the scoresheet,” he said. “Being in the starting lineup today was a good confidence booster. I feel like I’ve been improving each day, and that’s the biggest thing for me.”

The Fire killed the contest off at that point, as their main objective was getting the job done and booking their spot in the next round.

“It feels a lot better than last year, that’s for sure,” said goalkeeper Spencer Richey, who was the starter when the Fire were knocked out by Union Omaha in the Third Round last season. “There’s no easy cup game. Everytime you play a lower-division side you know that they’re going to give you everything they have. It’s important that we do well in this competition. There’s always going to be some rotation, and hopefully whatever group is on the field in the next round can get the job done and we can go from there.”

For House, it was an emotional end to their stellar cup run. They had won five games just to get to this stage, and they were one of only two amateur teams in the Third Round. Despite the loss, there was still a lot for the club to be proud of.

“You know, one of our centerbacks is a senior in high school and he’s got school in the morning,” said House head coach Matt Poland. “It’s an awesome experience for us. From where we were a year ago to where we are now is an incredible achievement. This was a great platform for our guys to showcase themselves against some really talented players, and this should give our team confidence going into the summer season.”

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